![]() ![]() Provide one to two inches of water per week until fruit appears, and then scale it back to one inch and then half an inch about a week before harvest.Keep melons warm in cold weather and help them stay cool if temps rise above 95☏ to 100☏.Make sure to plant in organically rich soil.The plant will then put all of its energy into growing those fruits to a nice, large size.īut if you don’t mind smaller melons and want a fuller crop, you can let the vines grow as they will and only trim them back if they are spilling over the edge of your raised bed or encroaching on other plants.Īs frosty fall weather approaches and your melons begin ripening, pinch off any new flowers to allow the energy to focus on ripening existing fruit. To grow large melons, trim each plant at the leaf node just past the one bearing the fruit and consider only keeping two to three fruits on each plant. Like strawberries, melons send out runners. To sow in seed trays, add a good quality potting mix to each cell and then use your finger to make a 1/2-inch-deep hole in each one.Īdd two to three seeds per hole, and make sure you place the pointy end of the seeds down. Most cantaloupe cultivars take between 65 to 90 days from germination to reach maturity, so let that be your guide. Those in Zones 9, 10, and 11 can even sow seeds in the fall for a winter crop. In somewhere like Florida, plant as early as February or March. In warmer climates, you can sow seeds directly outdoors as soon as all danger of frost has passed. Since melons require a long growing season, and take time to ripen, a head start like this helps guarantee that you’ll get to harvest your melons before fall frosts kill the plants. Those of you who live in colder climates, like I do, should sow seeds indoors at least four weeks before your average last frost date. Southern states can grow the melon earlier in the spring or even during the fall in some areas. In the north, with the shorter growing season, it’s an ideal summer crop as long as it’s got some help to stay warm. ![]() You can start this fruit from seed indoors or outdoors, or from seedlings purchased at a garden center. You can also roast and snack on the seeds. ![]() Today, people all over the world favor cantaloupe over watermelon – oh wait, maybe that’s just me! – and use it in fruit salads, wrap it in prosciutto for a popular antipasti, and eat it on the rind for a delicious summertime snack. A nice blast from the past that first sentence is! ![]()
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