Melon Growing and Harvesting Information
| Temperature | |
| Germination | 75-95 F |
| For Growth | 65-75 F |
| Soil and Water | |
| Fertilizer - Heavy feeder. Before planting, work in compost or rotted manure | |
| Side-dressing -Apply balanced fertilizer or compost when vines are 12-18" long and again when fruits form | |
| pH | 6.0-6.5 |
| Water | average |
| Measurements | |
| Planting Depth | 1/2" |
| Root depth | shallow in general , some up to 4' |
| Height | 24" |
| Width | up to 30-40 square feet |
| Space between plants | |
| In beds | 2' |
| In rows | 4-8' |
| Space between rows | 5-7' |
| Average plants per person | 2-6 |
| Harvest | |
| Melon is ready for harvest as soon as it is at "full slip," the ends are soft (i.e. separate easily from the stem), a crack develops around the stem, and it smells "musky" The skin netting should be cordlike, grayish, and prominent. Winter melons don't "slip" but should be soft. Dip muskmelons in hot water (136-140F) for 3 minutes to prevent surface mold and decay during storage. Store in polyethylene bags to reduce water loss and associated softening of the flesh. | |
| First Seed Starting Date: 18 days before last frost date | |
| Last Seed Starting Date: 112-151 before first frost date | |
| Companions | |
| Companions: pumpkins, radish, squash | |
| Incompatibles: None | |
Muskmelons are often called cantaloupes, but they're not the same
botanical variety. True cantaloupes are rarely grown in North
America. Winter melons include honeydew and casaba. Like
all cucurbits, melons need bees for pollination.
Where to Grow Melons
Because melons require a long, warm growing season, their best production occurs in the South and Southwest, where there is ample growing time. Home gardeners in cooler regions can usually do fairly well with melons if they start seed indoors a month or more ahead of planting out doors, but the vines need consistently warm days and night s to thrive. Melons are a warm-season crop, very tender to frost and light freezes. Plan an average of 2-6 plants per person. Melons take up enormous space, and should not be considered for the small vegetable plot.
Reccomended Varieties of Melons
- Cantaloupes - Mainerock Hybrid; Burpee
Hybrid; Harper Hybrid; Saticoy Hybrid; Minnesota Midget (60 days).
- Watermelons - The newer refrigerator-size small hybrids are
more satisfactory for the average home garden, especially in the
Northeast. Sugar Baby; New Hampshire Midget; Lollipop, red and
yellow.
Soil for Melon Growing
A sandy, light loam deeply enriched with manure and compost is ideal. Soil must be just slightly acidic: pH 6. Since the vines are planted in hills, good yields are realized by working a spadefull of well-rotted manure and fertilizer such as bone meal into each hill before planting. Melon rinds are good for compost; they decompose rapidly and are high in phosphorous and potassium.
Planting Melons
Germination in 7-10 days.
When - Because of the long growing season, start plants
indoors 4 to 5 weeks before outdoor planting time. The soil
must be warm and the weather settled with warm days and nights, as
the plants are sensitive to cool. If nights are cool, use hot
caps to protect the plants. Melons can be sown directly
outside, but some gardeners report better germination with
pre-sprouted seeds.
How - If you start melons indoors, use individual cells or
peat pots, not flats, as the roots are too succulent to divide.
When you direct sow, plant 4-5 seeds in a hill and then thin the
appropriate spacing, depending on whether you train them on a
trellis or let them spread on the ground. For direct sowing
and transplants, cover seedlings with hot caps to protect from
frost, speed growth, and keep out pests. The vines do best if
planted in hills. Rows and hills should be set 5 to 6 feet
apart each way, with 2 or 3 plants per hill. Thin to the 2
strongest plants in a week.
How Melons grow
Melons grow extensively broad, ground hugging vines with soft, attractive foliage. The flowers appear quite suddenly, and it is interesting to watch the tiny melons start to develop after the flower petals drop.
Cultivating Melons
To encourage side shoots, when seedlings have 3 leaves, pinch out
the growing end. When new side shoots have 3 leaves, pinch out
the central growing area again. When fruits begin to form,
pinch back the vine to two leaves beyond the fruit. Make sure
fruits on a trellis are supported by netting or pantyhose, and
fruits on the ground vines are elevated by empty pots to prevent
disease and encourage ripening.
The vines are heavy feeders, and also need adequate moisture as they
start to develop. Troughs near the plants can be flooded for
effective watering. For fertilizer, give each hill about 1/2
cup of 5-10-5 fertilizer, liquid manure or fish emulsion 3 weeks
after planting, and again (if you can find the original hill) after
flowers appear. Keep the hills well watered up to the time
fruit starts to fill out. Since weeding and cultivating are
such problems with sprawling vine crops, black plastic or thick
mulch proves an excellent aid to keeping weeds out, soil
moisture in, and melons off the ground as they develop. The
plastic mulch should be placed on the ground and anchored before
planting, then central holes cut for the hills, with a few extra
slits to let rain and hose water filter through.
| Storage Requirements | ||
| Store fruits in a cool area | ||
| Fresh | ||
| Temperature | Humidity | Storage Life |
| 35-55 F | 80-90% | 1 month |
| Preserved | ||
| Method | Taste | Shelf Life |
| frozen | good | 3 months |
Harvesting Melons
3-3 1/2 months for cantaloupes; 3 months for midget watermelons.
- Cantaloupes - The easiest way to tell if they
are ripe is a color test. The flesh between the netting turns
from green to tan. Also, if the melon slips off the vine
easily with a gentle tug, it is probably ripe.
- Watermelons - Determining ripeness takes talent.
One method is thumping; a hollow dull sound when thumped with the
thumb usually indicates ripeness. Or if the melon is turned
over and the flesh is a deep yellow on the bottom, it is probably
ripe.
Melon Pests
(Same as for Cucumber)
- Striped cucumber beetle (East Coast). Spotted cucumber beetle
(West Coast): This is essentially the same pest, which
changes its coat depending on which coast it chooses. Adults
overwinter on garden debris, so good fall cleanup is the first step
in control.
- Squash bug - Handpick adults and leaves bearing
eggs. If boards are placed between rows in the evening, these
insects will hide under them and can be destroyed in the early
morning by uncovering and killing them.
- Vine borers - These pests are usually not seen
until the damage is done. Good fall cleanup to destroy
overwintering eggs is important.
Melon Diseases
Grow resistant varieties.
