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There is nothing more indicative that summer is truly here than sitting down to juicy, home-grown melons. Watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe are considered quite easy to grow, and all are grown in much the same way, so whatever type of melon you decide to grow, if you follow the steps below, you will have fresh melon for breakfast or in a good fruit salad in just a few weeks.
- Melons like full sun, hot days, warm nights, and lots of room to grow. They also need moderately rich and well-drained soil that has a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
- Melons really dislike extremely acidic soil, so choose a spot that has naturally alkaline soil, or has recently been limed.
- Melons need very warm soil and will not grow well in soil that is cooler than 60° F (16° C). They don't tolerate any frost, so make sure to sow seeds outdoors two weeks after the last expected frost.
- You can use rows or hills to plant your melons, but one method is not any better than another, it just depends upon what suits you best.
- Some gardeners like to put several plants together in a clump or "hill," while other people like to plant in conventional rows.
- Weeding is easier with the hill method, but if you water with soaker hoses or drip irrigation lines, planting in rows will be the best way to go.
If using hills: plant two to four plants per hill with the hills spaced 2 to 3 feet (.5 to 1 m) apart.
If using rows: plant 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) apart in rows and make sure the rows are 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m) apart.
Short-vined or bushy muskmelon and watermelon will produce two or three fruits per plant. Long-vined types will produce up to five fruits per plant. Ripening tends to be uniform so you can plan on all of the fruits being mature in a three week period.
Melons need plenty of water while they are young, and regular deep watering is especially crucial during the first 3 to 4 weeks that the vines are growing in your garden.
That said, you can improve the flavor of the fruit if you don't water as often as the fruit ripens. A good technique is to cut back on the water once the plants have begun to set fruit because overwatering dilutes the melon's sugars and makes the flavor weaker and less sweet.
This is a fine line, because you never want the melons to dry out completely, or get too stressed for water, because when you do water again, or it rains, the ripening melons can split. So simply reduce the water but not to the point where you are stressing the plant.
To give a steady supply of moisture, drip irrigation or soaker hoses are the best way, because you are watering the roots directly rather than soaking the leaves. By keeping the leaves dry, you can help prevent common foliar diseases such as powdery mildew which can affect the flavor of the melons.
Try not to disturb or move the vines as the plants grow, even to weed. If you disturb the vines, you can interrupt the flow of nutrients to the melons which increases the risk that the melons will ripen on one side, but stay green on the other side. The best thing to do is to weed the melon patch really well just as the vines begin to grow and then heavily mulch to keep weeds under control.
Melons are heavy feeders and from the time they start growing until the first flower appears, melons need a steady supply of nutrients. A good formula is to mix a solution of 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of fish emulsion in 1 gallon (3.8 l) of water and apply it weekly when the plants are young. An application of a kelp-based foliar spray when the plants are in full flower will complete fertilization.
- Melons can be hard to tell if they are ripe, but here are some common techniques.
- Muskmelons: develop a thick netting over the rind, and the rind beneath becomes a lighter shade of green or even yellow.
- Watermelons: when ripe, the curled tendril at the stem end dries to brown and the underside of the melon turns yellow or cream-colored. The melon will also give a flat, dead sound when thumped. Rinds of unripe watermelons have a nice shiny gloss; ripe melons lose that shine, so the rinds are drab.
- Other melons: Slip from the vine when ripe.
All melons will ripen a bit more for a couple of days after harvest, so store them at room temperature until they are totally ripe, then put them in the refrigerator or cool location for several weeks.
Courtesy of Weekender Gardener Monthly Web Magazine
Copyright Hilary A. Rinaldi. All rights reserved.
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