CyberSalad: Garden Pursuits: Fruits and Berries: Cantaloupes

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Cucumis melo reticulatus

Though melons are thought of as fruit, they are treated like vegetables in the garden. They grow on vines that creep along the ground for 6 to 10 feet or more and are ususally planted in clumps, or hills. Melons can be grown sucessfully in regions where minimum night temperatures are no lower than 55 degrees and minimum daytime temperatures are no lower than 80 degrees throughout the growing seasons. Most cantaloupes have orange flesh, but some have lime-green flesh even when ripe. Cantaloupes should be picked at what is called the "slip" stage, when a slight pressure at the point where the stem joins the melon causes the melon to slip off the vine.
All melons grow best in light, sandy soil with a pH of 6.0 7.5. In regions where minimum night temperatures average above 55 degrees for less than three months, sow seeds of all types of melons indoors or in a hotbed about one month before night temperautres can be depended upon to stay above 55 degrees and daytime temperatures above 80 degrees, then set them into the garden when the required temperatures are reached. Elsewhere, sow seeds of all types directly outdoors when the temperatures reach 55 degrees at night and 80 degrees in the daytime. Plant seeds for cantaloupes 4 to 6 feet apart. Transplant seedlings started indoors two to a hill. When sowing seeds directly outdoors, plant 6 to 8 seeds in each hill in a circle, about 1/2 inch deep. When the seedlings appear, cut off all but the two best. Fertilize about every two weeks, and water the plants in dry weather. Because melons lie on the ground, a mulch of straw or hay helps prevent rot. Also, melon roots are shallow and are easily damaged by cultivation; if a mulch is not used, hoe no deeper than 1 inch when weeding. Do not move the vines; they too are easily injured. Fruits that start to grow after midsummer will not have time to mature and should be removed; this thinning will direct nourishment toward fruits that are developing. Unused melon seeds keep for about five years.

'Sweet and Early', deliciously sweet and juicy melon with attractive, firm, salmon-orange flesh. Ideal for short-season gardeners. Each plant produces 6 to 8 melons. Disease resistant. Harvest in 75 days.

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Site launched January 1, 2000.
Site updated September 1, 2007.