The time from pollination to ripe fruit is usually about 40 days. Melons have a long growing period – about 90 days from seed to ripe fruit, so they generally will be ready to harvest in late summer or early fall. This will encourage the plant to be sweeter with more flavor. Adding mulch around the plants helps to control the water needs.Īs the plants start to produce fruit, hold off of the watering a bit. On the other hand, don’t over-water the plants, or the melons could rot. Usually every few days is sufficient but it depends on your climate. This could mean watering daily if the temperatures are very hot like there are here in North Carolina without much rain. Melon plants need about 1-2 inches of water a week. The plants like a balanced organic fertilizer or natural organic matter such as compost. Fertilizingįertilize monthly when the vines begin to run and then again when the fruits form. Mulching with straw, newspaper or grass clippings will not only keep the soil moist, but it will also keep weeds from growing. Keep on top of weedsīe sure to keep the area around the plants well weeded, especially in the first month. Once this flower has been pollinated, it will grow into tiny fruit. Melons grow from the pollinated flowers on the plants. I usually plant about 6 seeds in each mound. This will ensure that the melons have plenty of room to grow. Make the mounds about a foot high and about 3 feet wide.īe sure to leave at least 1-2 feet between the mounds. My experience with planting melons is to plant the seeds in mounds. Check with your local departments to get the dates of frost for your area. This could be as early as April or as late as early June for most zones. Plant the seeds after the expected last frost since they won’t survive this amount of cold. Melons like a ground temperature that is above 70 º F before you plant the seeds or they will not germinate. Calcium encourages a thick fruit wall and helps to keep the fruit from splitting.Īdding organic matter such as compost to the soil will give the melons a growing environment that is full of nutrients. This will make sure that there is enough calcium in the garden, which the plants need. Melons like a soil pH that is between 6.0 and 6.8. Many state agriculture departments will test it for you for free, or you can purchase a soil testing kit. Pick a place where the plant will get full sunshine for most of the day (6-8 hours is ideal.) The summer heat will encourage the plant into rapid growth as their vines spread around the area where you have them planted. Sunshine requirementsīe sure to choose a sunny location. It is suggest to give the plants 36 to 42 inches apart if you want to grow them on the ground, or 12 inches apart if you plan to have them grow up a trellis. You will need at least a 4 x 6 foot area in order to grow melons, since they turn into creeping vines. The plants send out tendrils that will produce more and more leaves and will actually climb if you give them a support.Įach of the yellow flowers will eventually grow into a baby plant. Melons like sunshine and they like to roam around the garden. If you want freshly grown melons with your morning breakfast plate, follow these growing tips. They are a giant in the garden, with rambling vines that grow best in very warm weather. Melons are both delicious and packed with nutrition. See those seeds? Those are basically baby plants! I’ve even had melons growing in a compost pile and the seeds came from kitchen scraps! Tips for Growing Melons Both contain about the same amount of calories fiber and nutrients fiber and both are tasty and fairly easy to grow. Honeydew melons also have a smoother skin and cantaloupes have the traditional dimpled look to the surface.Įven though they look quite different when cut open, the two melons are much more similar than they are different. Cantaloupes are less juicy and have orange colored flesh. Honeydew melons are sweeter than cantaloupes and have a light green or white colored flesh. Both melons are round and have lightish colored skins but the center of them looks very different.
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