Ever wonder why you have trouble growing this sweetest of crops? We’ve got tips for improving your odds this season
One of the nifty tasty goody ofsummeris a sweet , vine - ripen melon picked from your own garden . The tone is unexcelled and will put to dishonor the flavorless cargo ships melon found in your local supermarket . to boot , you have a much wide selection of miscellany if you rise your own — from the tried - and - unfeigned cantaloupe to the more uncommon crenshaw , ananas , and galia . Lots of folks think that they ca n’t growmelonsif they be in an domain withshort , cool summers , but that ’s not the case . Melons can grow well in most office of the lower 48 states . If I can successfully grow melon in centralMaine , then almost anyone can do the same . The trick is picking the right variety and getting your plants off to the right startle .
Sow indoors, and use plastic mulch
Start your seedsindoors to ensure that you kick off the time of year with the substantial plant potential . you could target - sow if you have to , but germination issues are more common with unmediated - seeded plants as are problem with pests — such ascutworms , which love to junket on new melon seedlings . Sow , instead , two or three seed ¼ column inch late in 50 - cell flat or in 2- to 3 - inch - diameter deal . The thaumaturgy is to start the seeds no more than a month beforetransplanting ; it ’s much good to hold back than to have oversize plants , which are fragile and prostrate to transplant shock . keep a temperature between 80 ° F and 90 ° fluorine ( using a seedling heat mat ) , and keep the soil moist but not squiffy until the seed bourgeon . Once they bourgeon , you’re able to drop the heat - flatness temperature down to 75 ° degree Fahrenheit until the plants have put on a match of sets of true leaves , which lets you make love that they ’re quick to transplant outside .
After the danger of freeze has passed and the weather is affectionate and root , set the transplants 18 column inch apart in rows that are 6 feet apart . instantly water the flora , preferably with a fish - emulsion fertilizer ( which is a great constituent alternative that wo n’t bite the ship’s boat transplantation ) , to give them an extra boost . Many nurseryman , include myself , plant their melons through black agricultural charge card or other dark - colored mulch options . These mulches warm the grunge , hasten maturity , and reduce weed pressure — all of which are issues that can be the causal agency of melon - growing failure .
Watch for pests and signs that it’s time to harvest
The most destructive pest of melons is thestriped cucumber mallet . It can promptly ruin young works as well as transmit bacterial foliage blight . The best control condition is to use floating row cover , which physically chuck out the plague from your melon vine patch but let rain and cheer to touch the plant . Row covers should be installed immediately after planting , before the mallet can overrun the plants . hoop ( to hold the covers aloft ) are not need . Using row covers is more effective and a passel less sweat than spray or handpicking insect pestilence . Additionally , they offer up a few degrees of rime protection , and they accumulate passion — make a mini greenhouse , of sorting — so the plant life grow faster and age earlier . This is key when growing melons in nerveless part . Remove the covers when the plants begin flower to allow bees and other insects to pollinate the crop .
In a couple of months , if everything goes right , you ’ll protrude image beautiful melons appear and then ripen on your vine . Harvesting melons can be a bit guileful and is a combination of artistry and skill . Some types of melon slip from the vine all on their own , and others must be cut . The data on your come parcel should specify what type of melon vine you are address with . When reap a novel variety for the first metre , however , it ’s best to pick one fruit and trial to see if it ’s ripe before harvest all of them .
skid miscellanea are melons from which the yield can be detach from the vine with a slight tug or gentle push button of the thumb ; cantaloup is one such type . drive - slip mixed bag are ready when the fruit can be detached with a firm pushing of the thumb . slice - from - the - vine character must be physically removed from the plant using shears , pruners , or a sharp knife as they wo n’t splay . They are generally quick when the folio or tendril stuffy to the stem has turned brown and the skins of the fruit have “ warm , ” or color up slightly . After that , all that is allow to do is adjudicate who will share in your pleasant-tasting summertime harvest home .
There’s a Variety for Every Taste and Place
One of the good reasons to uprise melon at menage is the encompassing grasp of mixture available , most of which are rarely seen at the supermarket . The following crack awe-inspiring flavor , and some are even especially suited for produce in the more challenging areas of the country :
1.‘Arava’
character : Galia
Days to maturity:77
Galias are commonly grown in the Mideast as a epicure goody . The heavily netted fruit are ready to glean when the skin turns yellow and the fruit err from the vine . The thick , sweet green flesh of ‘ Arava ’ is particularly aromatic .
2.‘Brilliant’
Type : Canary
Days to maturity:75
The football - shaped , bright yellow canary bird melon average 4 pounds apiece and hive away well — up to two to three weeks in the refrigerator . The form ‘ magnificent ’ has particularly firm , sweetened white flesh . harvesting at forced faux pas when the yield become dark yellow .
3.‘Honey White’
eccentric : Honeydew
‘ Honey White ’ is particularly accommodate for gardeners in cool , wet , and cloudy localisation . Its yield will still be sweet under these conditions , whereas cantaloupes are often bland . Its pale flesh is very dulcet and flavourful . yield norm 3 to 3½ pound sign to each one and store well for up to two to three weeks in the refrigerator . write out the yield from the vine when the skin warm up to a yellowish white or the small leaf near where the fruit stem attache to the vine yellows .
4.‘Lambkin’
Type : Piel de sapo
Unlike most piel de sapo melon vine , which involve a foresightful growing season , ‘ Lambkin ’ matures early and performs well in unretentive and long seasons . The 3 - dog pound melon have a yellow skin with unripened mottling . This All - America Selections winner has a superb dulcet feel . Harvest when the yield turn yellow and slip from the vine .
5.‘Lilly’
Type : Crenshaw
Days to maturity:78
The fruit of ‘ Lilly ’ are big ( 6 to 8 pounds apiece ) and a pleasant picket yellow . Its orangish material body has a marvellous creamy consistency and is extremely redolent and sweet . ‘ Lilly ’ matures originally than most crenshaws , which typically require a long growing season . Harvest at full or forced slip once the fruit become butter yellow .
6.‘Sarah’s Choice’
eccentric : Cantaloupe
sidereal day to maturity:76
‘ Sarah ’s Choice ’ combines fragrancy with the traditional musky look of a cantaloupe . The 3 - pound fruit are ready to glean when the peel is xanthous and the yield splay from the vine .
7.‘Savor’
Type : Charantais
Charantais melon are of Gallic origin and some of the hunky-dory melons for eating . The skin is a beautiful grayish color with grim unripened sutures . The human body of ‘ flavour ’ is gloomy orange and very sweet and redolent . Cut the fruit from the vine when the skin has a slight yellow tinge and the little foliage near where the fruit root attaches to the vine yellows .
8.‘San Juan’
Type : pineapple
genus Ananas are finely netted , oval melons that weigh about 4½ pounds each . The whitened soma of ‘ San Juan ’ is toppingly redolent , sweet , and reminiscent of pears . This variety do well in short - season area but shines in hot atmospheric condition . crop when the skin is nearly all yellow-bellied and the yield slip from the vine .
9.‘Serenade’
Type : Butterscotch
you may expect the small fruit from ‘ divertimento ’ to average in size between that of a baseball game and a softball game . This makes them the ideal size of it for a exclusive serving . The orange form is dulcet and aromatic . Butterscotch melons are seldom seen in North America , which is a shame because they are delicious . harvest time at push slip when the skin warm to a creamy yellow - viridity .
10.‘Sun Jewel’
character : Asian
Days to maturity:68
Asian melons are unusual looking at , like long oversize cucumber vine . The tegument is promising yellow with blank stripes . The blank flesh of ‘ Sun Jewel ’ is quite crisp and moderately sweet when ripe . harvesting when the yield slip from the vine .
Steve Bellavia is a vegetable research worker at Johnny ’s Selected Seeds in Winslow , Maine .
Photos , except where mark : courtesy of johnnyseeds.com
The following seed sellers offer the extensive selection of the melons featured :
For the best results, start them inside. Most seed packets and gardening books say to direct-sow melons outdoors, but plants started indoors are less susceptible to insect damage and weed pressure.Photo: Danielle Sherry
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For the best results, start them inside. Most seed packets and gardening books say to direct-sow melons outdoors, but plants started indoors are less susceptible to insect damage and weed pressure.Photo: Danielle Sherry
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Black plastic can be a short-season gardener’s best friend. This type of mulch helps warm the soil quickly, encouraging the plants to size up faster. It also blocks weeds and inhibits evaporation.
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To tug or not to tug? Slip varieties of melons can be gently pulled from the vine when ripe (left). Cut types are ready to be taken off the vine when the small curlicue tendril closest to the fruit turns brown and shriveled (right).Photo (right): millettephotomedia.com
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