![]() Most honeydew varieties take a little longer. Millie Davenport, ©2016 HGIC, Clemson Extension HarvestĪbout 30 to 35 days are required from fruit pollination to harvest for most cantaloupe varieties. Honeydew melons are smooth skinned with green, white, orange, or pink flesh. Melons need extra water during fruit set and development, but too much water during the last week of fruit development will reduce sweetness of the fruit. When watering, make sure the soil is moistened to a depth of at least 6 inches. Drip irrigation works well as water is applied in the plant root zone but does not wet the foliage. If using overhead irrigation, water in the morning so the foliage has time to dry before dark. Be careful: Too much nitrogen fertilizer can encourage excessive vine growth and reduce fruit growth. Sidedress a second time after bloom when fruit is developing on the vine. Melons should be sidedressed before the vines start to “run” with 1 pound of 34-0-0 (urea and ammonium sulfate) per 100 feet of row or 2 pounds of 15.5-0-0 (calcium nitrate) per 100 feet of row. If a soil test has not been taken, apply 5-10-10 at 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet before planting. ![]() It is best to base fertilizer applications on the results of a soil test. The recommended honeydew variety is Earlidew. Other possible cantaloupe varieties include: Ambrosia, Burpee Hybrid, Lilliput Hybrid, Park’s Whopper, and Scoop II. Athena, one of the more popular commercial varieties, would do very well in the home garden. There are numerous very good cantaloupe varieties for the home garden. Smith, ©2016 HGIC, Clemson University Recommended Cultivars If starting from seed, plant the seed about ½ to ¾-inch deep.Ĭantaloupes and honeydews need a lot of space in the garden.īarbara H. Transplants or seed should be planted in the rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant the melons in rows 6 to 8 feet apart. It is also possible with the appropriate equipment to inject the needed nutrients through the drip line and spoon-feed your plants.Ĭantaloupes and honeydews need a lot of space. Using drip irrigation instead of overhead irrigation keeps the foliage dry and reduces disease problems. It is best to use drip irrigation in combination with the plastic mulch. Piedmont: Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, and York Counties.Ĭoastal Plain: Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, and Williamsburg Counties. Spraying the mulch white reduces the amount of heat absorbed. The hotter soils created by a black mulch become too hot during the summer and early fall. If a second crop or fall crop is going to be planted on the black plastic mulch, spray-paint the black mulch white. Other advantages of this type of mulch are weed control and a reduction of fruit rot. The black plastic will warm the soil faster in the spring and will also conserve moisture throughout the season. To plant, punch a small hole in the plastic and plant the seed or transplant. The black plastic absorbs the sun’s warmth, allowing the soil to warm quickly. ![]() ![]() Under normal conditions melons grown from transplants can be harvested as much as two weeks earlier than melons grown directly from seed.Īnother way to get an early start on your melon crop is to use black plastic mulch. Melons seeds can be planted directly in the garden or transplants can be grown to get an early start. These melons are very tender and should be planted after the last chance of frost. It is best to plant when the soil temperature is at least 60 to 65 ☏. PlantingĬantaloupe and honeydew are warm-season crops that grow best at average air temperatures between 65 and 75 ☏. Honeydew melons usually have green or white flesh, although some newer varieties may have orange or pink flesh. The honeydew melon is another group of melons. The Athena “cantaloupe” or muskmelon ( Cucumis melo ‘Athena’) is a popular commercial variety that also growswell in home gardens.īarbara H.
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