Melons

[patchninja]

Does anyone here grow melons? If so, which varieties? The pruning seems to be a bit complicated.

[DavidT]

I`ll be growing them for the first time this year. So we can muddle through together.

[PottyPot]

Originally Posted by patchninja

Does anyone here grow melons? If so, which varieties? The pruning seems to be a bit complicated.

I don't prune my melons I treat them like my pumpkins and chop the growing tip at 3 fruits. I grow them in pots and train up a trellis with my Kiwi plant which is in full sun. Look out for the slugs who munch on them at golf ball size

I grow the Honey Dew. They never get as big as the shop bought, but they still taste lovely. I will sow my seeds next week and keep them in the spare room on the windowsill.

[patchninja]

Thank you both.

[maxcreigs]

I have small garden so I have Ambrosia melon the tasty Ambrosia melon has sweet, orange flesh. Flavor is delicious, but the melon has a fairly thin skin and thus is uncommon plant is drought tolerant and disease resistant but too large to grow anywhere but in the ground.Although melons are a warm season crop.

[malcolmx]

melons are best grown on the bench in the green house use a very free draining compost and allow 2 fruits only do not train the melons upward allow to trail water as soon as the compost is not damp shade with straw and liquid feed reularly

[patchninja]

Thanks for the tips. I have 4 plants in the greenhouse at the moment. If I'm only going to get 2 fruit per plant, then I better get sowing some more!

[Husker]

Hi Patch. I grow muskmelon, watermelon, and a french heirloom boule d'or and have had pretty good luck sowing the seeds right into the garden, 7 or 8 seeds per hill, in mid-May. After the seeds sprout I thin them to the 2 best looking plants and then just do normal watering and feeding, no pruning. Last year was very good with 34 muskmelons on 4 hills 21 boule d'or on 3 hills and 8 watermelons on 2 hills. Our usual first frost is at the end of Sep. so that gives you an idea of our growing season. Hope this helps a bit, and good luck with your melons.