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Cantaloupe melons are delicious and reminiscent of summer, sun, sea and sand. They belong to the cantaloupes. As a rule, the melons are bought at the fruit counter in the supermarket. But the exotic fruits can also be grown in your own garden bed. There are many different varieties of cantaloupe melons, so it is important to find a plant that is also well suited to the local climate. The following article explains how to draw this yourself.
Growing cantaloupe melons
sorts
Three varieties thrive particularly well in the local climate, as they are very well suited to colder climates.
- Eden's Gem
- Sarah's Choice
- Hale's Best
For a very good taste and a great aroma, however, the following varieties are suitable:
- ambrosia
- honey bun
- Athena
- hearts of gold
If you can't make up your mind, you can also grow several melons yourself and grow two or three different varieties.
sowing
win seeds
Of course, you can also buy the seeds of the cantaloupe melon in stores. Here, however, attention should be paid to the ripening and harvesting time. But even a melon from the supermarket that tasted particularly delicious has many seeds that can be obtained for your own cultivation next year. This is done as follows:
- Remove the seeds from the melon
- get rid of the pulp
- Soak in cold water for two days
- then spread on paper towel
- let dry well
- remove the last dry pulp
- Pour into a glass with a screw cap
- store in a dark, cool place
- Seeds can be stored for two years
time for sowing
You should not sow melons directly in the garden bed, it is better to grow them in small pots. So that you can then plant the finished plants in the desired location in the garden starting with the warm season, you must choose the right time for sowing. This looks like this:
- four to six weeks before planting
- plant out in the greenhouse in May
- outdoors in June in the garden bed
- Sow between March and April
Care at sowing
The soil in the seed pots needs to be fresh and well drained. A mixture of potting and garden soil is well suited for this. The seeds are pressed into the soil about one to two centimeters. The maintenance then proceeds as follows:
- choose a bright and warm location
- on windowsill above a heater
- Indoor greenhouse is ideal
- otherwise cut PET bottle in the middle
- put on
- keep moist
- air in between
- Earth must have a temperature of at least 20 °C
- Air temperature up to 30 °C
- see seedlings after a few days
seedlings
Care after germination
After the first seedlings have become visible after a few days, they should be pricked out. For this purpose, the largest and strongest seedlings are placed individually in their own pots that contain the same soil. The pots can now stand without a cover. However, for the little plants outside, it's still not why enough. Therefore, proceed as follows:
- keep it in the warm place
- Heat lamp can now help
- keep it moist
- Avoid waterlogging
- put outdoors in June
Plant melons
location
The location for the small cantaloupe melons must be chosen with care. Because it must not be too sunny here at the beginning. The midday sun in particular can severely damage the small melon plants by burning the delicate leaves. If there is no natural shade, you should help with sun protection. Otherwise choose the place as follows:
- big bed
- Melons grow up to four square meters wide
- at least 12 °C
- sheltered from the wind
- a corner in front of a white house wall
- the solar radiation is reflected
- it is particularly warm
- in summer temperatures from 25 °C to 35 °C
- The ideal soil temperature is 20 °C to 25 °C
- put on black bed foil for this
Since melons are not fruits but a type of pumpkin, the bed has to be chosen anew every year. Otherwise the earth is no longer ideal. If there is no second ideal place in the garden, then the substrate must be replaced in the next year of cultivation.
substrate
For cultivation, the chosen garden bed needs the ideal soil so that the cantaloupe can ripen well and bring a rich harvest. Therefore, you must prepare the garden soil accordingly. It is ideal if the bed is treated accordingly three to four weeks before planting, because then the nutrients that have been lifted can decompose and thus reach the plants more easily via the young roots. This is done as follows:
- Substrate permeable to water and loose
- Avoid waterlogging
- dig bed
- Lay drainage on the dug bed
- fill with stones or potsherds
- Mix compost or horse manure underground
- A pH of 6.3 to 6.8 is optimal
- Fill in the soil again until planting
plant
If it is warm enough outside and the small melon plants have grown big enough, then they can be planted in the garden bed. For this purpose, plant mounds are created and the melons are removed from the seed pots. The roots are still very tender, so care must be taken when doing this. Next, when planting, work as follows:
- leave enough space between the hills
- at least 1.2 meters in all directions
- Cantaloupe can also be grown on a trellis
- use this already when planting
- so more plants find a place
- the fruits don't stay on the ground
- drill a small hole in the middle of the mound
- Put melon plants in the mounds
- press carefully
- moisten well
maintenance
If you want to grow and grow your own cantaloupe melons, you have to follow other instructions after planting. The plants need plenty of water, especially on very hot, sunny days. However, watering should only be done in the early morning or late evening hours. Only wash with slightly warm water. You can use collected rainwater or stagnant tap water for this. Furthermore, you should proceed as follows:
- Leaves indicate health
- should always be dark green and stiff
- often look wilted in the evening
- this is normal and nothing to worry about
- but must not turn yellow or blotchy
- Cover plants with clear film
- are protected from insects and cold
- after about two weeks flowers form
- Remove foil for bees
- pull weeds regularly
After the flowers have opened, you should plant the melon with an appropriate fertilizer supply regularly. This ideally contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. When the first fruits form, you should reduce the amount of water, because too much water dilutes the sugar content in the fruit and later affects the taste.
create trellis
To prevent the cantaloupe fruits from growing on the ground and possibly being damaged by rot or animal damage, you can also build a low trellis for the plants to grow up. To create a trellis, do the following:
- stick sticks one to two meters high in each plant mound
- then connect them with wooden beams, a thread or wire
- tie the melons up along the row
- Place fruit on inverted buckets or pots
- because that way they don't break off
harvest melons
A cantaloupe is ready to be harvested when the stalk snaps easily. On the other hand, if the fruit is overripe, it falls off by itself. The smell also indicates the maturity for harvesting. This is very musky near the garden bed where the melons are cultivated. If this smell is noticed, the fruits can be harvested. The time for harvesting is then as follows:
- Melon fruits are fast growing
- ripe within about four weeks
- so watch the flower closely
- when will the first small fruits show up here
It can be assumed that the first fruits of a cantaloupe planted in June in the garden bed can be harvested at the end of July to the beginning of August.