How to grow Honeydew Melon
Updated October 2026
Honeydew is the smooth-skinned, green-fleshed melon, grown just like cantaloupe but usually a little slower to ripen. The thing to know is that it never slips from the vine when ripe, so you judge it by color, a slightly soft blossom end and a light, sweet smell.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Honeydew Melon
Not to be confused with: Honeydew is the same species as cantaloupe (muskmelon), but cantaloupes separate from the vine when ripe and honeydews do not.
Where to plant
Melons need full sun, warmth and fertile, well-drained soil. Work compost into heavy soils. Black plastic mulch warms the soil and gives an earlier crop, which helps in short or cool seasons.
- South Florida: sow from December through March, at the same time as cantaloupe, so the fruit ripens in dry spring weather before the summer rains.
- Central and North Florida, the Gulf South, Texas and the Desert Southwest: sow in late winter to spring once frost has passed and the soil is warm.
- Most of the rest of the country: sow after the last frost once the soil has warmed, usually May to June, or start seed indoors 3 to 4 weeks earlier.
- The Pacific Northwest and Alaska: summers are short or cool. Choose an early variety, give melons your warmest spot, and in Alaska start them indoors and plant out under cover.
Choosing a variety
In a short or cool season, choose an early honeydew such as 'Earlidew'. Orange-fleshed honeydews such as 'Honey Orange' are sweeter and more aromatic than the green types.
How to plant
- Wait until frost is past and the soil is 60 to 70°F. Planting into cold, wet soil invites damping off.
- Sow 4 or 5 seeds per hill, 1 inch deep. When seedlings have 1 or 2 true leaves, thin to the best 2 or 3 per hill.
- Space hills 1.5 to 2 feet apart in rows 5 to 6 feet apart. Vines can also be trained up a sturdy trellis if each fruit is supported in a sling.
- For an earlier crop, sow 3 or 4 seeds in peat pots indoors 3 to 4 weeks before planting out, thin to two, harden off, and plant out without disturbing the roots.
Watering and feeding
Melons need steady, plentiful moisture but hate wet feet. Dry soil at germination gives patchy emergence, dry soil at bloom gives poor fruit set, and stress near harvest shrinks the fruit. In dry weather, give 1 to 2 inches of water every 7 to 10 days, in the morning, with drip irrigation if you can.
As the fruit nears maturity, halve the amount of water. Heavy rain or watering in the last week or two makes fruit crack and taste bland.
Work a balanced fertilizer into the bed before planting, based on a soil test, and give transplants a starter solution.
Pruning and care through the year
- Melon flowers need bees to set fruit. Avoid insecticides harmful to bees, or apply them only early or late in the day.
- Mulch with straw or plastic to save water and keep down weeds, and weed carefully around the shallow roots.
- Rotate: do not grow melons or other cucurbits in the same spot for 3 to 4 years.
Harvesting
Honeydews do not slip off the vine and do not get sweeter after picking, so judge ripeness on the vine. Look for the rind changing from pale green to creamy or yellowish white, a slight softening at the blossom end, and a light, pleasant aroma. Cut the fruit with about 2 inches of stem.
Honeydews keep 2 to 3 weeks at about 45 to 50°F, longer than most melons.
Companion planting
Melons sprawl and need sun and warmth, so give them room at the edge of the garden or let them run between tall crops.
Good companions
- Sweet corn Grows tall and upright, so melon vines can ramble between the rows.
- Nasturtium Its flowers draw in bees and other pollinators, which melons need to set fruit.
- Radish A quick crop that is pulled long before the melons need the space.
Keep apart
Avoid planting these close to honeydew melon.
- Potato Traditional advice keeps the two apart; both are hungry crops with different timing.
Pests and diseases
Melons share their pests and diseases with cucumbers and squash. Rotation, mulch and morning watering prevent many problems.
Pests to watch for
- Cucumber beetles Yellow and black striped or spotted beetles chewing seedlings; they also spread bacterial wilt.
- Aphids Clusters under curled leaves; they spread mosaic viruses.
Diseases to watch for
- Powdery mildew White powdery patches on older leaves in mid to late summer.
- Downy mildew Angular yellow patches on leaves with gray fuzz underneath in humid weather.
- Fusarium wilt One or more vines wilting and yellowing, with discolored stems inside.
- Damping off Seedlings collapse at soil level in cool, wet conditions.
Common questions
How do I know when a honeydew is ripe?
Honeydews never slip off the vine. Look for the rind turning from pale green to creamy or yellowish white, a slight softening of the blossom end, and a light, sweet smell. Cut it with about 2 inches of stem.
Will honeydew ripen after picking?
No. Honeydew does not get any sweeter once it is picked, so leave it on the vine until it shows the signs of ripeness.
Why is my honeydew not sweet?
Usually it was picked too early, or the vine had too much water in the week or two before harvest. Heavy rain at that stage can also make fruit bland or crack. Cut back watering as fruit nears maturity.
When should I plant honeydew?
After the last frost, once the soil is 60 to 70°F. In South Florida sow from December to March so the fruit ripens before the summer rains. Check the calendar on this page for your region.
How long does honeydew keep?
Whole honeydews keep 2 to 3 weeks at about 45 to 50°F. Once cut, wrap and refrigerate them.
Can I grow honeydew on a trellis?
Yes. Use a strong trellis and support each fruit in a sling of netting or cloth as it grows, since the melons are heavy.
Sources we checked: Iowa State University Extension: Growing Cantaloupe, Muskmelon, and Other Melons in the Home Garden; Iowa State University Extension: How can you tell when to harvest honeydew melons?; University of Maryland Extension: Ripening Behaviors and Harvest Indexes of Watermelons, Cantaloupes and Honeydew Melons; Washington State University Extension: When to Harvest a Melon.
Loading sow calendar…