How to grow Cantaloupe

Where to plant

Plant cantaloupes in full sun in light, well-drained soil enriched with compost. Seeds will not germinate and plants will not grow in cold, wet soil, so wait until the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed and dried. Black plastic mulch warms the soil and gives larger and earlier harvests, which helps a lot in the North.

Melons ripen best when the vines stay healthy, temperatures are warm but not extreme, and the weather is fairly dry as the fruit matures.

• Central Florida: sow from January to March for an early summer harvest. North Florida and the Gulf South: sow in March and April.
• South Florida: sow from December through March, the UF/IFAS window, so the fruit ripens in dry spring weather before the summer rains.
• Texas: sow in March and April. Desert Southwest: sow in February and March so fruit ripens before the extreme heat.
• California: sow from spring into early summer; inland valleys give the sweetest fruit.
• Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Plains: sow from May into early July.
• Northeast, Midwest, Northern Plains, Mountain West and the Pacific Northwest: sow or plant out in late May or June, use transplants and black plastic, and choose short-season varieties.
• Alaska: start indoors in April and plant out under cover after the last frost; choose the earliest varieties.

Choosing a variety

Choose a variety to suit your season and climate. Ambrosia is very sweet, and Hale's Best Jumbo is a heat-tolerant heirloom. Look for powdery mildew resistance in humid areas, and short-season varieties in the North. Honeydews and smooth-skinned melons need a longer, hotter season than most cantaloupes.

How to plant

1. In short-season areas, start seed indoors in individual pots 3 to 4 weeks before planting out. Melons dislike root disturbance, so plant without breaking the root ball and do not let transplants grow too big.
2. Elsewhere, sow seed 1 inch deep once the soil is warm.
3. Thin to one plant every 18 to 24 inches in rows at least 5 feet apart, or two plants every 36 inches in hills. With black plastic, plant through holes every 2 to 3 feet.
4. Cover young plants with floating row cover against cucumber beetles, removing it when the flowers open so bees can reach them.

Watering and feeding

Keep plants well watered while they establish and while the fruit is swelling, about 1 to 2 inches a week, at the base rather than over the leaves. Once the melons begin to ripen, stop watering unless there is a long dry spell. Too much water as the fruit matures lowers the sugar content and can split the fruit.

Feed with a balanced fertilizer at planting and again lightly when the vines begin to run.

Pruning and care through the year

• Male flowers open first and fall off; that is normal. Female flowers have a small melon at their base and need several bee visits to set well. Cool, wet weather and crowded, dense vines both cut bee activity and fruit set.
• Melons do not cross with cucumbers, squash, pumpkins or watermelons, and cross-pollination does not make melons bitter.
• Set ripening fruit on a board, straw or an upturned pot to keep it clean and dry.

Harvesting

Pick cantaloupes at half slip to full slip, when the stem separates easily from the fruit with gentle thumb pressure and leaves a clean, round scar. The rind under the netting turns from green to tan or yellow, and the blossom end smells sweet. Sugars keep building until the moment the stem slips, and the melon will not get sweeter once picked, so do not harvest early.

Harvest early in the day once the vines are dry. Leave melons on the counter a day if needed, then chill. Ripe cantaloupe keeps only a few days in the fridge.

Using it

Eat cantaloupe fresh in wedges, in fruit salads or with prosciutto, or blend it into smoothies and sorbet. Wash the netted rind before cutting, as the knife can carry soil bacteria into the flesh.