cantaloupe and watermelon from seeds

15 years ago

I started cantaloupe (seeds saved from last year's delicious cantaloupe purchased from the farmer in our area) and watermelon (Sugar Baby - I think from Burpee) at the same same, in the same conditions, same watering and feeding schedule. Cantaloupes seem to be on a faster schedule - they showed up first, grow faster, already have wiskers (I did not know they are climbers!). Watermelon plants are healthy but are slow. Do I need to give them a kick - extra heat? extra doze of feeding? to make sure they will get big enough in time to go outside?

cantaloupes:

http://public.fotki.com/LeylaM/garden/growing-from-seeds-2009/1008322.html

watermelons:

http://public.fotki.com/LeylaM/garden/growing-from-seeds-2009/1008323.html

Thank you!

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Comments (6)

hatchjon
15 years ago
Actually, both melons are too large. Ideally they should be direct seeded or started no more than 3 weeks prior to planting.

You can try planting these but they may not survive the transplant. If they do die simply direct seed in the garden.

Jon
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vikingkirken
15 years ago
Your plants are beautiful! I definitely wouldn't worry about them being too small, get them out in the garden soon!! If the watermelon is the Bush Sugar Baby, it may just be shorter because the vines don't ever get all that long.

To ease transplanting... when you are ready to set them out, dig the hole first, set the plant down in the hole cup and all... carefully cut away the cup and ease it out, filling in the dirt as you go. If it makes it easier, cut the bottom off before placing it down in the hole. I did this when transplanting melon and squash last year, and everything moved fine. You just don't want to disturb the roots.

Lori
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mingwei: You can grow up to three cantaloupe or watermelon plants from the same hill. These plants are insect pollinated, and can grow male and female blossoms on the same plant. But these vine crops are heat and sunlovers, and the problem in northern locations like MA is lack of same. You can overcome this to some extent by growing melons on black plastic, which draws heat from the sun during the day and conserves it at night. Plastic also holds down weed competition, and prevents evaporation of moisture. I grow all my melons on large sheets of heavy solid black plastic, and never have to water them because there is so little moisture loss to sun evaporation. You should be able to grow a shorter-season watermelon like the 75-day Sugar Baby (about 10 pounds), and there are quite a number of shorter-season cantaloupe varieties. Sugar Baby is an excellent watermelon in every respect, but I would not try growing the big 20-40 pounders in MA. Nor would I try growing melons in any location that is shaded by trees or buildings. The other thing melons require is a highly enriched soil to grow vigorously and produce fruits of any size. You can tell how well a melon plant is going to produce just by looking at the leaves. Big, healthy, dark-green leaves mean good melons. Scraggly, weak plants mean little or nothing. You should be able to direct-seed melons in MA by about mid-May, but no earlier since they will not germinate in cold soil. Or, you can start plants indoors in pots and gain a little time advantage, but not much. So enrich your soil with something like bagged manure, buy a little black plastic, and give it a try. If you get melons, watch the vine tendril closest to the melons for signs of ripeness. When the tendril turns brown, the bottom of the melon should also be yellow, and the melon should have a very low tone (something like a D) when thunked. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
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Melons like loose sandy soil and lots of room, and full sun. I till my patch every year and add whatever a soil analysis says that it needs. I direct seed around the 1st of May, and when the plants start to run, I give them a high nitrogen fertilizer, and feed them nothing else. Since i have limited space, I plant mine fairly close(4ft. centers), and keep the plants well watered, if there is no rain. I don't remove any flowers at all, nor do I prune the plants or remove any fruit. I leave them alone. Don't worry about the wasps, because they help with pollination. I don't hand pollinate. You should have ample, bumble bees, honey bees, and wasps to do the job for you. The ones that you've lost because they turned brown and mushy, were lost because they were poorly pollinated, and are naturally aborted by the plant. Once the melons have started to develop, and nature does not provide any rain, I water the plants at the base in the morning only. Watering melons in the afternoon will tend to cause them to split in the field. I also limit my selection of melons to ones that I personally like to eat and I know will grow well for me. I find that variety selection is one of the most important factors as to how successful you will be.
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jollyrd
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you both. I moved cantaloupes to larger pots. I have the bed ready for them, but my temps will be down to 40 at nights this week. What night temps do I need to wait before I transplant?
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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
15 years ago
Melons prefer 80s by day and 60s by night, but in the meantime they can take a bit cooler if it isn't rainy.

I transplanted 9 watermelons on May 12th. It rained the next day and once again. The temps have been cool.....39Â° and 36Â° another night. But for early ones I have put a 3 x 4 foot piece of IRT100 plastic mulch down and then a plastic cloche over the melons.[lacked one cloche]. This both warms the soil and the cloche is like a greenhouse...so they have grown already in 6 days that would be either death or stress if not for the extra help compared to bare ground planting.

I did throw an old shirt over them a couple nights. Keeping the rain off them and adding heat really helps. I have several more to set out tomorrow and can take the cloches off the first ones. They were hardened in well before setting out.
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mudflapper
15 years ago
Just my thoughts , but I would only plant in pots about 4-5 weeks before going into the ground, the roots really hate being disturbed and can sulk in cold soil, I'm planning on putting mine out in just about two weeks... but only because I know this works in my zone. Good Luck with your babies and I hope you get a bumper crop.
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wayne_perrier
15 years ago
Those plants look great ! Congratulations.

What has worked for me for transplanting is the following:

1) loosen soil first. Dig down a couple of feet if possible.

2) in this loosed up soil, dig small holes to receive the transplants. Do this either on a cool day or in the evening as it is starting to cool off. Never transplant in the heat of the day -- too much stress on the plants

3) pour about a cup of water into each hole that will receive a transplant

4) carefully remove plant from pot, be very gentle. Place in hole. Fill around with soil.

5) water the soil around the plant like crazy.

6) sprinkle a circle of DE, Diatomacious Earth that you can buy at a pool supply store or perhaps Home Depot. I use a 4" pot, fill with DE, and agitate it so that the DE falls out of the holes in the bottom of the pot. This circle will protect your plants from bugs such as earwigs.

Check on the plants daily. I prefer to install a drip irrigation system to water my plants.

Wayne
0

cantaloupe and watermelon from seeds

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hatchjon

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cantaloupe and watermelon from seeds

Comments (6)

hatchjon

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jollyrdOriginal Author

wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

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