Category: Tips for growing melons

Growing heat loving melons at home is so rewarding although the melons we buy from supermarkets are grown in warmer climes. Delicious melons are members of the cucurbit family and they come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors. Melons demand two to three months of heat with high humidity and prefer warm, loamy, moisture retentive, well-drained soil, high in organic matter with pH between 6.5 and 7.5. They are tender plants and sensitive to root disturbance soo you must handle them gently if you are transplanting. For best results plant the melon seeds in biodegradable containers and plant out in late spring to early summer by placing them directly into garden soil, but remember melons need room to roam. Water melons deeply and infrequently, if it is possible use drip irrigation and minimize watering a week before a melons are ripe. Harvest melons when rinds begin to change from green to yellow and they start producing characteristic melon fragrance and the netting pattern becomes more pronounced.