Topic: melons

[tim]

I'll remember that!! = Tim

[ina]

Ooooooooh, I'm so glad this melon issue was raised. I always assumed that they could only be grown in greenhouses (in my area) and I have no room in mine so I never thought about growing melons.

If I plant them out in May, my new little poly tunnel won't be needed by the carrots and containers with broad bean seeds anymore and I could use it for melon plants. Do you people think that would work? I'm all excited about the prospect of cantalopes or something like that.

I already put the info from this thread in my alphabet-soup-garden-book under 'M' for melons, yes 'M' in Dutch too for meloenen.

[ruud]

Hi ina,i am glad that i could help you in starting this issue about melons,i also thought the couldnt raised outside in the netherlands.I try it with digging a hole and fill it up with horsemanure.That will warm the soil,i even thinking of covering the ground then with black plastic.If you would i can send you some different types of melonseeds.

[ina]

Ah Ruud, what a nice offer to send me seeds. I already have an address to get them but thank you so much anyway.

As for horse manure, that is hard for me to get. I'm sure I could find out where I could get it but I don't have a car to transport, so that option is out for me. I'll just wait till the ground warms, cover with black plastic and plant the melon seedlings in a hole in the plastic.

It's always so much fun to try something new!

[john_miller]

 Ina- when I first worked in England my foreman, who had a small market garden as a hobby, used to plant melons in his cold frames once he had cleared them of bedding plants. This was late May, in a time when the climate was cooler than it is now. Your idea should work. If, like most cloches, they are not completely airtight I would leave them on for the entire crop as this will aid pollination (15C night minimum is best) and will increase the sugar content of the fruit.
 Ruud- Of the list of seeds you mentioned I would omit Casaba and Claus melons if space is a problem. These are both long season (100+ days) types and may not ripen for you. Iroquois is truly a muskmelon and comes from the same breeder as the 'Goldstar' that I mentioned. If you can get that to ripen you will probably understand why Americans like melons so much. I have never heard of 'Zatta' but I have grown 'Orangeglo', it's an orange fleshed honeydew type with excellent flavour, and 'Charentais', but this isn't really suited to my conditions. 'Texas' is a canteloupe. Canteloupes are grown in the western U.S. because they are better adapted to the hot, dry conditions out there. It may not do well in your climate but it should be fun trying?

[ina]

How about 'Orange Pineapple' melons? Any good?

[john_miller]

Sorry, Ina, never heard of them.

[ina]

Well, they are from a Dutch seed company and I just translated the name. Supposed to have lovely orange meat and the picture on the packet showed the inside looking like a cantaloup, outside it's stripey, green and gray. We just ate a cantaloup and saved some seeds. I sowed both the bought seeds and the saved seeds, they looked identical but one probably can't tell much by the looks of seeds.