Topic: pinching out melon plant

[TylerD]

Hello, I have just been given an outdoor  bed in our local organic allotment and, amongst other things,  have bought some melon plants to put in . Up until now all I have grown in my life are pansies and clematis so I would really appreciate any advice on how best to bring the melons on . They came as plug plants , I now have them in 3" pots and the plants themselves are about 6" tall. My tentative plan is to put them in the outdoor bed now and cover with a cloche. I've read that they need a rich compost and should be fed weekly with tomato food . I wonder if anyone has any comments on this. Also I've read that the plants should be pinched out to make them bushier but I'm really not sure which bits to pinch. The plants all have a few very small flowers and a couple of small leaves growing from the top -is it the flowers and these small leaves that need to be pinched? Sorry if this is a silly question but I really don't want to chop off anything that I'm not meant to! :)

I also have half a dozen very small -about 3" high -tomato plants-and wonder how big they need to be before I put them in the bed.Thanks for any advice

[Ellen K]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I grew melons for the first time last year; got a few delicious fruit and although it was hard work I was inspired to have another go this year.

With melons, you wait until the plants are a fair size and then pinch out the growing tip which makes the plant put out side shoots.

You can grow melons on the ground but beware of slugs eating the fruit.  It's better to grow them as climbers.  My plants certainly wanted to climb.

You will probably have to hand pollinate the flowers.  Just get a small paint brush and transfer some pollen around.

Expect to only get a few fruit per plant.  I removed the first flowers while the plants established then hand pollinated then thinned the fruit out.

You really need a greenhouse but last year I used a cloche and did get a few fruit.

But most of all you will have to have faith.  Plants can take a hammering the first night they are out in the big bad world but as Alan Titchmarsh said: Plants want to Grow.  As long as they are not overwhelmed by disease it is amazing how they recover and eventually florish.

I would grow your toms up a bit in 5 inch pots before planting out.  But my garden is a former landfill in a windtunnel.  In a sheltered raised bed with good soil I might risk it.

[TylerD]

thanks very much DenbyVisitor, will keep going, with my fingers crossed! :)