Melons

[Wicker]

Am trying melons for the first time this year - Sweetheart (cantaloupe).  Can't really spare a coldframe and Greenhosue is small and will be full of tomatoes so intend using two mini greenhouses bought earlier this year for hal-pricce from B&Q.  These are  sold specially for tomatoes/peppers etc and don't have shelves but will they be high enough? And will humidity be a problem? 
Could they be grown on outside in Central scotland - I doubt it?

[Wicker]

[cleo]

Sweetheart is probably the most forgiving common variety,the flavour is not superb but better than anything you can buy. Outside in central Scotland?umm-doubt it,but given some protection and a good summer?

To be honest I am not sure what you are saying-where do you intend to grow them?-and height is not an issue.

Stephan

[Merry Tiller]

I grow mine in fairly small cold frames & just pinch off the shoots to fit, yours should be fine in a mini g/house but I don't think they'd be happy with no protection at all

[Wicker]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear was I........ Have started them off on propagator until germinated and they are now in the greenhouse proper.  Have heard they can be grown upwards on support in greenhouse but I don't have room for them to stay there and coldframe is also intended for other use - so just wondered if the mini greenhouse would be too humid as leaving flap open might not allow enough heat - guess it will be trial and error then!

Thanks for the input anyway but if anyone has grown them in the minis I'd appreciate info

[cleo]

Ok-with you now. It is worth a try,some humidity is no big deal,keeps the red spider away.

And yes you can train them upwards,but the fruit will need support-and remember that it is better to give them a hand rather than relying on nature to pollenate(sp?)

Take a male and `introduce` it to the female.Do not be greedy,4-6 fruits per plant will be enough in my experience

[littlegem]

oh dear, i'm pretty new to veggie growing, only just go a house with a big enough garden to do what i want, been growing in containers before.
well i've just bought an ogen melon plant, never came to me that i had to have it pollinated : :-[ i presume then, that i will not be getting fruits off it this year. If i manage to get hold of any more, how do i tell which is male and female?

[Kerry]

not to worry littlegem-the male and female 'thing' is referring to the flowers-there are male and female flowers on each plant-so it's not the plant itsself being one gender or the other.

[littlegem]

ta loads kerry
so i do the 'wafting the plant thing' morning and night then cos i have the plant in my vine house. of will spraying it with water do ok or i could just do both to be on the safe side.
last year i grew squashes out of a grow bag on my patio, didnt know about the pollination thing and didnt get one single squash, i've read that you can do it by using a paint brush and go down the flowers in turn, which is the best way?

[Kerry]

i think there are several different ways....obviously nature (bees etc) but sometimes if things are inside you can give them a helping hand...you can pollinate using a brush, by transferring the pollen from the male to the female flower. i think this is sometimes used for plants likes nectarines and peaches, where you don't actually want to remove the flowers.
the way i do it is to select an open male flower and remove it from the plant and then push the flower into the open female flower- i'm not sure how many flowers can be pollinated by one male flower?

not sure about the water spray..
anyone more knowledgable coming along? please!

[littlegem]

i think its all just fitting into place now, the flowers turn into fruits right? so you pollenate the amount of flowers you want turning into fruits? the male flowers dont fruit? so you take that off and make it pollentate the female flowers? now all i need to know is how do i know which flowers are male or female?

[Kerry]

well, as far as i understand the female flowers will already have very small fruits/swellings behind the flower, and the male flowers will not. i think that you shouldn't aim for too many fruits per plant as the plant can't suppost them all, depending on how they're being grown.

in the reply above stephan recommends 4-6 fruits per plant-he's way more knowledgable than me-so go with that!

and the swelling fruit will need support, so it doesn't snap the stem when it gets big.
good luck!
i'm trying melons for the first time this year, so i'll see how i get on with my own advice!

[Anne Robertson]

The 6 melons that i had in pots all died when they reached 2-3 inches high :( they seemed to rot at the stem. Am I too generous with the water?

[kitty]

i read  in kitchen garden i think-that a male flower will pollinate 4 female flowers-the female ones are the ones with a slight bulge (which will turn into the melon)after you have 4 on a plant nip the end off so those fruits have a chance to develop.....
anyway-suck it and see-its half the fun of gardening! ;D

[Mrs Ava]

I think so Ani.  Whilst they are in pots, you really want to keep them almost dry I find.  Once they are in the ground, in flower and producing fruits, then they need the water!  I find my squashes remain strong and turgid when all around them is wilting!