when should I sow my melon seeds? It's a variety from the HSL so doesn't come with instructions.
It'll be grown in a cold frame.
I've been doing research on the net and some places say April-May, others say Jan-Feb, so I'm confused (as usual!) :-\
Hi aquilegia - as with most when to sow queries, a lot depends on where you are. Generally speaking I would sow them in April/May as it will be easier to keep them warm and growing well. They don't like cold nights which, like with cucumbers, can check their growth so if you are in an area prone to late frosts, then leave it later rather than sooner.
I'm in greater London. I'll be starting them indoors and planting out in the cloche late may after the frosts.
Sounds good to me - hope the ripening season is a good one for you so you can really enjoy a fresh ripe melon. The question then is, do you chill it and lose some of the flavour or munch it in the garden on the way back to the house whilst still warm from the sun? ;D ;D ;D
hopefully I'll have enough to do a taste test! mmmm.
Aqui, I am going to do a few seeds of each variety in the next week or so. I know they need a long growing season so it is a bit of an experiment really. The majority will be sown March time when I do all of my squashes. I have also got a couple of courgette and cukes just poking through the soil in pots in my conservatory. Going to get them in to the heated greenhouse in about 2 weeks time and see how they go. Going to have to keep the toasty tho.....
warming up an old topic...;)
was wondering about what varieties of melons people are growing.
are you going for the monster water melons, or some other varieties, like gala, honeydew etc etc
also, are there any varieties which are better suited to our climate (fast cropping/more temperature tolerant) ??
contemplating this for next year.
thanks
svea
Svea - well I was trying a variety from the Heritage Seed Library. Can't remember what it was called, but it's supposed to be reliable in this country. I don't have a greenhouse, so this was one chosen as good in cold frames. Which I then also didn't have.
Seeds failed. I didn't bother to sow more and have only just got my hands on the coldframe. Must try harder!
i've got four this year, even though i haven't grown them before!
hero of lockinge from the heritage seed library
charleston gray- a watermelon type,
blenheim orange,
and charentais, from an A4A swap.
the hot weather has really set them off, particularly the hsl variety.
i've got them in grow bags in the greenhouse, training up taught string.
here's hoping!
Dam slugs! I believe I have 2 galia types struggling for survival in the greenhouse, but am planning to start some more by the weekend. I figure it is so warm, they should grow like the clappers now! I am going to plant watermelons and honeydew ones....and see how we go.
I'm trying Minnesota Midget - supposed to be a good one to try for this climate, has small (cricket ball) sized fruit & is a smallish vine.
Unfortunately I drowned & mushed all but 3 seeds. So I have one young plant outside in a west walled border, and two tinies still in 3" pots in the greenhouse (managed to give them sunstroke & they haven't recovered yet).
Next year I will try and avoid GBH-ing the poor dears.
sweetheart is the most likely to give you decent fruit in our climate
Quote from: Merry Tiller on June 23, 2005, 21:14:54
sweetheart is the most likely to give you decent fruit in our climate
Got a couple of those on the go in the greenhouse border.
4 Odgen have been planted out in a cold frame, first signs of flowers tonight thanks to the hot spell.
Jerry
so, do we need a cold frame or greenhouse for melons then? i was just wondering - here in the south east we get a lot warmer than in the rest of the country. i dont think i have space for a cold frame :( but would like to give melons a try next summer - if planted out in mid june they should have it plenty warm enough, no? please tell me this is so!
svea
Having neither a greenhouse nor a cold frame, I started my melons and watermelons off indoors in March on the windowsill and put them outdoors in large pots in early/mid-May. Like everything else this year, they sat and did nothing for ages until the sun finally arrived - now they're off like rockets. The type? Whatever came off the 'fruit platter' at the office meetings!
Mine died.
They wre honeydew. My mum thinks I should have let the seeds dry for more than and hour! I think I might have over watered them. I'll try again next year with a smaller variety.
I was sharing the canteloupe melon today with the doggy ::) ::) (Yes I know but he does like melon) and was wondering whether I could sow the seeds ??? ??? ::) Or do they have to be dried out and for how long.= ??? Would anyone know ??
No. However, most commercially available melons are F1's so may not come true and you will certainly lose hybrid vigour. Dogs do seem to like melons, don't they? I always had to restrict how much they ate in case they got sick from too much.
Hi John,
Thanks for the information. So maybe it's not a good idea to grow melons from seed then. Thanks anyway. :D
Yes this particular doggy likes fruit, especially melon and apples. Oh and yoghourt ! ;D
How do you support melons, i have ogen (that turned out to be 2 plants) in a small water butt type deal in the front of the vine house, they're growing really well, but all i've got for support is 2 canes in a triangle. Also, what do i need to 'pinch out'?