Planting Melons Information On Growing Melons

For best performance, plant melons in hot, sunny locations with fertile, well drained soils. Plant melon seeds 1 week to 10 days before the last spring frost date. Watermelon and honeydew are more cold-sensitive than cantaloupe. Melons will not all ripen at the same time, so plan to pick them as they become ready.

1. What month do you plant melons?
2. How far apart do melons need to be planted?
3. How do you look after a melon plant?
4. Do melons like sun or shade?
5. How many melons will one plant produce?
6. What is the best way to grow melons?
7. What can I plant with melons?
8. How deep do watermelon roots go?
9. Can you grow melons in pots?
10. Should I prune my melon plants?
11. Are melons hard to grow?
12. Do melons climb?
13. How do you keep a watermelon healthy?
14. Should I cut back watermelon vines?
15. Do you turn watermelons as they grow?
16. How do you increase watermelon fruit size?
17. Do watermelon plants come back every year?
18. Should I prune watermelon plants?
19. How do you keep melons off the ground?
20. What climate do melons grow in?
21. How do you transplant melons?

What month do you plant melons?

Sow melon seeds in the garden or set out transplants 3 to 4 weeks after the last average frost date in spring. Start melon seeds indoors about 6 weeks before transplanting seedlings into the garden.

How far apart do melons need to be planted?

Melons need room to roam. Space plants 36 to 42 inches apart. Or, to save space, plant melons 12 inches apart at the base of a trellis.

How do you look after a melon plant?

Keep well watered at all times. When fruit are the size of walnuts, feed with a high potash potassium liquid fertiliser every 7-10 days. Stop feeding and reduce watering when the fruits start to ripen and foliage dies back.

Do melons like sun or shade?

Watermelons require full sun for proper growth. For full sun, choose a location where watermelons receive eight to 10 hours of direct sunlight. The plants need sun to remain healthy and productive. Choose a garden location where trees, buildings or other structures do not block the sun and shade the plants.

How many melons will one plant produce?

Don't Crowd Your Melons

Thin the fruit to three melons per vine, as this will result in more nutrients (and thus sugars) pumped into each melon.

What is the best way to grow melons?

Prepare the soil for the melon planting about 2 weeks before the average last spring frost date in your area.

1. Use compost and fertilizer.
2. Form six to eight inch high raised beds to speed soil warming and have good drainage.
3. Plant the seeds ½ to one inch deep.
4. Sow 2 or 3 seeds in groups 18 to 24 inches apart.

What can I plant with melons?

Melons are one of the most compatible plants in the garden and do well when planted with peas, pole beans, bush beans, onions, leeks, chives, and garlic. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, okra, spinach, sunflowers, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts also flourish in the companionship of melons.

How deep do watermelon roots go?

Watermelon roots commonly grow 8 to 10 or more inches deep; the hole and mound become a reservoir of moisture and nutrients. More tips: Watermelon Seed Starting Tips. Care. Space watermelons 6 to 12 feet (1.8-3.6 m) apart; don't let plants compete for soil moisture or nutrients.

Can you grow melons in pots?

While you can grow full-size melons in containers, you'll get the best results with dwarf cultivars that produce smaller fruits and shorter vines.

Should I prune my melon plants?

As mentioned, pruning cantaloupe plants isn't absolutely necessary and, in fact, the more leaves that remain on the vine the sweeter the fruit. That said, cutting back cantaloupe plants results in fewer fruit which enables the plant to put all of its energy into a scant few, resulting in larger melons.

Are melons hard to grow?

Melons are closely related to cucumbers and require similar growing conditions to thrive. To grow them successfully you need to provide them with warmth, water and food. They can be quite vigorous, so regular pruning is needed to keep them under control. Each plant should produce two to four melons.

Do melons climb?

Melons like sunshine and they like to roam around the garden. The plants send out tendrils that will produce more and more leaves and will actually climb if you give them a support. ... You will need at least a 4 x 6 foot area in order to grow melons, since they turn into creeping vines.

How do you keep a watermelon healthy?

While melon plants are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Keep soil moist, but not waterlogged. Water at the vine's base in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves and avoid overhead watering. Reduce watering once fruit are growing.

Should I cut back watermelon vines?

Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. Look for irregular or rotting fruit to prune from the plant. Removing the less than perfect melons will enable the plant to focus energy towards growing bigger, healthier, juicier melons. ... Watermelons need both male and female flowers to set fruit.

Do you turn watermelons as they grow?

If vines aren't strong when temperatures are at their highest during the harvest season, they aren't able to protect the watermelon fruit from being exposed, which leads to sunburn damage. Coolong stresses that the best way to protect vines is to turn them back in drive rows.

How do you increase watermelon fruit size?

To maximize the size of the melons, water the plants at the base in regular, deep-watering sessions that keep the soil moist. Side dress the watermelon plants with fertilizer designed for edible crops or compost tea to feed the plants. The fertilizer encourages growth to get larger melons.

Do watermelon plants come back every year?

Planting a few watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) vines in your garden lets you grow your own desserts or sweet snacks. This member of the Cucurbitaceae family is related to squash and pumpkins. As a tender annual, watermelon vines will not last through winter conditions and will require re-planting each spring.

Should I prune watermelon plants?

Watermelon plants don't need much pruning to grow big and juicy fruit; what they really need is space. Watermelon vines spread out in runners going in all directions from the base, often growing longer than 3 feet.

How do you keep melons off the ground?

4 Ways to Keep Melons Off the Ground

1. Use Plastic Cradles. If you're a backyard gardener who's just raising a few melon plants in your veggie patch, commercially made plastic melon cradles are a great way to keep melons off the ground. ...
2. Build Platforms. ...
3. Make Slings. ...
4. Use PVC Pipe Platforms.

What climate do melons grow in?

Watermelon plants love the heat, and need a long and warm growing season of at least 70 to 85 days, depending on the variety, to produce sweet fruit. They grow best when daytime temperatures fall between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and nighttime temperatures fall between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

How do you transplant melons?

When there is no longer any danger of frost and the weather is warm and settled, you can set the transplants out, spacing them 18 inches apart, in rows 6 feet apart. Melon seedlings are still tender even when hardened off, and handling them gently will minimize transplant shock and enhance field performance.