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. Here’s what you need to know in order to grow melons in your garden!
Tips to Grow Melon
– There are plenty of tips to grow melons that you will hear when you tell people you are planting melons in your garden this year. One of the best is to remember that the soil should be slightly acidic – with a pH around 6.0 to 6.5.
– Another tip to keep in mind is that they cross-breed easily with other vining plants such as cucumbers and squash. Therefore, plant them away from these plants so no cross-breeding occurs.
– Melons are a warm season plant that enjoy average temperatures between 70 and 80 F. (21-27 C.). After all danger of frost has past and the ground is warm, cultivate the area well and remove any sticks and rocks. Form small hills in the soil because melons are vining plants.
How to Plant Melon
– Planting the melons should be done with three to five seeds per hill about 2 inches (5 cm.) apart and 1 inch (2.5 cm.) deep.
– Water the seeds in well after planting melons . Once the growing melon plants come through the soil, wait until two of them are taller than the others and remove the rest.
– If you live in a colder climate, growing melons can still be done. You could plant the seeds in the ground and use black plastic mulch, allowing the seeds to grow up through the plastic. The plastic will keep the ground warm around the growing melons as well as help keep weeds to a minimum.
How to keep melon healthy and productive
Watering
– Water deeply and infrequently, one to two inches per week.
– Use drip hose, soaker hose, or careful watering of the soil, so that the leaves stay dry.
– Do not use a sprinkler or spray the plants with a hose.
– Always soak the soil thoroughly when watering.
– Gradually reduce watering as the fruits ripen, to improve flavor.
– Too much watering during the last two weeks of ripening can cause the fruits to split.
Weeding
– Frequent, shallow cultivation will kill weeds before they become a problem.
– The roots of melons are close to the surface of the soil, so do not to cultivate too deeply or too close to the plants.
– Cultivate with a hoe or hand tool just deeply enough to cut the weeds off below the surface of the soil.
– Continue cultivating as long as you can do so without injuring the vines, usually when the vines begin to spread between the rows.
– When cultivation is no longer possible, pull large weeds by hand.
– If you use mulch such as straw or compost to help control weeds, do not apply it until the soil has warmed to 75°F. These mulches can slow soil warming.
Harvesting
– Harvest by twisting the fruit gently. At full maturity and peak flavor, the fruit breaks away from the vine easily if slightly twisted.
– Melons will not all ripen at the same time, so plan to pick them as they become ready.
– Do not wait for the melons to separate from the vine on their own, as they will be over-ripe.
– Plan to eat them as they ripen, since they will only keep for about a week in the refrigerator.
Are you a farming lover? May be you like: Instructions For Growing, Harvesting And Preserving Radishes
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