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Post by willowgirl on May 7, 2015 4:58:28 GMT
I've tried it once or twice without success. Figured I'd give it another shot this year, since I really like cantaloupe! We're in SWPA, zone 5 or 6-ish. Would it help if I grew it in containers; for instance, extra-large nursery pots? Numb scored a half-dozen off the curb last week! They're the kind ordinarily used for good-sized trees. I was thinking the black plastic might heat up, and isn't heat beneficial to melons? I also have an empty dryer drum that I could fill with compost if need be. (Of course, they could just go in the garden as well.) Let's hear your secrets, melon growers!  |
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Post by kathyinmd on May 7, 2015 8:53:05 GMT
cantaloupe like hot dry sandy soil...that is why maryland;s eastern shore cantaloupe are the sweetest you can get...free pots....cheap seed....give it a try....
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Post by willowgirl on May 7, 2015 12:08:36 GMT
Sand ... hmm. OK, I'm screwed! There is no sand here in SWPA ... lol. (It's all clay.) I suppose I could buy a bag or two of playground sand to dilute the compost a bit. Sand it is!  |
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Post by freelove on May 7, 2015 13:18:04 GMT
Willowgirl, no sand where I live either and it is not hot here. We grew cantalopes last year by laying black plastic sheets and planting the melons in that. They need lots of water and full sun. We put them in hills of composted manure. The cantalopes were delicious. We planted 3 kinds and the ones we liked best were Hannah's Choice - I think from Fedco - and Hearts of Gold - I think they were Botanical Interests. The Charantais were good, too. I started the seeds in my greenhouse about a month or a month and a hslf before setting them out.
We have also grown Sugar Baby watermelons using the same method and they were huge and delicious!
Traditional wisdom was always "you can't grow melons here."
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 13:28:09 GMT
Same as freelove. Full sun, lots of water, black plastic, lots of compost mixed in and starts, not seed.
As a kid, we had a patch for melons near the river, it was sandy there....James
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 15:57:59 GMT
One end of my garden is sandy ground. Sand was hauled in years ago. I just make little mounds of compost and stick some seeds in. It does get hot and humid here and i give them plenty of water. I have always had a bumper crop of cantaloupes. Same goes for the watermelons i plant.
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Post by seaeagle on May 7, 2015 16:14:05 GMT
I will second Hearts of Gold, they are the best tasting melons I have ever eaten and never had any problem growing them.I don't think sandy soil is required although they do prefer it.Should be plenty hot enough in PA.The only problem I have is the raccoons think they are delicious too.Good luck
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Post by Callie on May 7, 2015 17:43:00 GMT
If they get a lot of rain while they are ripening, it dilutes the sugar and they don't taste as sweet. Keep them dry the last week.
I grow mine in black plastic under short tunnels. I cover it during the night and open it up during the day, but not all the way open. I tried them in the greenhouse once and it was like a jungle in there!
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 1:50:01 GMT
Willowgirl, no sand where I live either and it is not hot here. We grew cantalopes last year by laying black plastic sheets and planting the melons in that. They need lots of water and full sun. We put them in hills of composted manure. The cantalopes were delicious. We planted 3 kinds and the ones we liked best were Hannah's Choice - I think from Fedco - and Hearts of Gold - I think they were Botanical Interests. The Charantais were good, too. I started the seeds in my greenhouse about a month or a month and a hslf before setting them out. We have also grown Sugar Baby watermelons using the same method and they were huge and delicious! Traditional wisdom was always "you can't grow melons here." I second this. This is exactly how we did it the year we ended up with hundreds of pounds of cantaloupe. |
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Post by willowgirl on May 8, 2015 13:07:13 GMT
Wow, I am geeked now! I really do love cantaloupe. I already started the seeds indoors, so they'll go in as starts. I've already forgotten the variety -- it is whatever kind American Seeds sells. (I picked up a "four for $1" packet on a lark.) We have a bunch of rolled rubber roofing I could lay down between the aisles. Although I wonder if planting in a black plastic pot wouldn't achieve the same outcome? I suppose I could try a few either way, and see which turns out best. I think I started about a dozen plants. |
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2015 1:14:11 GMT
I think the ground is better than a pot - because the plastic keeps the water from evaporating and they get a great combination of warm soil and plenty of moisture.
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Post by paquebot on May 9, 2015 3:11:48 GMT
Willowgirl, no sand where I live either and it is not hot here. We grew cantalopes last year by laying black plastic sheets and planting the melons in that. They need lots of water and full sun. We put them in hills of composted manure. The cantalopes were delicious. We planted 3 kinds and the ones we liked best were Hannah's Choice - I think from Fedco - and Hearts of Gold - I think they were Botanical Interests. The Charantais were good, too. I started the seeds in my greenhouse about a month or a month and a hslf before setting them out. We have also grown Sugar Baby watermelons using the same method and they were huge and delicious! Traditional wisdom was always "you can't grow melons here." There's the best advice. Sand is not needed but water is. If one could combine the two, then sandy soil would be appropriate. The reason why it works so well with plastic is that the soil is always losing moisture into the atmosphere. Plastic stops that. Roots of melons extend out as far as the vines so there's a lot of area to draw from for water. In sandy fields, one might think that there is little water until one considers the large surface area which the roots are drawing it from. Martin |
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Post by motdaugrnds on May 9, 2015 12:30:24 GMT
Melons (cantaloupe as well as water) are some of my favorite summer fruits. My acreage is "sandy loam"; so it is perfect for growing these. Since they are heavy eaters, I like planting them inside my goat pen and closing off that area so my goats cannot get into it until after I harvest the melons. (They love melons too.)
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Post by oxankle on May 10, 2015 0:23:10 GMT
Willow; The old Chinese (according to Pearl Buck) planted melons on dung heaps; hot and rich. I had good luck with them in black dirt in OK. It seemed dry to me, but the roots must have found water somewhere. I'm planting in goat manure here, and I will cover the rocky ground with black ground cloth.
Ox
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