Melons
Muskmelon, also known as cantaloupe, is a tender, heat-loving vegetable.
Most varieties of the muskmelon have a musk smell; thus the name muskmelon.
Muskmelon originated in India and were cultivated by settlers in the
1600's.
Recommend Varieties
All varieties are hybrids unless designated OP (for open-pollinated).
Orange-Fleshed:
Ambrosia (86 days to harvest, very sweet flesh)
Burpee Hybrid (85 days, standard eastern sutured melon)
Bush Star (88 days; 2 pounds; bush-type plant for limited space)
Earlisweet (68 days; very early; 2 to 3 pounds, good sweet flavor, firm
flesh)
Gold Star (87 days, resistant to fusarium wilt)
Harper Hybrid (86 days, resistant to alternaria blight, fusarium wilt,
mosaic)
Harvest Queen (OP-90 days, resistant to fusarium wilt)
Iroquois (OP-85 days, resistant to fusarium, very tasty)
Pulsar (80 days; heavily netted; tolerant to powdery mildew, fusarium)
Rising Star (84 days, resistant to fusarium race 2)
Saticoy (86 days; resistant to fusarium wilt, powdery mildew)
Supermarket (88 days; resistant to fusarium wilt, powdery mildew)
Superstar (86 days; resistant to fusarium race 2; large; fine flavor)
Green-Fleshed:
Jenny Lind (OP-75 days, heirloom; medium to small, flat melons, with
protruding section at blossom end; sweet flesh)
Passport (73 days, luscious green flesh)
Rocky Sweet (80 days; thick, green, sweet flesh)
Sweet Dream (79 days; delicious, sweet, flavorful)
Hybrid Honeydew-Type:
Early Dew (85 days, creamy yellow rind, good flavor)
Honey Brew (90 days; high yield; strong, disease-resistant vines)
Limelight (96 days; 7 to 8 pounds; thick, juicy, sweet flesh)
Morning Dew (96 days; largest honeydew-type; 10 to 12 pounds; thick,
sweet flesh)
Morning Ice (84 days; resistant to powdery mildew, fusarium race 2)
Venus (88 days; light netting over smooth, golden rind; thick, juicy,
aromatic flesh)
Other Specialty Melons:
Casaba Golden Beauty (OP-110 days; 7 to 8 pounds; white, spicy-sweet
flesh)
Early Crenshaw (90 days)
Honeyshaw (85 days, salmon pink flesh, delicious)
Marygold (92 days; casaba type; yellow, wrinkled skin with white flesh)
When to Plant
Muskmelons may be directly seeded or started as transplants. If the
weather and soil are not warm and the soil moisture level moderate,
the seeds do not germinate and the plants do not grow. Plant after the
danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed and dried.
Gardeners in northern climates or other short-season areas who want
early production may need to use transplants. To increase earliness,
start seed for transplants 3 to 4 weeks before planting time. Because
muskmelons do not transplant well if the roots are disturbed, you should
start seed in individual containers. Proper temperatures for germinating
and growing the transplants are very important. Do not allow transplants
to become too large before planting in the garden or stunting and crop
delays may result. Sterilized media should be used for starting seed
to prevent damping-off and other diseases of seeds and seedlings.
Spacing and Depth
Plant seeds one inch deep and thin the seedlings 18 to 24
inches apart or the equivalent (two plants every 36 inches or three
plants every 48 inches in the hill system). Space rows at least 5 feet
apart.
Care
Fertile soils usually grow a fine crop of muskmelons with
normal maintenance-fertilizer application plus one side-dress application
of high-nitrogen fertilizer when the plants begin to vine. Muskmelons
benefit especially from the incorporation of well-rotted manure before
planting and also appreciate high potassium. All melons respond favorably
to mulching with black plastic, especially early in the season. The
mulch can be installed when the soil is in good planting condition anytime
from a few days to 2 or 3 weeks before planting. Make holes every 2
or 3 feet to plant seed or transplants through the plastic. Use starter
fertilizer to help transplants get established. Floating row covers
also can be used to advantage over early season melon transplants. These
covers exclude the worst of the cold and also early season insect invaders.
Covers need not be removed until plants start to flower unless extremely
hot weather threatens.
Muskmelons suffer from extremes in soil moisture (too much rain or
an extended drought). Irrigation is recommended in case of drought,
especially when the vines are growing and the fruits are developing.
Trickle irrigation systems used with black plastic mulch work extremely
well. Muskmelons ripen to the highest quality when the vines remain
healthy throughout the harvest period, when temperatures are warm but
not excessively high and when the weather is comparatively dry at the
time of maturity.
Harvesting
Good eating quality depends upon the texture of the melons
and the development of sugars from proper ripening on the vines. When
muskmelons are ripe, the rind changes from a green to tan or yellow
between the netting. They should be picked when the stem separates easily
from the vine near the point of attachment ("half-slip" or
"full-slip" stages of development). At these stages, there
will be a crack near the point of attachment. Do not pick too early
because the quality will not be as high as that of vine-ripened melons;
sugars continue to be stored in the developing melons up to the moment
the stem separates. Once picked, muskmelons soften but do not sweeten
further.
Harvest early in the day after the plants are dry and be careful not
to damage the vines. Pick every other day at the beginning of the season
and go over the patch every day at peak season. Especially in dry seasons,
wildlife and insects such as picnic beetles quickly attack the sweet,
juicy, ripening and softening fruit.
Honeydew and crenshaw melons are cut off the vine after they turn completely
yellow. Their stems do not "slip" at maturity. These melons
continue to improve (become soft and mellow) if kept at room temperature
for a few days. When they are completely ripe, the blossom end is slightly
soft to pressure.
Common Problems
Control cucumber beetles. They damage muskmelons and spread bacterial
wilt by feeding on the plants. When possible, plant varieties that are
resistant to fusarium wilt and leaf diseases such as powdery mildew
and alternaria blight.
For more information on cucumber beetles, see our feature in the Bug
Review.
Questions and Answers
Q. Why do the first blossoms drop off my muskmelon plants?
A. The first flowers to appear on the vines are male, and they drop
naturally. The female flowers, which open later, have a swelling at
the base that forms the fruit. After bees pollinate these female flowers,
the fruit develops.
Q. What causes poor (sparse) fruit set and low yields?
A. The failure for female flowers to set and develop melons can result
from lack of proper pollination by bees; cool, wet weather (which also
slows bee activity); and planting too close together, resulting in a
dense, heavy growth of leaves (which also can suppress effective bee
activity).
Q. How can I grow muskmelons in a small garden?
A. Muskmelon plants can be trained to a fence or trellis. Soon after
the fruits begin to enlarge, they should be supported with mesh bags
tied to the supporting structures or their weight may damage the vines.
Q. Do muskmelons cross-pollinate with other vine crops?
A. No. Muskmelons do not cross-pollinate with cucumbers, watermelons,
squash or pumpkins. Different varieties of muskmelons cross-pollinate
readily, but this cross-pollination is not evident unless seeds are
saved and planted the following year. Cross-pollination does not make
melons bitter.
Q. What causes poor flavor and lack of sweetness or fruits with smooth
rinds?
A. Poor soil fertility (especially low potassium), cool temperatures,
wet or cloudy weather, choosing a poorly adapted variety, loss of leaves
by disease or picking the melons before they are ripe can all contribute
to poor quality.
Watermelons
Watermelon is a tender, warm-season vegetable. Watermelons can be grown
in all parts of the country, but the warmer temperatures and longer
growing season of southern areas especially favor this vegetable. Gardeners
in northern areas should choose early varieties and use transplants.
Mulching with black plastic film also promotes earliness by warming
the soil beneath the plastic. Floating row covers moderate temperatures
around the young plants, providing some frost protection in unseasonable
cold spells.
Seedless watermelons are self-sterile hybrids that develop normal-looking
fruits but no fully developed seeds. The seeds for growing them are
produced by crossing a normal diploid watermelon with one that has been
changed genetically into the tetraploid state. The seeds from this cross
produce plants that, when pollinated by normal plants, produce seedless
melons.
In seedless watermelons (genetic triploids), rudimentary seed structures
form but remain small, soft, white, tasteless and undeveloped tiny seedcoats
that are eaten virtually undetected along with the flesh of the melon.
Seed production for these seedless types is an extremely labor intensive
process that makes the seeds relatively expensive. Because germination
of these types is often less vigorous than normal types, it is recommended
that they be started in peat pots or other transplantable containers,
where the germinating conditions can be closely controlled Once transplanted,
cultivation is similar to that for regular watermelons.
For pollination necessary to set fruit, normal seed types must be interplanted
with seedless melons. The pollinator should be distinct from the seedless
cultivar in color, shape or type so that the seedless and seeded melons
in the patch can be separated at harvest. Because seedless types do
not put energy into seed production, the flesh is often sweeter than
normal types and the vines are noticeably more vigorous as the season
progresses.
Recommended Varieties
Early (70 to 75 days to harvest)
Golden Crown (red flesh, green skin; skin turns yellow when ripe)
Sugar Baby (red flesh, 6 to 10 pounds)
Yellow Baby (hybrid-yellow flesh, 6 to 10 pounds)
Yellow Doll (hybrid-yellow flesh, 6 to 10 pounds)
Main Season (80 to 85 days)
Charleston Gray (red, 20 to 25 pounds)
Crimson Sweet (red, 20 to 25 pounds)
Madera (hybrid-red, 14 to 22 pounds)
Parker (hybrid-red, 22 to 25 pounds)
Sangria (hybrid-red, 22 to 26 pounds)
Sunny's Pride (hybrid-red, 20 to 22 pounds)
Sweet Favorite (hybrid-red, 20 pounds).
Seedless (all are triploid hybrids, 80 to 85 days)
Cotton Candy (red, 15 to 20 pounds)
Crimson Trio (red, 14 to 16 pounds)
Honey Heart (yellow flesh, 8 to 10 pounds)
Jack of Hearts (red, 14 to 18 pounds)
Nova (red, 15 to 17 pounds)
Queen of Hearts (red, 12 to 16 pounds)
Tiffany (red, 14 to 22 pounds).
When to Plant
Plant after the soil is warm and when all danger of frost is past. Watermelons
grow best on a sandy loam soil, although yields on clay soils can be
increased significantly by mulching raised planting rows with black
plastic film.
Spacing and Depth
Watermelon vines require considerable space. Plant seed one
inch deep in hills spaced 6 feet apart. Allow 7 to 10 feet between rows.
After the seedlings are established, thin to the best three plants per
hill. Plant single transplants 2 to 3 feet apart or double transplants
4 to 5 feet apart in the rows.
Start the seeds inside 3 weeks before they are to be set out in the
garden. Plant 2 or 3 seeds in peat pellets, peat pots or cell packs
and thin to the best one or two plants. For expensive seedless types,
plant one seed to a pot or cell and discard those that do not germinate.
Do not start too early - large watermelon seedlings transplant poorly.
Growing transplants inside requires a warm temperature, ideally between
80 and 85°F. Place black plastic film over the row before planting.
Use a starter fertilizer when transplanting. If you grow seedless melons,
you must plant a standard seeded variety alongside. The seedless melon
varieties do not have the fertile pollen necessary to pollinate and
set the fruit.
Care
Watermelons should be kept free from weeds by shallow hoeing
and cultivation. The plants have moderately deep roots and watering
is seldom necessary unless the weather turns dry for a prolonged period.
In cooler areas, experienced gardeners may find floating row covers,
drip irrigation and black plastic mulch advantageous in producing a
good crop in a short season.
Harvesting
Many home gardeners experience difficulty in determining
when watermelons are ripe. Use a combination of the following indicators:
(1) light green, curly tendrils on the stem near the point of attachment
of the melon usually turn brown and dry; (2) the surface color of the
fruit turns dull; (3) the skin becomes resistant to penetration by the
thumbnail and is rough to the touch; and (4) the bottom of the melon
(where it lies on the soil) turns from light green to a yellowish color.
These indicators for choosing a ripe watermelon are much more reliable
than "thumping" the melon with a knuckle. Many watermelons
do not emit the proverbial "dull thud"when ripe. For these,
the dull thud may indicate an over-ripe, mushy melon.
Common Problems
Cucumber beetles attack watermelon plants. Apply a suggested
insecticide for control. If row covers are used in the early season
for temperature moderation, early-season insect pests may also be excluded
if the covers are applied so that the pests cannot penetrate to the
crop below. These covers may be left in place until the plants start
to bloom, at which time pollinating insects must be allowed to reach
the flowers.
Questions and Answers
Q. My watermelons are not very sweet or flavorful. Is the low sugar
content caused by the watermelons crossing with other vine crops in
the garden?
A. No. Although watermelon varieties cross with one another, cross-pollination
is not apparent unless seeds are saved and planted the following year.
Watermelons do not cross with muskmelons, squash, pumpkins or cucumbers.
The poor quality of your melons may result from wilting vines, high
rainfall, cool weather or a short growing season in extreme northern
areas.
Q. What can I do to prevent my watermelons from developing poorly and
rotting on the ends?
A. This condition is probably caused by an extended period of extremely
dry weather when the melons were maturing. It may be aggravated by continued
deep hoeing or close cultivation. Mulching the plants with black plastic
film helps to reduce this problem.
Q. What causes deep holes in the tops of my watermelons?
A. The holes were probably made by pheasants or other wildlife searching
for water during dry weather.
Selection and Storage
Watermelon is truly one of summertime's sweetest treats. It is fun to
eat, and good for you. Watermelon seeds were brought to this country
by African slaves. Today there are more than 100 different varieties
of watermelons. The flesh may be red, pink, orange or yellow. There
are seedless varieties and super-sweet round ones that fit nicely into
the refrigerator.
Producing a good watermelon is a bit tricky in the short northern season.
The sweetest watermelons grow during long hot summers. Harvesting is
particularly critical because watermelons do not continue to ripen after
they have been removed from the vine. They should be picked at full
maturity. No amount of thumping, taping, sniffing, or shaking can actually
give a clue to ripeness.
Look for melons that are very heavy and have a hard rind. Ninety percent
of watermelon is water. The rind color should be right for the variety
with a waxy bloom. Probably the most important indicator of ripeness
is the underside which sets on the ground. Turn the melon over. It should
be yellow or creamy colored on the underside. If it is white or pale
green the melon is not ready to harvest.
The flesh should be deep colored with mature seeds. Most watermelons
have dark brown or black seeds. The seedless variety produces a few
white seeds. Once picked, uncut watermelon can be stored for about 2
weeks at room temperature especially if the temperature is about 45
to 50°. Uncut watermelons have a shorter refrigerator life, so store
at room temperature until ready to chill and eat. Tightly cover cut
pieces in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Nutritional Value and Health Benefits
Watermelons are low in calories and very nutritious. Watermelon
is high in lycopene, second only to tomatoes. Recent research suggests
that lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, is effective in preventing some
forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. According to research conducted
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, men who consumed
a lycopene-rich diet were half as likely to suffer a heart attack as
those who had little or no lycopene in their diets.
Watermelon is also high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A, in the form of disease
fighting beta-carotene. Research also suggests that the red pigmented
foods provide this protection. Lycopene and beta-carotene work in conjunction
with other plant chemicals not found in vitamin/mineral supplements.
Potassium is also available, which is believed to help control blood
pressure and possibly prevent strokes.
Nutrition Facts (1 wedge, or 1/16
of a melon, about 1-2/3 cup)
Calories 91.52
Protein 1.77 grams
Carbohydrates 20.54 grams
Dietary Fiber 1.43 grams
Potassium 331.76 mg
Vitamin C 27.46 mg
Vitamin A 1046.76 IU
Preperation and Serving
The National Watermelon Promotion Board suggests washing whole watermelons
with clean water before slicing to remove potential bacteria. The flavor
of watermelon is best enjoyed raw. Heating diminishes the flavor and
softens the texture. Watermelon tastes best icy cold in fruit smoothies,
slushes or simply eaten from the rind.
To make melon balls, cut the watermelon in half lengthwise then into
quarters. Watermelon balls can be scooped right out of rind. Create
perfect balls, using a melon baller, and a twist of the wrist. The watermelon
shell can be used to hold the melon balls as well as other fruit. Watermelon
punch is also served from the hallow rind. By sitting the round end
inside a ring or bowl, the shell will remain stable during serving.
To remove seeds, cut each quarter in half again. With the flesh of each
wedge on top and the rind sitting on the counter, look for the row of
seeds along the flesh of each wedge. Using a sharp knife, cut along
the seed line and remove the flesh just above it. Scrape the seeds from
the remaining piece.
Home Preservation
Seeded watermelon chunks can be frozen to use in watermelon
slushes or fruit smoothies. Watermelon sorbet or granita stays fresh
in the freezer for up to 3 months. The difference between a sorbet and
a granita is in the texture. Sorbets are smooth, whereas granitas are
coarse. You do not need an ice cream maker to make a granita. The best
way to enjoy watermelon is while they are fresh and sweet. When they
are gone, they are gone until next summer.
Recipes
Watermelon Granita
5 cups seeded watermelon pulp
1 cup sugar syrup*
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Thin watermelon wedges, cut into strips for a garnish
1. Puree watermelon in a food processor.
2. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Stir in the syrup and lemon
juice. Freeze for about 4 hours or until frozen solid.
3. To serve, scrape up granita with a large spoon and place in goblets,
tulip shaped wine glasses or ice cream dishes. Garnish with a narrow
wedge of watermelon. Makes 4 servings.
*To make sugar syrup; Combine 1/2 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for one minute. Stirring
constantly until all of the sugar has dissolved. Cool in the refrigerator.
Watermelon Smoothie
1 - 8 ounce lemon, fat-free yogurt
3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 tablespoon honey or strawberry jam
3 ice cubes
1. In a blender or food processor, combine yogurt, watermelon, strawberries,
honey and ice cubes.
2. Process until smooth and frothy. Serve in tall glasses with a straw.
Makes 4 servings.
Information provided by the University of Illinois Extension http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/
