How Many Cantaloupes Grow from a Plant?

Question:

How many cantaloupes grow from a plant?

Hardiness Zone: 10a

Moises from Los Angeles, California

Answer:

The number of melons produced by any one plant depends largely on the variety grown and the ability to grow it under optimum growing conditions. In California, recommended varieties include Ambrosia, Rocky Sweet, Fruit Punch, Sweet and Early, Marble White, Harper, Limelight, Honeyshaw, Ogen or Haogen, Pineapple, Gold King, and Venus.

One of the most popular varieties, Ambrosia, is bred to produce an average of 4 to 5 fruits per plant, each weighing about 5 lbs. Other varieties may average more, but more fruits per plant can also translate into smaller fruits.

To get a decent crop of good-sized fruit, pinch off the growing tip of each flowering shoot at 2 leaves beyond the flower. Once all the fruits reach grape size, remove most of the developing fruits, leaving only 4 to 5 per plant.

Ellen