Hardiness Zone: 8b
Gwyn from Foresthill, CA
Cracking is a problem commonly face by gardeners growing all types of melons. Like all melons, cantaloupes need a constant supply of soil moisture when they are becoming established, and throughout their growth and fruit development stages. If cantaloupes are grown in poorly drained soil, they may split or crack if excessive moisture is persistent at maturity. They may also crack when heavy rain or irrigation follows a dry spell-regardless of how well drained the soil is. Maintaining even soil moisture levels throughout the growing season is the key to avoiding this problem. Cantaloupe crops should not be irrigated when the melons are ripening. Not only will this cause some of the melons to split and crack, but it will also result in lower sugar content and less sweet tasting melons. Sometimes weather conditions make controlling soil moisture difficult. Certain varieties (e.g. Earliqueen, Athena) have been developed to produce rinds that are less resistant to cracking. There are many to choose from, so ask your favorite nursery or seed company what they recommend. Using black plastic or mulch will also help control weeds and moisture levels, as well as keeping soil temperatures nice and warm.
Good luck!
Ellen
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Our cantaloupes are not sweet. Why?
By Robert H. from Salem, AL
Maybe the variety, the amount of rain, the temperature conditions, the minerals in your soil, the time picked, or any number of other things. Remember, vidalia onions only get their unique flavor because of the soil in Georgia; if grown any place else, they do not taste the same.
We live northeast of Spokane, Washington in zone 5. When should I put the cover on my cantaloupes? It has been hot during the days, but now it is in the high 70s and cooling off at night to in the 40s.
By Betty G.
Your local weather forecast will tell you when there is a chance of frost. 32 degrees is the freezing point. You shouldn't have to worry about covering anything until the weather forecasts say it will be that cold. Even then it will depend on how long the temperature stays that cold.
Here in southeast SD it got down to 32 degrees about 6AM this morning, but didn't stay that cold long enough to be considered a hard freeze. Today it only got up to about 60 degrees. When did you plant them? It seems to me like they should already be harvested. Here in South Dakota, the home grown melons of any type were being sold in roadside stands and stores for more than two weeks.
This is the first year I've planted cantaloupe. Do they start out green and then turn to tan? I have several about 8 in. in diameter.
By don from Piqua, OH
Yes, they start out green, then ripen to a tan color.
I have cantaloupe plants that had bloomed with yellow small flowers. Am I suppose remove the blossoms for the fruit to grow or not? I don't want to kill my fresh produce.
Hardiness Zone: 6a
By Trudy from PA
The flowers are what turns into fruit, just like apple blossoms turn into apples, etc.
Leave the flowers alone. It has to bloom and when the bees have pollenated the flowers they later fall off and the fruit grows on that stem.
Not every flower will produce fruit. There are both male and female flowers, and the female ones will develop fruit after the bees pollinate them.
This is my first time. I have 1 cantaloupe plant that had grown 3 small cantaloupes where only 1 survived. It is now 2" in diameter. There are lots of flowers, but the fruit beside it is dead. I had some powdery fungus that I have been treating, but it has not infected the entire plant.
A friend told that fruit flies are killing the tiny fruit. The same thing is happening to my tiny zucchini fruit. Do you know what is killing it and how to stop it?
If it flowers but does not fruit you may have to hand pollinate it using a q-tip.
I noticed that on some of my cantaloupe plants, the leaves have withered and cracked/broken (see image). Does anyone know what this might be caused by?
melon plants will die back naturally in the fall. Their job is done and the melons will continue to ripen on their own.
When, as in what month, do you plant cantaloupe seeds? I live in zone 8.
By Kat from TX
You can start seeds indoors in March and transplant them around May or when the weather is warm with no chance of frost at night. You can sow them straight in the garden but many people have better luck when pre-sprouting them indoors.
I have long beautiful vines with lots of blossoms, but no fruit. Why?
By Vickey M. from Concord, NC
Perhaps an animal is eating the blooms. I had a great watermelon growing in my yard Everyday I would go out & water it. Suddenly, there was this beautiful baby watermelon on the vine. And it grew & grew until it was the size of a soft ball and then stopped.
How far apart do I plant the seeds to grow cantaloupes?
By Pat
Cantaloupes grow best on hills. You can start out planting 4-5 seeds per hill and then thin them. Make 3 foot wide hills and space them 5 feet apart with 2-3 plants per hill.
My cantaloupe are small, seems to have stopped growing. It had been watered when the yard was, 3x a week, but I've cut it down to 2x a week. Have I over watered it?
How soon can I plant cantaloupe in the spring and what's the best container?
By Bob
This is my first time growing cantaloupes and the vines are beautiful with nice large fruit, however, the fruit is not sweet at all. I do not pick them until they are ripe and have come loose from the vine. Do I need to add something to the soil to make them sweeter?
By Karen
Check out these photos.
Our first cantaloupe. That is a six inch ruler lying by the first picture.
Many types of melons and fruits can be grown in containers. Growing cantaloupes in containers is not hard but does require some extra attention.
The number of melons produced by a cantaloup vine will depend on growing conditions and the variety planted, as well as, a bit of gardener intervention. This is a page about, "How many cantaloupes grow from a plant?".
Several conditions can halt the growth of melons, including temperatures that are too cool, and either too much or too little water. So if your cantaloupes or watermelons stop growing check to see if any of these conditions apply.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I have lovely cantaloupe vines that had lots of blooms that were covered with insects, but only have one melon. How do I get them to produce more melons?
My cantaloupe plant was doing good at first, but after the fruit starts the leaves and vine starts to die.
My cantaloupes have had hundreds of blooms for several weeks, but no fruit forms. Bees and yellow jacket wasps are visiting the blooms constantly. What can I do to get fruit?
My cantaloupe vines look horrible. They are brown and dry, yet they get watered a few times a week. I have them in a raised vegetable garden and I live in Florida. What could be wrong?
I am trying to grow cantaloupes. The plant is growing and has blooms. When can I expect the actual fruit to show. Also will it come from a bloom? Your help is appreciated.
