Melon Seeds
How to Grow Melons
Melons are heat lovers, so they really need more heat than they can get in northern regions, however they can grow there with some help from plastic mulch and row covers. Melons are also particular about pH and their water needs fluctuate during the growth
cycle. So if you give melons the attention that they need, they will give you taste and sweetness you'll never get in a store. At the same time that you start the seedlings indoors, work plenty of compost and some seaweed or rotted manure into their bed and then cover the soil with a sheet of IRT plastic to get it good and warm. One thing to think about is "Why can't melons get married?- Because they can't elope." As common as this melon is, in some places what is called a cantaloupe is really something else entirely. In North America muskmelons are often called cantaloupes, but the two are completely different plants. A cantaloupe has a hard, warty rind, while a muskmelon has a soft rind covered with netting.
Sowing
Seed Depth: ½" (13mm)
Germination soil temperature: 80-90º F (27-32-ºC)
Days to Germination: 3-5
Sow indoors: 3 weeks before last frost.
Sow outdoors: When soil reaches 70ºF(21ºC) and after last frost.
Growing
pH range: 6.0-7.0 where 6.0 is the absolute minimum, production drops below this.
Growing soil temperature: 70-85º F (21-29ºC)
Spacing in beds : 16" (40cm)
Watering: Moderate and even from germination to hardening off, low for one week prior to transplanting, moderate again from transplanting until fruit is full sized, low or none during ripening of fruit.
Light: Full sun
Nutrient requirements: N=low, P=high, K=high
Rotation considerations: Avoid following cucumber, pumpkin, and summer and winter squash.
Good Companions: Corn
Bad Companions: Potato
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