Melons
Introduction
Melons are a heat loving plant that are often grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel. They are a member of the cucurbit family that also includes courgette, marrow, squash, pumpkin, and cucumber.
Originating from the hot African continent, the capability to grow melons in the UK climate is due to the development of modern cultivars. It is recommended to grow melons in the warmest and sunniest part of the garden or allotment.
Planting
- Planting depth: 1 cm deep
- Planting spacing: minimum 1 m between plants in all directions
Harvesting
- Melons need heat and sunshine to fully develop their sweetness (a yellowing of the skin, and a slight softness when squeezed, indicates ripeness)
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(outside)
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(stored)
= jar, = freeze, 
= store
Varieties
What distinguishes melons from other cucurbits is that melons enjoy warmth and sunlight, so much so that some melon varieties are best grown in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Warmth is important to allow the plants to set fruit and to ripen the fruit to full sweetness.
To cope with the UK weather, there are a number of F1 seeds that produce plants better able to tolerate growing outdoors. F1 seeds are hybrids, created by carefully crossing two different varieties of parent plants. The resulting F1 seeds inherit properties from both parents that help them grow better.
F1 seeds are often more expensive to buy than traditional varieties, and have less seeds in a packet, but should produce a better harvest. It is not possible to collect and save seed for the following year, as they will not have the same properties as the original F1 seeds.
Melon varieties do not need to cross pollinate with each other, as each plant produces both male and female flowers. Pollinating insects will need to get to the plants to transfer the pollen between flowers, otherwise the female flowers (identified by a bulge below the flower) will need to be pollinated by hand.
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Growing
The best time to sow melon seed is in April. A warm windowsill or heated propagator is ideal. Sow the seed two to a pot, and approximately 1 cm deep laying on their side. If not using a propagator, covering the pot loosely with a clear plastic bag or plastic wrap may help with germination.
Like courgette and butternut squash, the young seedlings need to grow in a protected environment until all risk of frost has passed. If you have a polytunnel or greenhouse, this can be an ideal environment to nurse melon plants until the weather warms. A cheaper alternative is a plastic greenhouse.
Transplant the seedlings when they have two true leaves into a bigger pot. If both seeds have germinated in a pot, either pinch out one plant to leave the strongest, or carefully separate the roots of the two seedlings and transplant into individual pots.
Depending on the weather, late May or early June is the time to move the young plants to their final growing position. First, I dig a big hole and place in the bottom well rotted compost or manure. The plant is placed on top of this, before bedding in with top soil and more compost. On the soil surface I create a shallow bowl shape, with the plant sitting at the bottom. This concave shape helps with watering, helping to channel the water towards the plant. Alternatively, plant in pots using a mixture of well rotted manure and compost.
I find it is helpful to mark the plant position with a short cane. This acts as a guide for when the plant starts to spread, marking the point where I need to water.
Melons need very little care apart from regular watering. Weeding around plants is only required for the first few weeks, as the plants will quickly spread over the surrounding ground and naturally suppress weed growth.
Melons are ready for harvesting when they are bigger than the size of an adults hand, and have developed a roughened web like texture on their skin. It is difficult to tell if a melon is ripe without cutting into it. Good indicators of ripeness is a yellowing of the skin around the ends of a melon, and a slight give in the skin when gently squeezed.
If you open a melon and it is not quite ripe, simply leave the fruit for a day or two more. Covering the fruit in cling film will stop the flesh drying out.