DIY Network

Melon Varieties Melon Varieties From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-206

Figure A

Now that the beds and hills are ready, Joe prepares to plant several different varieties of honeydews (figure A) and cantaloupes, making sure to mark the different varieties so he can keep track of them while they are growing. Here are some planting tips as well as a look at some of the varieties of honeydews and cantaloupes available.

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Figure B

To plant melon seeds, place five to 10 seeds of each variety in their own envelope and mark it with the name of the seed and the planting depth the seed packet recommended (figure B). Close up each of the original seed packs and sealed them tightly with tape. (You may be wondering why you should move the seeds to these envelopes. It's because you might not need all of the seeds. If you accidentally get soil or moisture in the original seed packet, those seeds could get a soil-borne fungus or disease that could them for use later. This way you can carry the envelopes out to the bed and not worry about contaminating the rest of the melon seeds. Many seeds can last for years, although the best results do come from fresh seeds.)

Honeydews

Melon seeds don't need to be planted very deep; the seed packet recommends 1/2". Once the seeds are in, you can just lightly cover them with soil; you don't need to press the soil down at all. Be sure to mark the site with the name and planting date of the seeds. This is especially important in a bed like we're planting, in which have several varieties of melons will be growing together.

Venus hybrid takes about 88 days to mature from seed, so it needs almost three months of hot, sunny weather to be at its best. It's considered a short-season honeydew since many other varieties takes more than 100 days to ripen. This hybrid is one of the most popular honeydew melons because of its sweet flavor and aroma.

Honeydew Super Dew hybrid goes from seed to maturity in 80 days. The melon from this plant is shiny greenish-white and can weigh six pounds. This early-season variety is very productive and has nearly white fruit in the middle that become light green closer to the outside. Because the outside of the fruit is so light, it's easy to spot the melons through the dark-greens leaves and vines.

Cantaloupes

Figure C

What we consider to be cantaloupes in the U. S. are actually muskmelons. Muskmelons have softer shells covered in what looks like netting; they also have a musky smell on the outside. True cantaloupe has harder, knotted rinds (figure C). To avoid confusion, most people call them all cantaloupes.

The Ambrosia hybrid cantaloupe takes 86 days from seed to harvest. It has been one of the most popular homegrown melons for the past 20 years. It has a tannish-orange shell and orange flesh; the uniform color of the fruit adds to its appeal. The fruit can get to about four pounds and measure 6" across.

Imperial 45 cantaloupe has thick, salmon-colored flesh. What makes the Imperial 45 unique is that it performs will in hot, humid climates. This variety grows in 87 days from seed to harvest.

Hale's cantaloupe is not a hybrid, meaning the seeds you get from one of the cantaloupes will make the same fruit if planted. It will take about 80 days to mature. You get lots of three- to four-pound fruit from each plant. This cantaloupe has a dark-green rind and tan netting. It's known for its great flavor and the length of time it stays fresh after harvest. This is a good choice if you want a lot of fruit from a small number of plants.