DIY Network

Fertilizing, Pollinating and Harvesting Fertilizing, Pollinating and Harvesting From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-206

Joe returns a couple weeks later to check on the progress of the melons, adding fertilizer and checking the plants for pests and diseases. A pollination expert tells him why pollination is so important with vegetables, and they pollinate the blooms so they will produce fruit. After a month, Joe checks on the melons that he has pollinated; then he harvests the melons and stores them in the fridge.

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Melons grow in two stages. First they send out long, running vines full of dark-green leaves (figure A); this takes several weeks or as long as a month. Then the vines produce flowers (figure B), many of which will become melons later on; this is a critical point in their development. The vines are thick and healthy, and they're almost ready to start putting out large amounts of fruit.

Figure A

Figure B

Now is the time when these plants need a lot more nutrients to build strong fruit; give them a double dose of fertilizer to get them through this stage.

1. First add a sprinkling of slow-release vegetable fertilizer (figure C), which will break down over the next three months and give these plants lots of good nutrients.

2. Be sure to read the label on the package before you apply fertilizer. For summer vegetables you really need the slow-release formula; otherwise the plants could burn up from too many nutrients at once and ruin your entire crop. The fertilizer box will have information such as "released over 90 days" or "releases slowly with water and heat," or something similar, so you know it won't melt all at once and harm your plants.

3. Next use a liquid fertilizer poured over the plants (figure D). Because it's liquid and has microscopic nutrient particles, it's absorbed immediately by the plant leaves and roots. This means a plant that's going through transplant shock can be perked up, a stressed plant can be revitalized and seedlings can get a jumpstart.

Figure C

Figure D

Once all the fertilizer is applied, do a thorough check of the leaves and vines to make sure there are no pests. Signs of pests include torn or jagged leaves, holes in leaves and yellowing or wilting leaves. Use your hand to check under the leaves, as this is where bugs and pests like to hang out, making it harder for you to find them.

There are two main types of pests that cause problems for melons: sucking pests and chewing pests.

• Sucking pests, such as aphids (figure E) and squash beetles, use their snouts to pierce the plant stems or fruit and suck the juice out, making them wilt. Signs of sucking pests are wilted stems that start at a hole or a notch in the stems.

• Chewing pests, such as flea beetles and bean beetles (figure F), do just what the name suggests: they chew off and eat the actual leaves. Signs of this are holes or notches in leaves, or leaves that are missing altogether.

Figure E

Figure F

Melons aren't bothered just by pests: they're also susceptible to a few diseases. They have trouble with the same diseases that other members of the cucumber, squash and gourd family have. Mildews and wilts are the most common diseases. Look for signs such as powdery leaves and wilted stems. Give your melons about an inch of water a week; standing water or wet leaves encourage both wilts and mildew.

Blooms are the first step in fruiting, but before flowers become melons, pollination has to occur. Pollination, the key to success in really productive gardens, is the means by which plant "eggs" are fertilized. The pollens from the male and female flowers are mixed together in the blooms and trigger the plant to make fruit. Without pollination, vegetables would be flowering plants and nothing more; the plants would be sterile, not producing offspring, the fruit or vegetable itself. With the decline of the honeybee populations, other pollinators such as butterflies have had to pick up the workload. The biggest risks to pollinators are the pesticides that we all use to get rid of pests. By timing pesticide use and using it only where needed (not over the entire garden), you can lower the risk to beneficial pollinators.

To harvest a cantaloupe, just pull the fruit from the vine; ripe cantaloupe will pull free easily (figure G). To harvest a honeydew, use a sharp, clean knife or pruners to cut the stem from the fruit (figure H). Carefully lift the melons up and out of the bed; don't drop them, or they might break. Once you harvest the melons, place them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for about a week.

Figure G

Figure H