growing melons

Last post 30-06-2009 8:40 AM by greenpeppers. 9 replies.

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27/03/2007 11:56 AM
johnnybhoy Location: Joined on: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 33	Reply \| Contact Hi,any tips for growing melons in the greenhouse. john fitch

27/03/2007 10:11 PM	In reply to
DunDiggin Location: Bracknell, Berkshire Joined on: 25 Feb 2007 Posts: 62	Reply \| Contact I'll let you know - next year :-) DunDiggin Blog: http://vortexs-veg-patch.blogspot.com

27/03/2007 10:27 PM	In reply to
Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,740	Reply \| Contact Well it does rather depend on what sort you wish to grow although they all require similar conditions, they require lots of warmth and lots of water and they are greedy feeders and need lots of food, You will almost certainly need to pollinate them yourself i have grown watermelons one year was awful but the year after when i had a bit more knowledge they were good uns. digger

28/03/2007 05:12 PM	In reply to
Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,333	Reply \| Contact I'm going to try growing some this year - outside! I've requested a long hot summer with plenty of overnight rains, so I'm sure they're going to be fine. Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

28/03/2007 05:21 PM	In reply to
Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,740	Reply \| Contact Hi phot's what sort are you gowing mate? digger

28/03/2007 06:56 PM	In reply to
Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,333	Reply \| Contact Earlygold F1 - they're indoor ones that I bought by mistake, also some watermelons - the catalogue said that optimists could try them outside - I've decided to become an optimist in the hope that'll mean I can grow melons outside!!! I live in the south, and I'll start them in pots on the windowsill. I haven't sown them yet as I wanted to be sure the weather would be warm went they went outside - I think they grow fast? Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

28/03/2007 06:56 PM

In reply to

Phot's-Moll
Location:
The sunny South coast.
Joined on:
06 Jan 2007
Posts:
3,333

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Earlygold F1 - they're indoor ones that I bought by mistake, also some watermelons - the catalogue said that optimists could try them outside - I've decided to become an optimist in the hope that'll mean I can grow melons outside!!! I live in the south, and I'll start them in pots on the windowsill. I haven't sown them yet as I wanted to be sure the weather would be warm went they went outside - I think they grow fast?

Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

28/03/2007 10:47 PM	In reply to
Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,740	Reply \| Contact Hi phots yes they grow mega fast and should really be in the ground i grow mine in the polytunnel in the ground and some people i know have waited until the melons are getting ripe and they make a hole in the stem of the plant just before the fruit and insert a wooden peg with a hole in it like a funnel and they pour water directly into the stem,i have never seen it done but i have heard of it we will need a cracking summer even in your neck of the woods to produce a good crop outdoors digger

28/03/2007 10:47 PM

In reply to

Digger
Location:
Northern UK
Joined on:
18 Jul 2005
Posts:
4,740

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Hi phots yes they grow mega fast and should really be in the ground i grow mine in the polytunnel in the ground and some people i know have waited until the melons are getting ripe and they make a hole in the stem of the plant just before the fruit and insert a wooden peg with a hole in it like a funnel and they pour water directly into the stem,i have never seen it done but i have heard of it we will need a cracking summer even in your neck of the woods to produce a good crop outdoors

digger

29/03/2007 01:09 PM	In reply to
Sir Trev Location: Joined on: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 31	Reply \| Contact I'll vouch for the lots of water point. I tried four plants in a grow bag last year as an experiment and although they took off like a rocket I did not with hindsight water them enough - the immature fruit often dropped off and of the few that survived several split after my auto-watering system* decided to partially get blocked. The fruit tasted great though and I'm having another go this year. I'll also vouch for the heat to get them going too. I had four germinate three weeks ago but the cold spell last week has got to three of them. One of my projects for this autumn is to insulate the greenhouse so I can start things off earlier with better success next year. *As I travel a lot with work it was easier to do this than expect my nine year old to remember to water things in the greenhouse at least twice a day.

29/03/2007 01:09 PM

In reply to

Sir Trev
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Joined on:
26 Feb 2007
Posts:
31

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I'll vouch for the lots of water point. I tried four plants in a grow bag last year as an experiment and although they took off like a rocket I did not with hindsight water them enough - the immature fruit often dropped off and of the few that survived several split after my auto-watering system* decided to partially get blocked. The fruit tasted great though and I'm having another go this year. I'll also vouch for the heat to get them going too. I had four germinate three weeks ago but the cold spell last week has got to three of them. One of my projects for this autumn is to insulate the greenhouse so I can start things off earlier with better success next year. *As I travel a lot with work it was easier to do this than expect my nine year old to remember to water things in the greenhouse at least twice a day.

30/03/2007 09:27 AM	In reply to
Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,333	Reply \| Contact I was going to start them off in pots indoors, hopefully timing it so they go out into warm weather. If I plant into 4" pots how long before they'll need to go out? I'm going to dig holes and fill with compost and manure and plant into that - and water like crazy! To save space I intend to make something for them to climb up - I've read elsewhere that I will need to support the fruits if I do that. Do I need to do anything to train them apart from tying stems where I want them? Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

30/03/2007 09:27 AM

In reply to

Phot's-Moll
Location:
The sunny South coast.
Joined on:
06 Jan 2007
Posts:
3,333

Reply | Contact

I was going to start them off in pots indoors, hopefully timing it so they go out into warm weather. If I plant into 4" pots how long before they'll need to go out? I'm going to dig holes and fill with compost and manure and plant into that - and water like crazy! To save space I intend to make something for them to climb up - I've read elsewhere that I will need to support the fruits if I do that. Do I need to do anything to train them apart from tying stems where I want them?

Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

30/06/2009 08:40 AM	In reply to
greenpeppers Location: Joined on: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 3	Reply \| Contact Hi, I have bought 2 small melon plants, I bought 2 in case they need to use each other to pollinate? The green house is full of tomatoes so there is no room for them. So I thought I would be brave and plant them outside. We live in Essex, often quite warm. I dont know what variety they are. The picture is a dark green outside with light yellow stripes, a yellow flesh with yellow pips. The plants are small at the moment and I thought I might pot them on into bigger pots first while waiting for advice. I did grow melons in the last hot year a yew years ago but although lots of plant growth, and buds, alas no melons Any tips would be most appreciated. Thanks, Dawn (Greenpepper) new member

30/06/2009 08:40 AM

In reply to

greenpeppers
Location:
Joined on:
30 Jun 2009
Posts:
3

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Hi,

I have bought 2 small melon plants, I bought 2 in case they need to use each other to pollinate? The green house is full of tomatoes so there is no room for them. So I thought I would be brave and plant them outside. We live in Essex, often quite warm. I dont know what variety they are. The picture is a dark green outside with light yellow stripes, a yellow flesh with yellow pips. The plants are small at the moment and I thought I might pot them on into bigger pots first while waiting for advice.

I did grow melons in the last hot year a yew years ago but although lots of plant growth, and buds, alas no melons

Any tips would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Dawn (Greenpepper) new member

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