Fruit and Vegetables

Re: growing melons

greenpeppers — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:40:49 GMT

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

Re: growing melons

Phot's-Moll — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:27:42 GMT

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?

Re: growing melons

Sir Trev — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:09:03 GMT

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.

Re: growing melons

Digger — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 21:47:37 GMT

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

Re: growing melons

Phot's-Moll — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:56:40 GMT

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?

Re: growing melons

Digger — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:21:27 GMT

Hi phot's what sort are you gowing mate?

Re: growing melons

Phot's-Moll — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:12:10 GMT

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.

Re: growing melons

Digger — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 21:27:14 GMT

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.

Re: growing melons

DunDiggin — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 21:11:13 GMT

I'll let you know - next year :-)

growing melons

johnnybhoy — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:56:31 GMT

Hi,any tips for growing melons in the greenhouse.