[andy135]

Has anyone been succesfull with melons and which variety is suitable for a beginner, please?

[Kristen]

I grow them in a greenhouse. I would like to get 4-per-plant, but I rarely do - but I don;t pay them as much attention as they really need.

I like to start them early (in the house) so they have a long growing season - but they can't go out into the greenhouse until it won't fall below 10C at night

I tend to grow a number of varieties, seduced by the descriptions in the catalogues, but think Sweetheart is a good choice - largish fruits - so somewhat les important if you don;'t get very many - you can still enjoy them with a few other people rather than only having a mouthful-for-one!

Lovely smell in the greenhouse when you go into to water in the morning ...

[Trillium]

I mostly agree with Kristen on variety - start with simple ones like honeydew or cantaloupe first until you see how they'll do for you. If you don't have a greenhouse, a cold frame works well for them.

I also start them indoors as they're slow to ripen. I start mine about early April for planting out in later May. As Kristen says, the temps must be warm enough at night for them or they'll sulk and take ages to recover. Start a few more than you need in case damp off fungus gets any, or cats, or......

[stompy]

I grow Ogan, Bastion and Sweetheart F1.
The Sweetheart are by far the easiest to grow and the best croppers.
Ogan and bastion are quite a bit more difficult but certainly worth the effort as they have a superior taste although not as sweet.
I pay my mellons alot of attention  i hand polinate the Ogen and Bastion and leave the sweetheart to their own devices.
I grow them on a bench in an unheated greenhouse and have mesh up the side and half of the roof and train them up it only allowing 2 branches/cordons from each plant and keep the side shoots nipped back once you see female flowers forming.
I grow them in 12" pots in a growbag tray and i can get 4 pots in the tray, i feed them with a comfrey tea soloution.
I get between 4 and 6 mellons per plant, but you must feed them every other day.
I also never water from the top, i always put the water/feed in the tray and let the compost in the pots take it up (the pots look dry on the top) this stops stem rot (i learned the hard way).

Hope this helps.

Andy

[Kristen]

I get between 4 and 6 mellons per plant

Do you actually manage to get that many with the Ogan and Bastion? I noted that you pay yours WAY more attention than mine get!, but there have been years when I have had time and inclination to hand pollinate etc and I still only have a few plants that did 4 fruits-per-plant, and most were less.

(I have read that you should train them correctly without letting them fruit, and then when you have the plant the right size / shape THEN pollinate them so that, in effect, they set all the fruit at the same time. I definitely have never done that, mine pollinate when "it happens" - and maybe the first fruit setting is providing negative feedback to the plant producing more fruit?)

Sweetheart doesn't care though, abandoned or not it sets fruit and often has 4 or 6 fruits per plant!

"but you must feed them every other day"

I certainly don't do that (but mine are in greenhouse border which is 50:50 manure and compost from the heap - changed each year). I have grown them in 12" pots in the past - I didn't feed them more than once a week even then ...

Perhaps I should take more trouble this year -  when the harvest starts the family are in raptures about the taste so more fruits would be welcome!

[stompy]

Sorry, that wasn't meant to be missleading.
The sweethearts produce around 6ish fruits but the ogan and bastion only produce around 3/4 fruits per plant.
If you let the plant grow wild it produces lots of green growth and lots of female flowers that never come to anything.
Thats why i only alow 2 cordons from each plant, let the side shoots grow freely until female flowers are produced then nip out the growing tips 1 or 2 leafes past the flower.
I feed every other day as a 12"pot isn't really big enough for these plants so i compensate for this by feeding heavily, it also promotes female flowers, i found less feeding mostly produced  male flowers.
Also once the cordons reach the middle of the roof i nip out the tips and don't allow any more fruits to be polinated as this results in considerably smaller fruits.

Andy

[Kristen]

Very helpful, thanks Stompy

[stompy]

Not bragging or anything but i was the best at growing mellons on my site, noone bothered before i got there and evn when they did i still did far better. 

[Trillium]

Stompy, what do you feed them with?

[stompy]

Comfrey tea only

[Trillium]

Aaahhh, the high-test stinky stuff. 

[andy135]

Thanks to everyone. I'll give the sweetheart a go this year. 

[Kristen]

That sounds like a new years resolution for a couple approaching their Diamond wedding anniversary!

[andy135]

That sounds like a new years resolution for a couple approaching their Diamond wedding anniversary!

If only. Last time I asked if there was something I could do for her she replied, "Yes, you can dry the dishes................!"