[Totty]

I was given a helthy little melon plant maybe 6 weeks ago which i planted in a polythene cold frame up the allotment, in the last two weeks it has gone crazy, flowers everywhere and four fruits have properly set, (with a little help), How many fruits should one plant be expected to grow nicely?

I have heard contrasting views on this, some saying limit them to four, others just letting them go.

Its quite exiting to grow something semi exotic and would like glean whatever i can from it.

Regards

Totty

[Trillium]

In the UK climate, you can realistically expect the first 4 melons to ripen to worthwhile size. More would develop but never properly mature before frost and fall cold hit them to a standstill or dead. Remember, they are tropical plants. So, best to pinch off the vine after the 4th fruit and let the plant use its energy to size them up nicely.

[Kristen]

I'm in the max-4-fruit camp, although I have some varieties that are much more leafy and prolific which could perhaps manage more, and other varieties that are more weedy - growth-wise - and also tend not to pollinate too well either, on those I am lucky to get four pollinated fruit.

[Oliveview]

We have a galia melon plant- I´ve picked 7 fruits- we thought that would be the end- we hae another 1 growing on the plant now-  we live in Spain though, so I guess that doesn´t help you.  Last year we had just 1 galia melon on th e plant.
Pamela