[morbidia]

A friend has givne us some Cantelope Melon plants,they have never grown them before so were unable to give us any advice, Has anyone here grown these and if so what do we do with them

[sunshineband]

Very similar to cucumbers

Warm, don't let them rot at stem level, and feed with tomato food from time to time
but the female flowers need pollinating and a small paintbrush or a fluff of cotton wool will help a lot here.

[morbidia]

Thanks, how do I go about pollinating them and can I grow them outside as I don't have a greenhouse

[gummyboots]

Lots of people grow them near me (SW France). They frequently plant them into black plastic because they need the heat to ripen. Plus lots of compost and water (of course). I've never tried myself. Good luck!

[toasted]

i grew Minnesota midget in my conservatory last year i started them in 1 litre pots and re potted into a 12" pot.
i fed them now and then with tomato food or liquid seaweed.
i just let them crawl a bit from on top of the fridge over the window sil and sofa, i didnt pinch them out at all but i did pollinate them by hand with a small artists paintbrush.
they grew melons just a bit bigger than a cricket ball and as one would ripen id pick it and then the following size up would start to grow rather than all growing at the same time together, think i got 3 off each plant and they were the best tasting ive ever had.
i saved some seed so trying again this year but i started them a bit late i think,il also be trying a few outside to see how they get on.

[morbidia]

Sorry I haven't been here for a bit, Thanks for the advice everyone,they are only small at the moment and have only just got their frist true leaves so I will see how they go