[Nadlen]

Hi there. I've mixed up my melon and cucumber pots and now can't remember which one is which. 
One doesn't have real leaves yet,another is just starting to show up. Is there any way to find who is who later when they grow couple of true leaves but before I plant them out?

I know,I know..chicken memory
Thanks.

[julietmaria]

Hi, I am no expert but have melon and cucumber growing in my greenhouse at the moment.  The melons, a gala I think, were and are smaller than the cucumber.  I mean the leaves are a little bit smaller.  So if one of yours has noticeably smaller leaves then I would think it may be the melon   Hopefully someone with more expertise will come along soon and give a better answer

[Kristen]

mine don't get planted out until after they start flowering (they need about a 5" pot by then).

My Cucumber is an all Female F1 variety, so its flowers have little elongated fruit behind them. The Melons produce only male flowers to start with (which look like male flowers on a  cucumber, so if your Cucumbers are not All-Female then that's probably no help at all )

[Nadlen]

Hehe No,I don't think they are all female. But thanks anyway!

[JayG]

Just had a look at my cuke and melon plants; the cuke leaves are more "scalloped" in shape than the melon's, and are possibly slightly more "hairy" on the top surface.

This could be purely a feature of these two varieties (Passandra and  Sweetheart respectively) but it might help. 

[Nadlen]

Ok,cheers Mine don't have leaves yet,so I can only sit and wait.

x

[1st time veg grower]

My cucumbers grew much quicker than my melons too - there is in fact a huge difference in size now, my cucumbers have been planted out whereas my melons are still waiting. My cucumbers also have much larger leaves than the melons.

[Nadlen]

HA! Thanks, everyone, but the answer was as genius as it was simple! I took tiny bit of each leaf and SMELT it. Cucs smell like cucs and melons smell like melons!!! Amazing,innit?   Bad news are - its one cuc and 10 melons,I hope for another way around.
Thanks all Happy growing!

[Kristen]

Bad news are - its one cuc and 10 melons,I hope for another way around.

I grow about 1 Cucumber to 10 Melons ... you will get a Cucumber a week off the plant, whereas only 4 Melons off a Melon plant, if you are lucky, more probably average 2.

Dunno about you! but a Melon only feeds 2 people, 4 at a pinch, whereas we slice up a cucumber and that lasts quite a while

[Nadlen]

I shall take good care of that guy, only one long fruit cuc I have. Rest 8 are tiny crunchy Turkish variety.

[debih]

Oh - I have the same dilema.

My seedlings all blew away when the polytunnel blew away and although I salvaged them some of the labels fell out.

I thought I knew what was what but now I am not sure if I am growing melons, cucumbers or courgettes in my polytunnel.     

Time will tell...............

[Nadlen]

Just smell the leaves It works!

[Ian_P]

He He, I thought it was just me. I mixed cucumbers, melons AND squashes this year. I've sorted them out but not at all sure I have got it right, although the cucumbers seem to be OK with the little female thingies showing.