Watermelons and Cantaloupe!

Garden Journal

Jan 11

I love this photo. For me, it captures the thrill of seeing fruits growing larger and emerging from amongst the foliage, especially if you've been focused on other areas of the garden and haven't been checking on progress daily. The plants got off to a rough start (I think they were a bit overwatered when they were quite small), but we got that balanced and they've grown strongly ever since.

Sometimes it can be difficult to see where the center of the plant is as the vines grow and smother the ground. I put four stakes around each plant and that has made it easy to see where they were planted and to focus water where the roots are. We planted three watermelons and a cantaloupe in a space roughly 15' x 15'. These four plants have filled the entire area and I've had to cut back the vines a bit as they try to grow out into the grass.

We have long, hot summers and that's ideal for melons that need several months of heat to produce ripe fruit. The soil we planted into drains well and was amended with compost, grass clippings, and some seasoned manure last fall. This was left over winter and allowed to break down, then worked into the soil. They require a consistent water supply, but that doesn't mean waterlogged soil. It's said that they are hungry plants that require a continuous supply of nutrients. I'm growing this year's crop without additional feeding beyond the soil amendments noted above. I think that will be enough to get some good melons, but we'll see how it turns out.