Melons, Growing own but have 'big' problem

Noah'strolly

I'm growing three plants from seed, I planted more but some of the seeds rotted. They were sown at the same time as my corgettes, which are massive but the melons aren't growing very fast. They are in a very warm conservatory.
Do you think they need feeding?

mjr600

I'm tempted to say give up now to avoid disappointment, growing melons is a labour of love. Without good preparation, conditions, care and attention you wont get much in return.

If you fancy growing something which is exotic try Cape Gooseberry, also known as Physalis, they are the little orange fruits wrapped in leaves. They have a unique sweet and sour taste, grow well during a hot English summer and fruit very well. They are also more tolerant of a little less care and if you have a trip to M&S when the plant is at its best to see how much they charge for a punnet you realise it is worth ££'s.

They work well in a summer fruits salad, they are a great talking point and give a return for your work that melons don't.

If you fancy having a go just grow them like a tomato.

http://visualpalate.typepad.com/visual_palate/2006/05/index.html

Kay_Peel

Good tip mjr - I'll have a look at the Cape Gooseberry.

Noah. I wouldn't feed your melon just yet. Wait until it flowers. If you feed it now, you'll get lots of leaves and strong growth but no fruit, I believe.

k

lynseydee

I have saved some of the seeds from a melon I bought the other day. Is it possible to grow melons from these seeds and do I have to do anything special with them as don't they need a male and female plant to produce the fruit? Has anyone successfully grown melons from seed?

Thanks

Greenqueen_2

Yes I have-they were smaller than shop bought ones but really delicious. I just planted individual seeds into 3" pots, keeping them well watered. When they got to about 12" tall I re-potted into huge containers in my conservatory (I`m sure a heated greenhouse would work) and provided canes for the shoots to cling to. When they flower, some are male and some female-you have to pollinate from m to f. Dont worry if you cant tell the difference- use a small paintbrush or similar to gently stroke inside each flower and it should do the trick. The fruits will get heavy so need some support. I used net bags from shop bought tangerines and lemons hung from hooks in the ceiling. The plants drink loads of water so check them every day to prevent drying out.

kingkano

Yes very possible. I grew them outside a couple years ago, so didnt need to pollinate by hand even. They werent the biggest melons ever (ooerrr missus) but they were very tasty

Definitely need plenty of watering and feeding.

lynseydee

Thanks Greenqueen and Kingkano. Would it be too early to plant them now or do I have to wait a bit.

Farway

lynseydee wrote: »

Thanks Greenqueen and Kingkano. Would it be too early to plant them now or do I have to wait a bit.

Depends where you intend growing them, if always heated indoors then now is OK

If outside then wait until April to sow, give the ambient daytime temp chance to warm up and risk of froast well apst before they go outside

kingkano

What farway said I am sowing mine this week, but I intend growing them mostly in the conservatory this year. Maybe 1 outside which I won't move out till June.

lynseydee

I will probably try and find room in the greenhouse to grow some. My greenhouse isn't heated so is it best to leave it for a bit? Also how big do they grow so I know how much space to make?