Talkback: Growing melons - Page 2

sorry that was supposed to be 4-6 leaves on each plant!!

do I need to pull the side shoots off to promote a sound plant as one would with tomatoes

While trawling through the internet for info on growing melons i came across this fellow - Wayne Schmidts Extreme Melon Growing Page. He goes into a lot of detail with pictures to explain how to grow melons. He sticks to one variety and only produces one or two melons per plant but he is a fanatic on quality rather than quanity. Even though he lives and grows melons in the USA desert, there are some good tips and he mentions Dr Amy Goldman's book 'Melons:a Passionate Growers guide'Artisan 2002. Happy growing

I found some old dry seed , presumably scooped out of a melon. They must be 3 or 4 years old!! I planted them, they all germinated and are now growing nicely. Some outside and obviously smaller but one in the greenhouse which is taking over, it has at least one small ? melon growing. I didn't cross pollinate as we have the odd bee visiting. I hope it isn't a marrow! I will have to wait and see!

I have 2 melon plants in greenhouse grown in John Innes No 3 compost. There are about 15 fruits of varying size. I noticed that 1 melon has a split skin. I have removed and eaten despite not being totally ripe. Any reason for this splitting please? I water at least twice daily and feed with Tomorite.

I have 5 Galia melon fruits growing, Average weight is 0.7kgs, how can I get them to grow BIGGER without removing any of the Fruits?

I have what appears to be a healthy melon plant in the unheated greenhouse, and I think there were about ten tiny melons growing. They started going yellow and dropping off! Does anyone know why? It is an Alvero and I have not pollinated it, could this be the cause?

I have just shared a delicious, aromatic, supersweet Alvaro melon with my wife. I grew six plants in a makeshift "frame" on my allotment. I draped polythene around a raised bed to a height of 75cm, leaving the top open to the elements. I watered copiously and fed occasionally until mid-August, then left them fairly dry. We have eaten about a dozen so far and there are at least as many still ripening. (I have also grown in the same way Sweetheart and Ogen which ripened but were watery with very little flavour).

I have grown melons in a cold frame for a number of years, but with little success. I gather they dont like it when temperatures fall below 20C, which seems to have been the problem with recent summers in the UK (having temperatures rise above 20C is difficult on many days). This is not scientific, but I have noticed that when the sun doesnt shine, the newly formed flowers dont open. They last about 3 days in a half opened state and then just drop off. When the temperatures are low, the plants seem not to produce female flowers - just male ones. I hand pollinate with a paintbrush, and have had a few successes over the years, when the weather has turned warm and sunny for a few weeks, but never had more than 2 melons (about the size of a large grapefruit) in any one year, although they tasted beautiful. This year my wife suggested growing them in a growbag on the south facing kitchen window sill (which is quite broad). After recovering from almost fainting with shock, I did so quickly before she changed her mind, and the difference is amazing. It is only late May and already I have 4 hand pollinated female flowers with small melons now about the size of cherry tomatoes, and more female flowers beginning to form. I am convinced that the high minimum temperatures inside are giving these improved results, plus the sunshine levels. We had a few days of cloudy weather and the plants almost stopped growing, but by that time the small melons had already formed so it is not such a disaster. I am looking forward to eating the fruits in maybe 8 weeks time - fingers crossed for no disasters.

1 am growing emir f1 melons in my greenhouse for the first time, i have plenty of flowers and the fruit is forming on the plant , but after a few days the fruits are turning yellow and falling off can someone tell me what i am doing wrong.

My plant appears very healthy and strong with many flowers. Each flower (male or Female - who knows) seems to have others alongside . Do I remove these??

I am growing Pepito (Italian seed) for the first time, in the greenhouse. The plants are reaching about 5 ft up the wall, tied, and there are loads of flowers and several small (1 cm diameter) littel melons, but, as above, they turn yellow and drop off. I have doubled the amount of watering, and feeding, thinking it might be dehydration, but no change. Any advice?

how can you tell male flowers from female on melon plants

I grow Ogen melons successfully but they are never bigger than good-sized grapefruit. There is one thing I do not know and that is how you should deal with the foliage. Should you just leave it to grow and sprawl or cut it back? I have been stopping the original growth at 5 leaves and then trimming back new growth rather randomly after that because I do not know whether you are supposed to continue restricting growth or not. The problem with melon growing is that the advice is never clear whether it is referring to cantaloup melons like Ogen or the bigger varieties which are a more serious proposition.

I can't claim to have any more success. I've got three plants in the greenhouse and they are only now starting to look at all vigorous. One has had a few male flowers but that's it. A friend I gave one to has had no better success. The seeds I've grown are T&M Eldorado but I can't say I'd bother again.

I thought I might try and revive this thread. I'm growing Emir melons this season in a poly tunnel. Anyone else doing melons? I get the impression they can be temperamental.

im growing water melons also in a poly tunnel.have not got a clue how to grow them but my 5 year old son wanted to grow them doing well at moment thou.we will have to see what happens

I have a melon plant growing in one of those plastic tower greenhouses about four foot high the plant itself was grown from a supermarket yellow melon it is about two foot high with big leaves it looks healthy enough , what do i do next do i nip out the top before it grows to high