Melons

Black plastic can reduce incidence of disease.

Whether you know them as cantaloupes or muskmelons, this member of the melon family, along with watermelons, grows well in Georgia's hot climate.

You can balance off the heat from those hot summer days by serving ice cold watermelon or cantaloupe grown in your own home garden.

Can be started indoors…

Because of their long growing season of three or four months, seeds may be started indoors at the end of February in south Georgia. The small seedlings can be transplanted three or four weeks after the last cool spell if the soil is warm.

Both melon varieties can be seeded directly in the row in mid-March when the soil is warm. The soil-warming effect from black plastic mulch can truly pay off here. Black plastic also conserves moisture and reduces the incidence of leaf disease.

For flavorful melons…

To give your melons a tasty flavor derived from proper sugar development, select an area receiving day-long sunshine. Provide good drainage by building up high rows or hills. Mix soil with generous amounts of organic matter or bury several handfuls of compost where the melons are to be planted.

There's no problem involved in planting watermelons or cantaloupes next to other plants, such as cucumbers. If the melons are planted in rows, leave about three feet of space for cantaloupes and four feet for watermelons. For hill planting, thin the seedlings down to three or four plants per hill. When vines begin to run, apply a pound of 8-8-8 fertilizer down 30 feet of row.

Take precautions against over watering.

You should irrigate only when the plants tend to wilt during the day or when vigorous vine growth stops. Use hoses or flood irrigation to reduce disease problems caused by splashing the leaves with mud.

The cantaloupe varieties recommended by the Cooperative Extension Service are Ambrosia, Magnum 45, Classic, Top Score, Roadside and Burpee Hybrid. The recommended watermelon varieties are Louisiana Queen, Jubilee, Sweet Favorite, Charleston Gray, Calhoun Gray and Crimson Sweet.

Sunny locations with rich soil ideal…

Since taste is important in growing watermelons and cantaloupes, keep in mind these points: select a sunny location that has good drainage and rich organic soil, and keep the melon area free of weeds and don't over-water your plants, especially around harvest time. Omitting any of these steps can result in flat-tasting and poor quality melons.

For more information on melons, contact your local County Extension Office.