Organic Honeydew Melon Seeds

Honeydew melon makes a beautiful addition to your fruit platters. This delicious honeydew melon is a great keeper that gets incredibly sweet while resting in your fridge or on your countertop.

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Planting by Zones

Zones 9-10

• Melon is a warm season crop that does best when planted in warm soil in a full sun location. Melon plants will decline in productivity as the days get colder and shorter.
• In Zones 9 and 10, seeds can be started as early as April if they are protected from the cold. This may mean starting them in the protection of a greenhouse or indoors if your area still gets cold temperatures. By late April it is possible to plant directly into soils that are at least 60°F.

Zones 2-8

• Sow seeds in starter pots with a heating pad 3-4 weeks before planting out. Harden off  plants 6-7 days prior to planting them out into a frost-free garden.

Planting Honeydew Melon Seeds

• Melon seeds can be direct sown into warm soil or planted in starter pots and planted out into the spring garden.
• Plant melon seeds 1&#; deep into well-worked soil, watering deeply at the time of planting or prior.
• If you are starting seeds in starter pots or trays, plant the seeds 1&#; deep into pre-moistened high-quality seed starting mix.
• Once the seedlings have germinated and have a first set of true leaves be sure to fertilize regularly with an organic liquid fertilizer.

Growing Honeydew Melon

• You can plant your seedlings in the garden once they are 3-4 weeks old. Do not let your melon plants get root bound, as this will greatly stunt their growth.
• Melons need adequate spacing to be happy. Refer to specific spacing for the crop being planted.
• A granular organic fertilizer added to the planting area is a good idea if your garden has poor nutrient content or if you are growing in a new raised bed.
• Good moisture in the soil is needed. In Zones 9 and 10, this may mean watering by hand often or providing regular irrigation.
• DO NOT water overhead as this promotes foliar diseases. Be on the lookout for powdery mildew which is common in Zone 9 and 10 gardens.

  Read more about powdery mildew here

  .

Growing Honeydew Melon in Containers

• If planting in containers, make sure your container is at least 20&#; deep. Keep in mind containers will dry out faster because they have more surface area and less soil to hold onto moisture. Mulch heavily on the top layer of soil in the pot to keep the soil from drying out or heating up too much. One plant per container is usually all that can fit. Keep in mind, the most prolific melon crop will need multiple plants for good pollination.

Harvesting Melon

• Melons are best harvested at peak ripeness. This is typically when they have turned their appropriate color and when the small tendril next to the melon has shriveled.
• The BEST way to know when to pick your melons is to mark your calendar for the appropriate days to maturity and begin checking on those dates.

Southern California Pro-tips

• Mulch heavily around your plants to ensure the soil does not dry out or heat up too much.
• During our hottest months of August, September, and October, plants can suffer from the heat. Using

  shade cloth

  can help protect the plants from extreme heat.
• Do not overhead water.

Companion Flowers/Crops

• Melon plants need good pollination to ensure that you have ample fruit set. To accomplish this, we highly encourage you to plant more than one plant and to plant flowers that will bring pollinators.

  Cosmos

  ,

  zinnias

  , and

  sunflowers

  For more information, please visit melon seed supplier.

  are excellent warm season flowers to accompany your melon plants.

Additional Learning Resources

• New to starting crops from seeds? Please watch our

  Seed Starting Presentation

  to learn the basics!
• Learn about growing all our crops on our

  YouTube page

  !
• Having pest issues? Check out in-depth information for pests that can be an issue to melons at the

  UC Integrated Pest Management site

  .

Soil, Planting, and Care

Cantaloupe and honeydew melons thrive in warm soil. Don&#;t plant until the ground temperature is above 70 degrees F, which typically occurs about the time peonies bloom in northern zones. Prior to planting, cover soil with plastic film to hasten soil warming. Because cantaloupes and honeydew are heavy feeders, prepare your planting bed well. The quick way is to plant in soil amended with 4 to 6 inches of compost or well-rotted manure, if available. Then feed at planting and several times through the growing season.

Melons need room to roam. Space plants 36 to 42 inches apart. Or, to save space, plant melons 12 inches apart at the base of a trellis. When trellising melons, tie vines to the trellis daily, using soft plant ties that won&#;t crush stems. A trellis for cantaloupe should be large: up to 8 feet tall and 20 feet wide in warmest climates. Wire fencing works well. Trellising offers several advantages: Vines get better air circulation than on the ground, which reduces the chances of disease. In northern zones, vines also get more sunlight when on a trellis that&#;s positioned at a slant toward the sun. You can also place a trellis against a bright reflective surface, which increases the amount of light reaching leaves and confuses melon aphids, who like to hide on the shadowy undersides of leaves. If you use a trellis, anchor it firmly so gusty summer winds don&#;t topple the vine-covered trellis.

 After planting in spring you can cover plants with floating row covers to exclude insects and trap warm air near plants; this is most important in cooler climates but is useful everywhere to keep certain pests off the plants. In cool climates you can also lay out a permeable black tarp or black landscape fabric over the area to help trap the sun&#;s warmth. Simply plant through it (cut x-shaped slits).

Vines bear male and female flowers. Male flowers open first, joined by female blossoms about a week later. Female flowers have a small swelling at the base of the flower. When vines start to bear male and female flowers, remove row covers so bees can visit the flowers.

Tackle weeds before vines start to run, because later it will be impossible to step among vines without crushing them. Mulching soil under vines suppresses weeds and slows moisture evaporation from the soil. Of course, if you planted in a black cover, that is already done.

Water may be the most important variable that you supply; melons need a steady supply. Vines are most sensitive to drought during the time between transplanting and when fruits start to form. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, which will kill plants. It&#;s typical for leaves to wilt under midday sun, but they shouldn&#;t remain wilted into the evening. If possible, avoid overhead watering. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation deliver water directly to the soil, preventing possible spread of fungus diseases on wet foliage. If you must use a sprinkler, then water vines very early in the morning so that leaves can dry early, which helps prevent fungus diseases.

For vines running on the ground, keep fruit from direct contact with soil to prevent rot and protect fruit from pests. Place ripening fruit on mulch, upturned coffee cans, or flower pots.

The key to a sweet melon is lots of sugar, which is made by the leaves. So anything that hurts the leaves also hurts the quality of the fruit.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Pumpkin Seeds Supplier.