Everything in my garden is going great except for my cantaloupes (imperial 45 variety). They are producing female flowers, but they just keep dying off. However, my watermelons (crimson sweet) are doing just fine. I have some melons growing (biggest one about 2" diameter). How long should the vines be before they start producing fruit? I feel like this is my problem. My cantaloupe vines aren't anywhere near the length of my watermelon vines. But for some reason my cantaloupe plants have much thicker vines and healthier (greener) looking vines and leaves. I haven't measured the cantaloupe vines, but I'd say they are anywhere from 1.5 to 3 feet. The watermelon vines on the other hand are 3-6 feet. So should I just rip off female flowers until the plants grow longer? I'm getting worried. I really want to get some cantaloupe. I'm sure I still have a decent amount of time in the central florida growing season, but it still bothers me.