I don't grow melons anymore without a weed barrier of some kind. Usually black weed barrier but black plastic will work as well.

I started mine about a month ago using the black weed barrier covered with clear poly to warm soil. They came up in 4 days. Got them thru 23F with insulation. Runners are about 3ft long.

I can keep them fruiting until October by careful regulation of water and nitrogen fertilizer. Just enough to keep them growing but not too much or the sweetness suffers.

Fruitnut,

I have never been very successful at growing any melons. Do you plant them in a mound? Do the prefer any special types of soil or fertilizer? Maybe the weed barrier is the trick? My melons always seem small and at times, oddly shaped.

Thanks!
Ron

This post was edited by rawley on Tue, Apr 29, 14 at 13:29

Not on a mound but in a hill. It's so dry around here I put a hill of 2-4 plants in the bottom of a level basin. They need high nitrogen and plenty of water to grow big vines. Without big vines production is limited. Then as fruit matures I water once a week about 2 inches. Apply a little nitrogen about once a month.

Water and fertilizer needs will vary widely depending on soil and climate.

The black weed barrier also warms the soil. Melons need warm soil and warm to hot weather to produce sweet fruit. Below 60F soil temperature causes damping off of seedlings. The weed barrier also allows the melons to utilize the sunlight rather than the weeds.

Melons need pollination or the fruit may be oddly shaped if it forms at all. They can be hand pollinated but bees are much easier.

What kind of melons are you wanting? Big melons require big vines, but there are some outstanding smaller melons that are more prolific and easier to care for. I personally don't want a melon much over 20 lbs, and I've really fallen in love w/the yellows and oranges. Some of the best melons I ever raised came out of the heat and drought of 2012. They definitely prefer a light, even sandy soil, and the black plastic helps in a lot of ways. For me though, it tends to offer stinkbugs and cuke beetles too good a hiding place. As noted, the poorly-shaped fruit is probably a pollination issue. Some varieties though tend to be a little more susceptible to this malady.

We used to plant about 5 acres of water melons. They grow excellent in sandy soil. they need plenty of water while they are growing then when they start to get ripe it is better if they have less water that way they will get sweeter. We had to depend on the rain so some years were better than others but when the rain was right we used to have more than we could sell.