Cantaloupes, which in some countries are known as rockmelons, are some of the most popular fruits to buy from your local grocery store. However, if you are a gardener you may be wondering whether it is possible to grow cantaloupes from the seeds of store-bought fruit.
Cantaloupes can be easily grown from the seeds of store-bought fruit along with a range of other melons such as honeydew. The seeds can be easily retrieved by cutting the melon in half and scooping out the seeds, however, it is important to wash the seeds and dry them out before planting them as most fruit will contain chemicals that inhibit the germination of the seeds inside the fruit.
To do this typically the easiest way is to scoop out the seeds and then place them into a sieve and rinse them with water repeatedly removing any bits of flesh that surround the seeds. The seeds can then be left on a paper towel to dry for a couple of days before they are ready to be planted out in the garden.
However, if the weather conditions are not favorable at the time in which the seeds are saved they can easily be left for 12 months before being planted and they will germinate quite consistently.
Are There Any Downsides To Saving Seeds From Store-Bought Fruit?
There are a couple of downsides associated with saving seeds from store-bought fruit; the first thing is that you don’t know exactly what type of melon you are actually saving. There are literally hundreds of different varieties of melons available to purchase from seed companies. If you want to see some of these varieties try visiting seeds now which specializes in heirloom variety seeds. To see their range click on the link below.
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The second distinct disadvantage of saving seeds from commercially produced fruit is that many of the seeds grown commercially are hybrid seeds which basically means that they are seeds that have been genetically crossed to produce a desirable result in the previous generation.
Because the cross is relatively recent the genetic combination of the plant is relatively unstable which means that there is no guarantee that you are going to get exactly the same variety from the seeds if they are planted. However, in most cases, you will get reasonable fruit from the seeds planted.
What Is The Best Time To Plant Cantaloupe Seeds?
Cantaloupe seeds are part of the cucurbit family which includes corn, zucchini, and pumpkin. All of these plants are frost sensitive which means that they cannot be planted until such time as the conditions are frost-free and generally the rate of growth will be relatively slow in the early parts of the season when the temperatures are still low.
However, the seeds should ideally be planted a few weeks prior to the last frost of winter, indoors, as that will ensure that you get the earliest possible crop. This is best done in a seed tray with the humidity dome as this will optimize the growing conditions by creating relatively warm and humid conditions.
How To Grow Rockmelon Plants At Home
As mentioned in the previous section seeds should be started off a few weeks prior to the last frost of the season in a seed tray. To start this process off, fill a seed tray with a good quality seed-raising mix and firm the soil into the individual cells within the seed tray to form solid plugs.
Once the soil is in position plant 2 to 3 seeds per cell into the seed tray at a depth of approximately half an inch then ensure that the seeds are watered in. If you are using a commercially produced propagation tray that has a humidity dome and usually a tray below the actual seed tray the easiest way to water the plants is to fill that tray with water to a depth of approximately 1 to 2 inches.
Watering like this will ensure that the soil remains consistently moist throughout the germination period and it will reduce how frequently you have to water the plant which is advantageous if you have a busy family life.
Once the seeds are planted they will typically take around 7 to 14 days to appear provided that the conditions are sufficiently warm. Generally, the seedlings will need to spend approximately 6 weeks in the seed tray before they can be transplanted out into the garden. At this point in time, they typically will have reached a height of approximately 3 to 4 inches.
Planting Cantaloupe Seedlings Into The Garden
Cantaloupe seedlings can be planted out into the garden at any stage once there is frost-free conditions, however, generally, you will find that early on in the season the weather is still relatively cold and growth rates will be slow. In these conditions, it is advisable to apply a cloche or row cover to warm the plants up a little bit which will make a significant difference to their progress early in the season.
In terms of the locations of seedlings they ideally need to be placed in a location that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sun per day as this will encourage the formation of flowers and fruit. Additionally, these plants generally require relatively nutrient-rich soil so it is advisable to add compost to the soil before placing the seedlings in the ground.
Additionally, it is important to mulch around the seedlings to help retain as much moisture as much as possible. Finally, it is also advisable to apply snail bait around the plants as they will be susceptible to attack from slugs and snails early on.
The seedlings should be spaced approximately 2 to 3 ft apart because the plant will produce a trailing vine which will occupy quite a bit of space. However, because this plant runs across the ground you can also plant other crops in the same space such as corn or beans as they will not interfere with the growth of the plant.
Harvesting Melons
Generally, melons will be one of the slower plants to produce fruit during the season because they require relatively warm conditions so typically you will not expect to see fruit appearing until early summer and in most cases, it is likely that you will not be able to harvest the fruit until the autumn. Typically you can expect to get 2 to 3 melons per plant that you put into the ground.
To ensure that the melons are ripe the important thing to look for is a change in the color of the fruit from pale green to a light brown or straw color. Additionally, melons that are fully ripe will also develop the characteristic melon smell which is another strong indication that the melons are ready to be picked.
Melons are best harvested by using secateurs to remove them from the vine and they can be stored in your kitchen for a couple of weeks before they need to be used, however, this can be extended a little bit if you have enough space in your fridge to store the melons.
When consuming the melons that you have grown it is also a good idea to collect seeds for the following season in the same way that was mentioned earlier in the article as this will ensure that you are ready to grow plants in the following season.
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