Honeydew in a melon salad along with cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries
Honeydew melons are a warm weather crop. The outside of the fruit is creamy beige to gold yellow and the inside is green and white. Honeydew is similar to a cantaloupe, but matures later at 100 to 120 days. Melons belong to the cucurbit family that also includes squash, pumpkin, zucchini and cucumbers. Honeydew grow best in southern gardens because they need almost three whole months of hot, dry weather. It is possible for northern gardeners to grow types that have shorter growing periods. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Prepare the bed by spreading 4 inches of compost over the top and digging it down to 6 to 9 inches with a garden tiller. Melons are heavy feeders so also add 5-10-10 fertilizer -- 3 lbs. per 100 square feet -- and work into the soil well.
2. Plant the seeds in the bed after the soil temperature reaches at least 65 F and air temperatures reach 65 to 76 F. Seeds germinate at 70 F. Plant two or three seeds together 1 inch deep into the ground. Space the seeds in groups about 18 inches apart, with rows 5 feet apart, to give the vines room to grow.
3. Start seeds indoors in northern climates about four weeks before the soil and weather warms. Plant them in 2-inch peat pots at 1/2 inch deep, place them in a warm, sunny area and keep them watered well. Transplant in the garden after the plants have two or more leaves. Plant two plants together spaced the same as seed. Peat pots allow for successful transplanting, as the roots of honeydew are not disturbed when planting.
4. Side dress rows of honeydew plants right before they start to vine and crawl over the garden area. Use 1/2 lb. ammonium nitrate per 50 feet of row. Honeydew require large amounts of food and this will encourage them to vine out and bloom.
5. Water the plants frequently so that the soil is damp 6 inches into the ground. Use a drip irrigation system for best results, because damp leaves can cause disease. If using overhead watering, water only in the morning so the leaves dry during the day. Once the fruit form and are tennis ball size, only water when the soil is dry or the plants start to wilt.
Tags: inch deep, into ground