Growing a cantaloupe is a very satisfying experience. The melon is an African fruit, which requires very rich soil, but above all abundant in water. The choice of the plant also depends on the soil and the space you have.
So there are various types of melon and below, in addition to understanding how many a single plant produces, we will also understand what the varieties are and how they are sown.
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ToggleThe cantaloupe plant is associated with summer and in fact, is mainly sown between the end of spring and the beginning of the summer season. Generally, it is an operation that is carried out when there are temperatures above 15 degrees.
We can say that there is not a standard quantity of melons that each plant produces, because it essentially depends on the variety, generally, each one is able to produce from two to four fruits of about 1.2 kg.
To start the cultivation of melons you can take two ways, seeds and of seedlings. Furthermore, the variety that best suits the climatic context must be chosen. If you decide to start from the seeds you must first buy them and it is important that they have not expired, otherwise, they will not germinate.
For farmers, the easiest variety to grow is the netted melon, starting from a single seed it can even produce four melons per plant. Melon seeds can be planted in a pot, ground, or greenhouse.
If, on the other hand, you want to grow a melon but you are late, buying a seedling is the right choice, even if the melons produced will be much less.
It is always advisable to transfer the plant to an open field, because when it grows it needs a lot of water, and if you want to produce a large amount of fruit, water must never be lacking. Also, when the leaves are very large, they transpire a lot.
When the green-colored fruits start to tend towards yellow or white, then you can start decreasing the dose of water. All varieties of cantaloupe are considered potassium plants, meaning they need potassium in order to increase sugar production and the soil must also be well fed (keep them away from other plants with similar characteristics, such as pumpkins and courgettes ).
Another fundamental step to favor a luxuriant growth of cantaloupes is pruning. When the cantaloupe blooms and bears fruit only on the secondary branches it is advisable to prune from the fifth leaf up. In this way the flowering will be earlier and many more fruits will grow.
Finally, the harvest is also important. The fruits of the melon plant are very delicate and to prevent them from being attacked by any parasites or rotting. You must immediately isolate them from the ground, the advice is to use boxes. To understand if the cantaloupe is ripe at the right point, just look at its color and aroma.
As we have said, there are many varieties of cantaloupe plants.
We have the netted one, whose fruits can weigh from 1.5 to 2 kg and generally have a round or oval shape and an orange color. The white cantaloupe, on the other hand, has a bright green color and its skin is much smoother. It takes the name of winter melon because unlike others. It can also be stored in the months following the summer ones. Similar to this we find the one with similar characteristics but with yellow skin.
Less well known is the carousel cantaloupe, which is as big as an apple. And are generally used in the kitchen like cucumbers, but they are not as widespread. But there are undoubtedly those who appreciate its quality and flavor.