Growing Cantaloupe Melons

[billd766]

Has anybody managed to grow cantaloupe melons in Thailand as a hobby>

I know there are commercial farms that do it but I would like to try for myself.

I live 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet.

[loong]

I've never tried cantaloupe, but I've grown the usual watermelon.

I've also grown Galia melons before and they've grown best in raised beds with a lot of compost incorporated. I found a high proportion of cow manure in the compost to be good as the soil drains well but not too well.

Only allow 4 or 5 fruits to develop from one stem.

I should really keep a diary to work out the best time of year for planting because they can suffer from insect attack as soon as the seed leaves form and never have the chance to get strong enough to cope.

Good luck

[billd766]

I've never tried cantaloupe, but I've grown the usual watermelon.

I've also grown Galia melons before and they've grown best in raised beds with a lot of compost incorporated. I found a high proportion of cow manure in the compost to be good as the soil drains well but not too well.

Only allow 4 or 5 fruits to develop from one stem.

I should really keep a diary to work out the best time of year for planting because they can suffer from insect attack as soon as the seed leaves form and never have the chance to get strong enough to cope.

Good luck

Thanks for the information.

Do you plant the individual seeds in small pots first or just chuck a handful in as it were.

I think I can get potting compost down in the village but compost doesn't seem to be around here as we have very little waste other than melon skins and as for cow manure I haven't seen anyone raising cows closer than about 25km away.

[loong]

If you are buying seeds,they are probably going to be a bit expensive to chuck in a handful. If you are going to try with seeds from a melon that you have bought, be aware that they may be hybrids and you are not going to get exactly the same as the parent plant.

Melon seeds should be planted where they are to grow, they don't like having their roots disturbed.

You really need quite a rich soil for best results. As long as your soil is reasonable, you could always try chopped up melon waste as a mulch seeing as it's available. As it breaks down it would release the necessary nutrients. If you can be bothered, all parts of the banana plant chopped up would also be good as long as it is fresh when you cut it. Once it dries out it blunts the knife really quickly and you're forever sharpening it.

Let us know how you get on

[billd766]

It may be a wile before i come back on this as I will have to make a small fruit and veg garden but you have given me a few things to think about.

I have a feeling that somewhere on my laptop are a couple of photos from a few years ago when I managed to grow several.

I will try to find the photos and post them.

I do remember the dogs played with the melons and killed them.

Edited December 7, 2010 by billd766