Melons rot on the underside

Prolonged contact with damp soil. Rest fruit on straw or a board and keep the bed from staying soggy.

No fruit despite many blooms

Poor pollination or only male flowers open. Attract bees with companion flowers, or hand-pollinate female blooms in the morning.

Powdery mildew in crowded, humid conditions. Space for airflow, water at the base, and treat early with a fungicide or potassium bicarbonate.

Picked before full slip or overwatered at ripening. Harvest when the stem slips free with light pressure and the netting is corky; reduce late water.

Gardening

A fragrant melon that tells you when it is ripe by slipping free of the vine. Loves heat and rewards a long, warm season.

The free tool tailors timing to your climate and lets you save this plant.

Sun

Full sun

Hardiness zones

Zones 4–11

Spacing

24–36 in apart in hills, 4–6 ft between rows. Give vines room or train onto a sturdy trellis with slings.

Soil

Fertile, sandy, well-draining soil; pH 6.0–6.8. Plant in compost-rich hills once soil reaches 70°F.

Watering

Steady 1–2 in/week while fruit sizes up. Cut back water as melons ripen to deepen sweetness and avoid splitting.

Plant / sow (typical)

May – Jun

Harvest (typical)

Aug – Sep

Starting

Direct-sow in warm soil, or start indoors 3–4 weeks early in peat pots and transplant without disturbing roots.

Companions

Good with Corn, Radish, Nasturtium, Marigold, Bush bean. Keep apart from Potato, Cucumber, Squash.

Melons rot on the underside. Prolonged contact with damp soil. Rest fruit on straw or a board and keep the bed from staying soggy.
No fruit despite many blooms. Poor pollination or only male flowers open. Attract bees with companion flowers, or hand-pollinate female blooms in the morning.
Powdery white coating on leaves. Powdery mildew in crowded, humid conditions. Space for airflow, water at the base, and treat early with a fungicide or potassium bicarbonate.
Melons taste flat. Picked before full slip or overwatered at ripening. Harvest when the stem slips free with light pressure and the netting is corky; reduce late water.