How to Grow Melons

There are lots of different types and varieties of Melons to choose from, including orange fleshed Rockmelon (called cantaloupe in countries other than Australia and New Zealand) and green fleshed Honeydew.

Watermelons come in a variety of shapes, sizes and flesh colours, including Yates Watermelon 'Country Sweet' which has medium sized round fruit with sweet, juicy flesh, Yates Watermelon 'Candy Red' which has extra-long fruit with a lighter skin, and Yates Watermelon 'Sugar Baby' which produces small round Melons that are a perfect size for the fridge. 

Choose a well-drained, sunny spot in your garden that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day. Melons need room for their vines to spread. Each Melon vine needs around 1.5 m x 1.5 m of space to grow.

Improving the soil before sowing seed will help give the plants a great start. Soil improvement is as simple as mixing in some handfuls of Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. Yates Dynamic Lifter contains a rich source of organic matter, that improves soil health and structure, attracts earthworms and beneficial soil microorganisms and provides the young Melon plants with gentle slow-release organic nutrients as they establish.

Sow seed direct by pressing three to four seeds into small mounds of soil, 2 cm deep and 1 m apart. Gently compress down so there's good contact between the soil and the seeds, and then water gently. Keep the soil moist (but not wet). If multiple seedlings emerge from the one hole, gently remove the smallest, leaving the two largest and strongest seedlings. 

If you'd prefer to grow your own Melon seedlings that you later transplant into the garden, fill small pots or punnets with Yates Specialty Potting Mix Cuttings & Seeds and sow seeds 2 cm deep.

Place the pot or punnet in a warm sunny spot and keep the mix slightly moist. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, gently remove them from the pot, dig holes in the soil big enough to accommodate all the roots then plant the seedlings so the roots are covered but not the stem. The final level of soil around the seedlings should be at the same depth as it was in their punnet or pot. Water in well.

Snails and Slugs are one of the biggest dangers to young Melon seedlings, particularly during damp weather. You can protect seedlings with a light sprinkling of Yates Snail & Slug Bait. It's also beneficial to apply an organic mulch, like Yates Dynamic Lifter 4 in 1 Mulch, around the plants. Mulch helps to keep the soil moist and reduces future contact between the developing fruit and soil. 

Keep the soil consistently moist with regular watering, particularly during hot weather. Try and water at the base of the plant, rather than over the leaves, which helps to minimise fungal diseases. 

Your Melon plants will be hungry and need feeding to make sure they have enough nutrients to promote lots of healthy leaves and stems and get them prepared for flowering and developing fruit. Once the plants are established, feed every six weeks with Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets. It's boosted with potassium for bigger, juicier fruit. 

As the fruit begins to ripen, reduce watering, as this helps to promote the sweetest Melons.

Harvest Rockmelons and Honeydew Melons when the stem begins to break away from the fruit. Watermelons are ready to harvest when the underside of the fruit in contact with the soil turns yellow, the fruit gives a dull, hollow sound when tapped and the small curly tendril on the stem closest to the fruit turns brown. 

Rockmelon and Honeydew Melon fruit develop the best flavour if left to mature for a few days after picking.

Watermelons, Honeydew Melons and Rockmelons grow best in warm weather. In tropical and sub-tropical climates they can be grown year-round. In temperate areas sow or plant during spring. And in cooler climates, grow Melons once the soil temperature starts to increase and after the danger of frost has passed. 

Melons need at least six hours a day of full sun to grow and fruit productively.

Watermelons are ready to harvest when the underside of the fruit in contact with the soil turns yellow, the fruit gives a dull, hollow sound when tapped and the small curly tendril on the stem closest to the fruit turns brown.

A sign of ripe fruit in Rockmelon and Honeydew Melons is when the stem begins to break away from the fruit.

As your Melon plants mature, you will see small bright yellow flowers. There are two different flowers that grow on the one plant – male and female – so you don't need more than one plant to grow Melon fruit. Male flowers are on a long stalk and female flowers have a tiny Melon at the base.

Pollen needs to be moved from the male flowers to the female flowers, for the Melon fruit to develop. Bees and other pollinating insects usually do a good job of moving pollen around, but you can also try hand pollinating to help and improve the number of Melons you'll get.

Planting flowering annuals and perennials, such as Lavender, Salvia, Cosmos and Zinnias, will encourage bees and other pollinators into your garden to help pollination and fruit set.

Using a soft small paintbrush, gently wipe around the inside of a male flower to collect pollen and then wipe the brush around the inside of a female flower. Do this multiple times, between lots of flowers. It's best to try hand pollinating in the morning when the flowers are open.

If you're short on space, you can try growing Melons vertically or over an archway. For Watermelons, smaller varieties like Yates Watermelon 'Sugar Baby' are best, as the fruit is smaller. When growing Melons vertically, train the stems upwards as they grow. And as fruit develops, support each Melon with slings of strong twine, fabric or panty hose, so the stems don't break. 

Melon plants often produce male flowers when young and later female flowers as they mature. So, waiting a few more weeks will often result in both male and female flowers. 

For fruit development, Melons need male flowers to pollinate female flowers and for plants to have a consistent supply of water and nutrients. Once there are both male and female flowers on the plant at the same time, young fruit should start to appear. And feed Melon plants with a high potassium fertiliser, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets to promote flowering and fruiting.

Small Melon fruit starting to yellow and wither can be a sign that the female flower wasn't pollinated. Try the hand pollination technique outlined above.

Melons can also develop a condition called Blossom End Rot, where young fruit yellows, withers and starts to rot. Blossom End Rot can occur if the plants don't have access to consistent moisture, which adversely affects calcium supply. Make sure you're watering your plants regularly, to keep the soil consistently moist. Applications of calcium-rich Yates Lime & Dolomite Soil Improver Granules can also improve soil calcium levels and help reduce the chance of Blossom End Rot occurring. 

Melons are prone to a few common pests, including Aphids and 28 Spotted Ladybirds.

Aphids are tiny green, brown, yellow or black sap-sucking insects that cluster on leaves and flower stems. They can damage leaves and flowers and plant health will suffer.

As soon as any Aphids are noticed, spray the plants with Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray. It's an insecticidal soap, based on natural vegetable oils, and is approved for use in organic gardening.

Another common Melon pest is the 28 Spotted Ladybird, which is a pest Ladybird that chews through and damages leaves. Pick these Ladybirds off by hand.

A disease that commonly affects Melons is Powdery Mildew, particularly as the leaves age or if there's rainy weather or humidity. Large Powdery Mildew infections cause leaves to yellow and die prematurely.

Help reduce Powdery Mildew by growing plants in an airy spot (which improves air circulation), watering plants around the base, rather than over the leaves, and control Powdery Mildew on Honeydew Melons and Watermelons by spraying the plants every 7-10 days with Yates Mancozeb Plus Garden Fungicide & Miticide.

Symptoms of the disease Downy Mildew include yellow and brown spots that start on the new leaves, and sometimes a fine purple-grey mould on the underside of the leaf.

Avoid overhead watering (instead water at the base of the plant) and water only in the morning. As soon as you notice the disease on Honeydew Melons and Watermelons, spray the plants with Yates Mancozeb Plus Garden Fungicide & Miticide.