Planting & Growing Instructions for Heirloom / Open Pollinated Cantaloupe

Heirloom Cantaloupe Seeds

(Cucumis melo)

Heirloom / Open Pollinated Cantaloupe are heat loving plants that prefer well drained loose soil and an even amount of water. Plant Cantaloupe in rows or hills but make sure the soil is well warmed. In the North it helps to start seeds indoors 2-3 wks. before last frost. Plant Cantaloupe seeds ½” deep in full sun. For rows plant 3-4″ apart, in rows 6-10′ apart. For hills plant 4-6 seeds per hill, with hills 2-3′ apart. Germination occurs in 3-10 days in soil 70-85°F. In hills thin to 2 Cantaloupe plants per hill. Harvest when fruit easily slips from the vine, or smells very sweet and fragrant at the blossom end. Heirloom Honeydew does not slip from the vine, the melon must be cut from the vine.