Melon Seeds

Why homegrown melons are a must

If you grew up eating cantaloupes and honeydew from a relative's vegetable garden, you know that store-bought melons are nothing compared to home-grown melons. Wouldn't it be wonderful to impress your friends and family with melons grown right in your own backyard this year? They're much more juicy, flavorful, colorful and delicious than anything you can purchase.

Planting conditions for melon seeds

Melons are rather easy to grow, but they do require certain planting conditions. These sun-loving annuals do well in hotter regions, but they may also be grown in cooler ones. If you live in a cold climate, grow melons in a hoop house or use black plastic to trap heat and warm the soil.

When the soil temperature reaches at least 70°F, melon seeds are ready to sow. Build mounds and add compost and fertilizer to vegetable beds. Directly sow a few seeds onto each mound. Alternatively, start melon seeds indoors three weeks before the last frost. Start transplanting these vining plants three feet apart to allow them to spread. Give your fruits plenty of water on a daily basis to achieve the best results.

Picking melons off the vine

Melons are ready to pick when the skin begins to look somewhat bleached out and the fruits readily break away from the vine. Because melons are indeterminate, they will produce many fruits from the same vine throughout the season, eliminating the need for succession planting.

Melons are grown for their wonderful fruit, but did you know that they also produce a tasty microgreen? To make melon-flavored microgreens, fill a seed tray with earth and multi-sow a pinch of seeds in each cell. Water the seedlings until they reach two inches in height or when their first set of true leaves develop, whichever comes first. With a pair of scissors, cut parts of the seedlings at the base. Within a few days of harvesting, you can eat the tasty, melon flavored microgreens. For years to come, you'll be recognized as the relative with the best cantaloupe at the family gathering! Order your Eden Brothers' melon seeds today!

For more information about planting, growing, and harvesting melon seeds, see the Melon Seeds Planting Guide.