The Cucurbitaceae family includes watermelons, cucumbers, zucchini, Mexican sour gherkins and muskmelons (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus). There are many species and cultivars in this vast family, most of which produce scrambling, trailing, or climbing vines. The flesh within muskmelon might be pale green, white, orange, or pink, and the rinds are netted. They typically weigh between four and eight pounds, with an average length of six to nine inches, and are spherical or oblong in shape.
The monoecious, hairy, vining vines bear either male or female, tiny, yellow blooms. Up to six or eight fruits can be produced by a single vine after pollination. It smells musky and has the usual rough appearance with vertical green ridges. The flesh has a strong texture and delicious flavour, and the inside is frequently pink.
Growing Muskmelon: A Guide
Preparing the soil and pot: If you are cultivating muskmelon in your garden until the soil is fine. Growing muskmelon in raised beds is preferable to the traditional technique because the system enhances soil drainage. To encourage deep roots, beds must be worked 16 to 20 cm deep.
Additionally, to grow in a pot, fill it with potting mix, then add fertiliser and mix well. Plant the seeds evenly spaced and one inch deep. Since the crop cannot withstand dry soil, regular watering is essential.
Climate Requirement: Muskmelon can be cultivated at a little warm temperature because it is a summer crop. The seed can be sown from November to February because it germinates best at temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. and thrives in temperatures between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius.
How Are Muskmelon Seeds Sown?
- Before planting, let the seeds soak overnight in a moist tissue.
- Transfer the Copoeat into a seedling tray.
- Create holes that are ½ inch deep, then plant one seed in each.
- After adding Copoeat to the hole, mist it with water.
- The seeds will sprout in a week or two.
- It takes 13 weeks for fruit to appear.
Fertiliser Requirement
When preparing the bed, mix the soil with composted manure. Additionally, fertilise the soil with organic fertiliser for balanced nutrients.
Combine 1-2 tablespoons of household borax and 4-5 tablespoons of Epsom salt in 5 litres of water, then mist ripe vines with the mixture to make the fruits and flowers tastier.
The Process Of Pollination
Sometimes, home gardeners wonder why their muskmelon vines' first blossoms don't bear fruit. This is due to the fact that male or pollen-bearing blooms are the first to appear on the vines. Pollination is essential because only the female, or pistillate, blooms have the capacity to grow into fruit. The best pollinators of muskmelon blossoms are honey bees. To guarantee high-quality melons, every attempt should be taken to safeguard the bees during the flowering seasons.
Harvesting Muskmelons
By applying finger pressure to the stem and seeing how readily it separates from the melon, one can determine the ripeness of a melon. To find out why some more recent cultivars are less likely to fall off the vine than their more established counterparts. Fruit should be deemed suitable for harvesting when it turns from green or olive-gray to yellowish brown. Walk the patch every day for optimal quality. The melon patch can be plucked twice a day in really warm weather.
Nothing shouts "summer" like the sweet, recognisable taste of a vine-ripened muskmelon, whether you call them cantaloupes or muskmelons. To taste them fresh at the perfect moment, sow them in early November.