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Annual Vegetable · 49 varieties

Melon

Cucumis melo

Cucurbitaceae — the same plant family as winter squash, cucumber, summer squash, watermelon and 7 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Melon (Cucumis melo) is an annual vegetable. It wants full sun and pH 6–6.5 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. It matures in about 85–100 days from sowing, or 70–85 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for striped cucumber beetle and powdery mildew. Below: its full sourced profile from 11 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
Matures 70–85 days — from transplant from transplant
Mature size 6–9 ft
Spacing 18–24 in
Soil pH 6–6.5
Frost Tender
When to plant melontypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Germinating
Seedlings
Growing
Flowering
Fruit set
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing melonevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6–6.5
Soil texture
Sandy loam, Sandy, Loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Tender
Suffers in days above
90 °F
Suffers in nights above
70 °F

No published figure for the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
6–9 ft
Mature spread
1–3 ft
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
18–24 in
Between rows
60–72 in
Planting depth
0.5–2 in
Container size
5–10 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Self-supporting
Grown from
Direct sow, Transplant

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–2 in/wk
Critical water
Flowering, Fruit setest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity
85–100 days from seed · 70–85 days from transplant
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Chilling injury below
33 °F

Planted again for autumn

Set plants out by
mid Aug typical · zone 6b

70 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsStriped cucumber beetleSpotted cucumber beetleSquash bugsSquash vine borerSpider mitesAphids
DiseasesPowdery mildewDowny mildewGummy stem blightAnthracnoseAlternaria leaf blightFusarium wiltBacterial wiltCucurbit virusAngular leaf spot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

Featured varieties49 with their own page
Ambrosia Cantaloupe · 86d Anna's Charentais Charentais · 78d Aphrodite Cantaloupe · 73d Arava Galia · 77d Athena Cantaloupe · 79d Banana Muskmelon · 90d Brilliant Canary · 75d Canary Yellow Canary · 95d Charentais Charentais · 80–90d Collective Farm Woman Honeydew · 83d Crane Specialty · 85d D'Artagnan Charentais · 71d Delicious 51 Cantaloupe · 85d Diplomat Galia · 71d Divergent Cantaloupe · 75d Earlidew Honeydew · 80d Emerald Gem Cantaloupe · 70–90d Flavor Journey Honeydew · 75d Galia Galia · 70d Goddess Cantaloupe · 68d Golden Giant Specialty · 60d Griselet Charentais · 75d Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe · 86d Halona Cantaloupe · 73d Hannah's Choice Cantaloupe · 75d Hearts of Gold Cantaloupe · 90d Honey Blonde Honeydew · 71d Honey Orange Honeydew · 74d Honey Rock Muskmelon · 80d Iroquois Muskmelon · 80d Jenny Lind Cantaloupe · 75–85d Kajari Specialty · 80d Lambkin Specialty · 75d Lilly Specialty · 78d Melonade Specialty · 70d Milan Cantaloupe · 72d Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe · 75d Passport Galia · 70d Petit Gris de Rennes Cantaloupe · 80–85d Piel de Sapo Specialty · 95d Prescott Fond Blanc Charentais · 80d Pride of Wisconsin Muskmelon · 90–100d Rocky Ford Green Flesh Cantaloupe · 89d Sarah's Choice Cantaloupe · 76d Snow Leopard Honeydew · 71d Sugar Cube Cantaloupe · 80d Torpedo Specialty · 65d Triton Cantaloupe · 75d Tuscany Cantaloupe · 82d

Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 49 are in the full list below.

All 49 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
Ambrosia F1 Cantaloupe 86 Orange Medium POWDERY_MILDEW
Anna's Charentais Charentais 78 Orange Small FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Aphrodite F1 Cantaloupe 73 Orange Large POWDERY_MILDEW FUSARIUM_WILT
Arava F1 Galia 77 Green Medium POWDERY_MILDEW
Athena F1 Cantaloupe 79 Orange Large FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Banana Heirloom Muskmelon 90 Orange Large
Brilliant Canary 75 White Medium
Canary Yellow Heirloom Canary 95 White Medium
Charentais Heirloom Charentais 80–90 Orange Medium
Collective Farm Woman Heirloom Honeydew 83 White Medium
Crane Heirloom Specialty 85 Orange Large
D'Artagnan F1 Charentais 71 Orange Small FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Delicious 51 Heirloom Cantaloupe 85 Orange Small FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Diplomat F1 Galia 71 Green Large POWDERY_MILDEW
Divergent F1 Cantaloupe 75 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Earlidew F1 Honeydew 80 Green Large FUSARIUM_WILT
Emerald Gem Heirloom Cantaloupe 70–90 Orange Small
Flavor Journey F1 Honeydew 75 Green Large COTTON_APHID POWDERY_MILDEW
Galia F1 Galia 70 Green Small
Goddess F1 Cantaloupe 68 Orange Large FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Golden Giant F1 Specialty 60 White Small Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Griselet Charentais 75 Orange Small FUSARIUM_WILT ALTERNARIA_BLIGHT
Hale's Best Jumbo Heirloom Cantaloupe 86 Orange Medium Botanical Interests describes this asgets by on less water
Halona F1 Cantaloupe 73 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Hannah's Choice F1 Cantaloupe 75 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW PAPAYA_RINGSPOT_VIRUS WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Hearts of Gold Heirloom Cantaloupe 90 Orange Small POWDERY_MILDEW
Honey Blonde Honeydew 71 Orange Medium POWDERY_MILDEW
Honey Orange Honeydew 74 Orange Medium
Honey Rock Heirloom Muskmelon 80 Orange Medium
Iroquois Heirloom Muskmelon 80 Orange Large FUSARIUM_WILT
Jenny Lind Heirloom Cantaloupe 75–85 Green Small
Kajari Heirloom Specialty 80 Green Small
Lambkin Specialty 75 White Small FUSARIUM_WILT
Lilly Specialty 78 Orange Large POWDERY_MILDEW WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Melonade Specialty 70 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Milan F1 Cantaloupe 72 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Minnesota Midget Heirloom Cantaloupe 75 Orange Small FUSARIUM_WILT NC State University Cucurbit Breeding Program records this ashappy in a pot
Passport F1 Galia 70 Green Large POWDERY_MILDEW
Petit Gris de Rennes Heirloom Cantaloupe 80–85 Orange Small
Piel de Sapo Heirloom Specialty 95 Green, White Very Large
Prescott Fond Blanc Heirloom Charentais 80 Orange Large
Pride of Wisconsin Heirloom Muskmelon 90–100 Orange Large
Rocky Ford Green Flesh Heirloom Cantaloupe 89 Green Small True Leaf Market describes this astakes the heat
Sarah's Choice F1 Cantaloupe 76 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Snow Leopard F1 Honeydew 71 Green Small FUSARIUM_WILT
Sugar Cube F1 Cantaloupe 80 Orange Small FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW WATERMELON_MOSAIC_VIRUS PAPAYA_RINGSPOT_VIRUS ZUCCHINI_YELLOW_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Torpedo Specialty 65 White Small POWDERY_MILDEW
Triton F1 Cantaloupe 75 Orange Medium FUSARIUM_WILT POWDERY_MILDEW
Tuscany Heirloom Cantaloupe 82 Orange Medium
Sources11 cited · 9 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
  • Iowa State University Extension
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • The Ohio State University Extension
  • University of Maryland Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 19 of the 22 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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