Grow Like a Pro: Melons

Native to central Asia and typically grown in warm climes around the world, most gardeners will tell you that melons must be grown in a greenhouse. However, with the correct care, a hot, humid atmosphere and suitable supports, you can set up your own outdoor melon patch in no time at all. For the best chance of success, look to cantaloupes – with their green speckled skin, orange flesh and refreshing taste, they are the best ones to grow in our unpredictable UK climate.

Kick-start your melon mission in April by sowing two seeds in 9cm pots of compost and place inside either an electric propagator or on a sunny windowsill and keep at a temperature of 18-20oC. After a while, remove the weakest seedling, allowing the stronger of the two to grow on, until it has formed three to four true leaves. The strongest plants will then need to be acclimatised to outdoor conditions around late May, early June, before you can consider planting them outside – skip this step, and your melons will struggle to survive.

These tender plants need a hot, humid atmosphere to flourish, which is why a lot of people suggest growing them in a greenhouse or polytunnel, however it is possible to recreate these conditions outside. Plant your melons in a warm, sunny, sheltered spot and in fertile, moist but free- draining soil. Prepare your beds for a melon patch by removing any weeds and digging in two buckets-worth of organic matter and a general fertiliser. A week before planting, make a small raised mound out of the soil and cover it with black plastic that has slits cut into it. The raised mound stops the melons from getting wet at the crown, which can cause it to rot, and the black plastic creates the hot and humid environment. Gently plant your seedlings through the holes cut into the protective layer and cover with cloches. Leave the cloches on for three to four weeks, or until your melons flower and require pollination from bees and insects.

It is recommended to pinch out the growing point at the fifth leaf as this will encourage side shoots to develop and then once the shoots have grown, retain the four strongest and remove the rest. Melons are very hungry plants, so feed them with a liquid fertiliser each week but only until the fruits begin to ripen and the foliage stops growing. Like a lot of heavy-cropping specimens on the veg patch, these fruits are at risk of overcrowding – once they’ve grown to the size of gooseberries, pick the four best on each plant and get rid of the remaining flowers, fruits and leaves. Using an old pair of tights or netting, support heavy melons to prevent the stems from breaking and buckling under the weight.

The first sign of a ripe melon is an intensely fragrant, deliciously sweet smell, especially after you squeeze the bottom. For visual clues, look out for when the fruits begin to crack around the stems. Harvest your melons and slice into segments and enjoy their juicy flesh on their own, in a salad or paired with prosciutto ham.

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