Melons!

[Chomerly]

I have a melon plant that I had sown back in March.
I grew the plant in pots up until there was a sign of a flower bud and then planted it in one of my big planters (previously prepared with farmyard manure, rock dust, chicken pellets and some multi purpose compost) along side a couple of chilli plants.
The planter itself is in a sun trap so from around 8:00 in the morning until sundown, it gets a lot of sun.

The plant itself is doing pretty well and has some nice growth on it.
The problem is, non of that has translated to any sign of it producing melons.
And I'm beginning to think whether it's now too late for any melons it may produce, not being able to ripen for picking at the end of the season.

Are these plants late producers?
This is the Honey Dew type melon.


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[WendyC]

I've the same issue! I have two plants in the greenhouse, growing well which have recently produced male flowers but no females as yet. I'm just hoping there's some females waiting in the wings or that I haven't spotted them yet.

[ChrisMath88]

I'm in the same boat too with my watermelons, just a lot of male flowers at the moment :-/


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[NatalieCooke]

Hi all I've just come on the site same thing.

This is the first time I've grown Melons so I don't even know if I'm doing it right. I too don't have any melons growing. I had loads of yellow flowers which I've hand pollinated
I planted the seed indoor from Feb then once the frost had gone I moved them to the greenhouse in to large pots. The greenhouse does get the sun but no all day. It's going to be moved later in the year. I'm not sure if the lack of Melons is due to me just letting the plant grow which everywhere it wants to.

[BUFFS]

I found two melons, one on each plant hidden away out of site and nearly full size in the front greenhouse but the two plants in the other greenhouse have yet to produce any viable fruit but they forecast a good long summer, so fingers crossed .....

[Strawberry patch]

Your Melons are coming along Nicely Buffs..Looking forward to seeing your Melons growing healthy

[catgirl]

All four of my melon plants have been growing melons. I even picked and ate a melon last week after it had come away from the plant. It's my first year of growing them too so I'm not sure what I did that worked, but I sowed them at the start of February - perhaps that extra month means my plants were ready sooner? I got my first female flowers back in April! Although I am also growing a type of melon which is known to mature early (Galia F1 from T&M). They are smaller melons but seemingly grow and mature quickly. Perhaps the type of melon you're growing isn't particularly suited to growing in the UK?

[NatalieCooke]

The melons seeds I bought were " Cooks Garden Arava F1 Melon" bought from Wilkos.
I did get a some female flowers on the plants which I pollinated by hand. But they all seem to fall off after a few days. .

[Chomerly]

I'll have to take a picture of the melon plant just to show how nice and healthy it looks.
But like most of you, it hasn't produced anything as of yet.

I keep it we'll watered and I know there isn't competition for nutrients.
In fact, I remember that after I prepared the planter, I added more farmyard manure at the base of the planting hole, along with some fish, blood & bone to help things along.

I'm just wondering if they Honey Dew type isn't suited for the UK.


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[Chomerly]

I still haven't gotten around to taking a picture of the melon plant as I've been busy with fixing my sons moped.
I had a look around all of the growth and I think one of the flower buds has been pollinated and is beginning to grow a melon.
It seems a little fatter than the other buds so I will watch it now and see.

Hopefully the will finish in time.


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[BUFFS]

still cant figure out how to get photos on here( my mobile is still steam powered, awkward carrying the coal ) but we are just starting to be able to smell the melons up close so it shouldn't be long now. last year was the only year where we got no melons as the summer didn't start til june and ended at the end of august, just too short and the sudden cold weather killed them on the plant but this is beginning to be a lovely sunny year...so far.. and the peaches are now looking large lovely and ready.......

[binley100]

Harvested my first one two days ago and there's more growing . Also got watermelons ...Sounds all a bit blase but this is the first year I've ever got them past five leaves
[IMG]:https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BtYGEULIAAAtwml.jpg:large[/IMG]

[binley100]

and inside...

[binley100]

watermelon baby..next time I'll try and get it in focus

[BertieFox]

I thought this was going to be a perfect melon year too, especially as I have devoted half a new greenhouse to around seven or eight plants.

But first three of them just withered and died... I guess from stem rot of some kind.... and now a well established plant already bearing melons has done exactly the same.

They are planted in what is effectively 'new soil' as the site of the greenhouse was just full of weeds and grass previously, uncultivated for decades. I did cover the site with a thick layer of mushroom compost, so maybe this is the problem.

I have aubergines in the other half and these aren't doing very well either, with lots of withered leaves and very few fruit.

If anyone knows why the melons are dying on me, I would like to hear your views. I have grown them successfully in my polytunnel every year without ever losing a plant. The soil in the greenhouse is well drained and I wouldn't say that I had overwatered them.