melons - Charentais type

[Patchninja]

I'm growing melons for the first time, in large pots in the GH. The plants are quite rampant and are a mass of little yellow flowers. Help! Is there anything I should be doing to them or should I let nature take its course?

[Jeanied]

Are they male flowers or female? Or both. If you have both you could try and help things along a bit as the insects are not necessarily as efficient as you would like!

ETA - I went round with a soft makeup brush and an encouraging buzzing sound the year I grew melons.

[Patchninja]

Crikey, Jeanied, how do you tell a girlie flower from a chap? There was a useful-looking bee-thing in there a minute ago!

[Jeanied]

There is a tiny immature fruitlet immediately behind the female flower - the male just has a stem. It is roughly the same with squashes. I can't remember if they have the same habit as squashes which tend to shoot out a load of male flowers first before the female flowers start appearing. Annoying until you discover squash flowers in tempura!

[Patchninja]

Thanks. I shall go and investigate.

[Tomatoking]

Male flower then female flower, slightly more swelled.


I tend to find you get more male flowers on the stem. I grow my plant to the wire, then take the head out. I then have about four side shoots which I let a melon set on each one, then cut off the head, but leave about 3 leaves. I also cut off the other side shoots.
Now some say this way leaves less sugar for the fruit, but mine tasted fine.
I just find there is more chance of actually getting a ripe fruit.

Be very careful with watering, I have done mine this year in a ring culture style, basically planted in a large pot with the bottom cut off.

As videos seems to be the 'in thing', I have a little one in my Melon Section on my blog to sort of explain it better.

Mr TK

[Patchninja]

Thanks Mr T-K I'll go and have a look. Have managed to tell the difference between boys and girls now too