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I'm going to try growing melons this year but think I'll need a heated propagator as packet says it need a min temp of 28c - my house is nearer 18c.

I did manage to germinate all my butternut squash seeds last year with just one of those mini greenhouses but I don't think it needed to be a warm for those.
Any recommendations for a good propagator? Is it worth getting a thermostatically controlled one or will a normal heated one be fine?

Can't answer the question about melons Purplekat (though I am going to be interested in other grapes' answers since I was planning on trying some myself this year ) but as far as a thermostatic or single heat propagator is concerned I personally would go for the thermostatic one since it's more controllable. Hope that helps. Will keep my eye on your post if I may!!

hello
i grew melons for the last two years i started them off in our hot press.we have a solid fuel range so the hot press is hot 24 hrs a day.i put them into the Polly tunnel the same time as the tomatoes and peppers.i just let just 2 fruit develop . the female flowers were pollinated by hand and a few weeks later i removed all excess foliage the vine were cut at the first leaf past the fruit.i grew the plants up a little rope the fruits were supported with the mesh bags that come with Brussels sprouts.the mesh bags took all the weight of the fruits.this is the way i do it because i get two good fruit from each plant and buy growing them up a string i can get mere plants per metre than just growing them on the soil surface.when the fruit start to smell beautiful then they are ripe.my friend gets 4 small fruit per plant but i get 2 bigger fruits
i hope this helps
regards nemo

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one years seed is seven years weed

Thanks Nemo. Do I understand you to say that you ONLY get two per plant and then that's it? Are they not like cucumbers then, in that they grow on and make more melons?

i accidentally planted some in my lawn last year, they grew fine outside, though were too late for fruit, cos the frost got em, but i wouldn't bother buying a heated propagator just for them, (unless you are gonna buy one anyway)airing cupboard or top of boiler or above radiator will be fine.

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I grew melons two years ago. tended them all summer and got 2 fruits. Grew them last year and got none. This may have been due to the awful summer we had.
When all is said and done, melons were meant to be grown is countries who have a longer hotter summer than ours, so anything in the line of fruit you get is a bonus.
Personally speaking and from experience, I would'nt bother, they';re more troubvle than they're worth.
Give the space to something that will give you a bettewr reward.
Just my opinion of course.

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And your hands begin to harden.
You will find yourself a partner,
In the glory of the garden.

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I'm trying these this year under cover, supposed to be more acclimatised to our Irish ............. er.........summer

Most Northern Melon

Brown Envelope Seeds

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oh for the wings of any bird ......other than a battery hen

I'm growing Minnesota Midget from on here

Vegetable Seeds : Melon and Watermelon

So I'll see how they get on - I'm in yorkshire so if I get any then I'll be happy!

I'm not planning on doing them yet but it's my birthday soon and I was hoping to get a propagator so still looking for suggestions on a good one.
I keep my heating fairly low so think I need the extra heat to get them to germinate

I germinated a seed out of a shop brought melon a couple of weeks ago, just stuck it near a radiator on damp kitchen roll in a sealed sandwich bag. Had a root in 5/6 days. It now 2" tall & getting its first proper leaves.

i don't use my heating at all except in freezing emergencies, i just put mine on top of the boiler, it's always on pilot, and it's the warmest place in the house lol.

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http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map that shows you where to go if anyone wants it.

I'm going to try Outdoor Wonder this year, apparently 'grows outdoors or in a well ventilated greenhouse, harvest August-September. You can but try!

I'll also grow/attempt either Minnesota Midget or Collective Farm Woman, Usually get a couple of fruit but size is quite small in the polytunnel.

I won't be sowing them until april, later if the weather is cold. Other wise they don't seem to do much when planted out but sit and wait for warmer weather.They usually germinate fine somewhere warm, usually airing cupboard or propagator depending on space!

I'm trying the Blacktail this year - as well as the Minssesota midget again. The furthest I've got in melons growing is an inch diameter one last 'summer' - only to find a huge bite had been taken overnight.

So, only when I've got the greenhouse, which should be in the next 8 weeks - will i attempt anything - alot of space taken up so far for zero return.

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Oh dear, now I don't know whether to bother at all!! So nobody grows "Sweetheart" then which my book says is small and very tasty. Think I'll have to price up the seed and work out if it's worth it. Thanks for all the info everyone. (And sorry Purplekat for butting in to your thread!!)

Melons didnt grow last year here either, due to the summer.
I will be growing under glass again this year (or trying to at any rate). There is a lot of space time and effort required for what often seems little or no rewards but I shall NOT be beaten by a fruit.

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Bob Leponge
Life's disappointments are so much harder to take if you don't know any swear words.

Ours were a charnantais melon bought in France plus minesota midget. We got 9 fruits from 4 plants with the biggest being twice the size of a cricket ball, the rest slightly smaller than one.

I start nothing at all of in a propogator, the pots just sit on the kitchen worktop. They may take a bit longer to germinate BUT , and it is a big BUT, as I save a lot of my own seeds, I want strains that will "go it alone". A seed that needs a propogator to germinate is going to fare less well in our suspect summers than one that gets going without artificial heat.

The Real seed company have some interesting British weather tolerant ones available. Have a go

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updated - Wednesday 11th February "Spring onions"

Right, I might have a go without a heated one then, didn't have any problems last year with the squash so hopefully it wasn't just beginners luck!
(for some reason I seem to be good at getting seeds to germinate but have a problem getting them through the seedling stage)

Damping off can be caused by having the compost too wet with little air circulation.

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http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Wednesday 11th February "Spring onions"

If you are looking for a good propagator the Vitopod is very good but not cheap. Greenhouse Sensation Online | Propagator | Vitopod Propagator

My wife got me one for Christmas after getting fed up with all the windowsills in the house getting crammed full of pots of germinating seeds every spring!!!

Galileo

Hi
I grew sweetheart last year in a basic propagator on the windowsill. Then transplanted to a larger pot and covered with a plastic bag. Planted them out under a make-shift cloche. I got two fruits last year but not very big. Put it down to the bad summer so I'm going to give them another go this year!

Now I have very little experience in growing ANYTHING so you might want to ignore me (most do hehe!!) but I grew a couple of melon plants without any trouble last year.

Just started them off on a windowsill indoors, then planted them out on my lottie, and got two fruits from one, and three from the other. I was really chuffed, just to be able to say I grew them, but I guess in reality the space they took up could have been better used for another, more prolific crop.

I will grow a couple again this year, because I have the space, but won't be sowing the seeds for ages yet.

Good luck purplekat - come back and tell us how you get on>?

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

I shall be trying Charantais again this year. They grew well enough, but didn't flower at all. I may have started them too late though.
Then the rabbits got them.

Mind you, we do get real summers here.......

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Tx

I agree with Galileo the Vitopod Propagators are really excellent for all seed germination, I use mine a lot especially at this time of the year.

On Melons, I grew 4 plants last year of the very old variety Blenheims Orange and they were absolutely delicious, nothing like the supermarket ones. We ended up with about 12 good sized fruits which were full of juice.

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Interesting thread on the growing of melons. What date does one sow the seed for a}an un heated greenhouse or b}in the garden?

Has anyone any experience of "collective farm woman" from The Real Seed company?

Do they need any extra care than cucumbers?

Growing 'Green Nutmeg' again this year. I start the seed in the greenhouse at the end of month - greenhouse isn't heated except to keep it frost free. Planted out into the tunnel and harvested at the end of July. I do have a Vitapod, but not using it for the melons, only toms and peppers etc.

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I have noticed Marshall Seeds now have their own outdoor variety of melon called OUTDOOR WONDER (says gives 3 fruits per vine). Looking around for other suitable outdoor ones I checked out The Real Seed Catalogue someone mentioned above and found two that looked interesting, i.e. COLLECTIVE FARM WOMAN and MINNESOTA MIDGET

Has anyone tried the Collective Farm Woman? How does it perform? What does "several fruit per vine" actually mean? Has anyone done a comparison between any of the above three varietes?

I notice T&M Seeds don't have any of their varieties suitable for outdoors in stock this year. Maybe seed multiplication stock failed last year with the cool unfavourable weather...

I bought a pack of cantalouppe seeds on impulse today and am going to try propagating them on thre window sill and then growing them entitirely in the greenhouse. i have to say though I a nervous about geting nothing heheheh.

My squash were a disaster last year ( outside ) so they are going inside this year too

Cheers Mas

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'3000 volts says the ducks
are mine foxey !'

I planted some melon seeds from the Italian kitchen seed section in B&Q, I just put them in some compost, tied a sandwich bag around the top and put them in my mini greenhouse and I've already got at least one seedling growing in there! I'm excited to see how it goes, I absolutely adore melons.

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I'm growing both this year in my polytunnel and if the weather looks good will try outside as well.

I spoke to Ben at real seeds and he said they really do grow in our summer but will be much better in a polytunnel or greenhouse in a poor summer.

The thing to remember with stuff from real seeds is that they grow the stuff they sell and if it doesn't do well for them they don't sell it. They are located in Wales so I'm assuming as I'm in warmer Bristol I should be alright.

I'm having a go with a couple of melons in my cold frame this year, because it was empty all sumer last year, so seemed like wasted space!
I plan to sow the seeds this week, at the same time as my tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes.
I'm up in yorkshire and have to hold myself back from sowing seeds and planting out too early!!

My melon is flowering! I just unwrapped it from the bedroom curtain pole and moved it to the porch and a bigger pot with more head room. How do I pollinate it? It only has one flower open at the moment.

Tam

I tried Charantais melons last year. The seeds germinated no bother without a propagator - never use one. The plants grew great and flowered prolifically, but no fruit set even though I tried to help the pollination. They yook up a lot of space. I'm not going to bother with them again.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Hi

My first ever post here. I was actually sending off for some chile seeds towards the end of last year and was intrigued by some seeds the guy was selling called tiger melon. When I saw a picture of this melon I thought I would have to get some seeds and attempt to grow some. If I have done this correctly there should be a picture below;



They look gorgeous. I realise it's not going to be easy but I'm going to give it a go. I have started germinating the seeds this week so fingers crossed.

I do have a very small number of seeds left. The germination rates for the chile seeds from this supplier have been outstanding. If anyone would like a couple of tiger melon seeds please get in touch and I will post them. But I really do only have about 10 seeds left.

I gre sweetheart last year and got nothing at all but i think i planted it too late. i planted a couple a few weeks ago in the greehouse and they are both doing well now after a slow start. Both have second set of leaves. havent decided where i'm going to put them yet. we have an old greenhouse that is going to have to get skipped at the end of the year, so i might try them in there as nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Thanks Scottishnewbie. I eventually found some seed and sowed them. Didnt get one seedling from them. Bought a galia melon in Tesco reduced to 30p. Took out the seeds (have got hundreds by the look of it!!) and those that I sowed have all germinated. How's that for s**s law.

I've read through these posts but no one seems to say what soil/compost they use once they plant out....does it need to be really rich or just chuck the contents of a growbag in a whole plant away?