Growing Melons in the UK

[greenishfing]

The greenhouse is beginning to smell melony. I assume that is a good sign...

If it's got that gorgeous musky smell have an inspection of your fruit as if you can smell them they are usually ready.

[quanglewangle]

in inspection of your fruit

What am I inspecting for? Remember, before this year I would have been looking for a Sainsbury 'best before' label and, if I thought nobody was looking, sniffing the end like French folks do at markets.

[quanglewangle]

Are Galia melons supposed to turn yellow?

I've got a couple of galia melons smelling a bit melony but still green. Are they ready or should I wait until they turn yellow?

Yous impatiently...

[greenishfing]

If the bottom of the melon gives under finger pressure it is ready. But you cannot mistake the "ripe" smell. It is strong and sweet and wonderful.

[quanglewangle]

If the bottom of the melon gives under finger pressure it is ready. But you cannot mistake the "ripe" smell. It is strong and sweet and wonderful.

Thanks. Certainly smells ripe. Is netted so dropping off is not a disaster. I will give it a couple more days and have Mrs quanglewangle try it even if it is still green. Keep a watch for headline in Western Morning News saying "Man poisons wife with under-ripe melon". Will leave the rest a bit longer in that case.

[Small pumpkin]

My honeydew is nearly ready. Which is good because the actual plant is looking shocking.

[quanglewangle]

We have an edible melon!

The smallest (about 80mm dia) of our Galia melons dropped off into its net while I was feeling its bottom (for ripeness, you understand).

Had a slice to taste: not quite as sweet as I was expecting but ok really. Now off to buy some Palma ham to make a starter for lunch.

Hope the others hang on a few more days - with a little more sweetness they will be great.

Thanks for all the advice and support for our first year meloning.

[Jungle Jane]

Put the next one on a sunny windowsill indoors for about two days or something,it will ripen further & be juicier. If the base of the melon is rock hard this helps ripen it.

[quanglewangle]

Put the next one on a sunny windowsill indoors for about two days or something,it will ripen further & be juicier. If the base of the melon is rock hard this helps ripen it.

Thanks for that. 'twas juicy enough and not tough; just not as sweet as I was expecting. From what I had read I gathered melons (unlike tomatoes) didn't really ripen once off the vine: they would soften but not get any sweeter. But that's book larnin' and I am happy to defer to your real experience.

[Jungle Jane]

I don’t know if it would affect sweetness,it helps it ripen ready to eat rather than having a hard base. Ive only grown emir melon successfully to harvest,some varieties might be sweeter than others? Have you been feeding with tomato feed,this helps all fruit?

[greenishfing]

I am hoping I get some soon. I've got 2 sorts. They aren't ripening yet.



I'm living in hope.

[quanglewangle]

Just ate our third Galia melon. Each one has been sweeter than the last and now must be about perfect. It seems to me that there is more to judging ripeness than simply a melony smell: needs to be yellow all over and give a little when squeezed.

Got another two to go - have to figure out how to grow more next year. Second, bigger, greenhouse...

The cantaloupes, which I had almost given up on are suddenly revealing hitherto hidden fruits. Way later than the Galias, in spite of being sown and planted at same time. Good job I didn't pull them up.

[quanglewangle]

Bah! may lost this biggy

This biggy's stem was rotten beyond saving (botrytis?) and reluctantly I had to clear it out of the greenhouse in case of spread. I really have learned my lesson about overcrowding and may even add a fan to my list of preventive measures for next year.

It's yellow and has a slight melony smell but I wouldn't say it is really ready. Will try the sunny windowsill approach suggested earlier in the thread by Jungle Jane.



This is the last of our Galia melons. Waiting on the Cantaloupes now, which seem quite behind although sown and planted at same time and adjacent in greenhouse.

(edit: attributed JJ's advice)

[quanglewangle]

The wrong melon - this isn't a cantaloupe

I thought I was growing galia and cantaloupe melons. Since I am a melon novice my id-ing skills are limited but now its become obvious even to me that this isn't a cantaloupe.

I think it might be a honeydew. Don't know how that happened. Both the "cantaloupe" plants are the same. Mystery.

Is there still time for it to ripen? (it's in a greenhouse)

[Mark_Riga]

Well what a difference a year makes. Last year, I had melons galore, we were almost sick of them but this year have just picked the first 2 to ripen, no idea of the varieties though, a big one and a little one. Looks like I should get another about 10 including a couple of water melons. The plants just stagnated when i planted them out in a polytunnel and sat there for quite a few weeks such that I gave up on them. They are just sprawling over the floor this year making it difficult now to walk around in there. Last year, I tied them up with polypropylene twine and it snapped once with the weight of fruit - not this year.