Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Hales Best Jumbo Cantaloupe is among the most popular heirloom and open pollinated variety of cantaloupe or muskmelon used by home gardeners. This plant grows as a sprawling vine that can reach 6 feet or longer in length. Train the vines on a trellis or leave it to vine on the ground depending on your specific garden needs. This is a true summer crop that thrives in high heats and has a long growing season, making it a great choice for gardeners in the south. This cantaloupe variety is also uniquely drought resistant and resistant to powdery mildew, which can often be a nuisance to these types of plants. The melons produced by Hales Best Jumbo Cantaloupe are large & round with a bright orange flesh that tastes sweet with a smooth and creamy bite. The melons can get quite large, some weighing up to 5 pounds each. When picked at peak ripeness, the melons will last 3-5 days or can be frozen in cubes for smoothies and desserts for months! We love making fruit sorbet with frozen Hales Best Jumbo Cantaloupe and homegrown Genovese Basil for a cold summer treat.
NAME: Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis)
VARIETY: Hale’s Best Jumbo
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 11
DAYS TO MATURITY: 80 – 90
PLANT HEIGHT: 8 – 12 inches
SPACING: 3 – 4 feet apart
TEMP: 60 – 95°F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Start seeds indoors 2-3 weeks before your last local spring frost (Recommended for zones 3 – 5)
Sow 1 to 2 seeds 1/2 inch deep into 4-inch pots that have proper seed starting mix and water in gently
Provide a heated area or heat mats under the trays to keep soil at 65°F or above and keep soil moist until germination occurs in 5 to 10 days
Thin to one seedling per pot as soon as the true leaves appear
Supply supplemental lighting with a fluorescent/LED grow light 3 inches above the seedling on a 12/12 hour on/off cycle
Before transplanting outdoors, harden off seedlings for several days. Do this by taking them outside during the day and bringing them in at night (Outside temps should be above 50°F when you start this process)
Transplant seedlings outdoors two weeks after your local spring frost and after soil temps are above 60°F
Do not disturb roots when transplanting, and water thoroughly
You should only plan to direct sow seeds into the soil if you are located in a growing zone of 6 – 12, since there is a longer growing season
The best time to sow your seeds is 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date if your soil temperature is 65 – 75°F
Create soil mounds that are several inches high and wide to assist with drainage spaced 4 feet apart
Sow 3 to 4 seed, pointed part down, 1/2 inch deep into each mound
Keep soil moistened during germination, which should occur in 5 to 10 days
Once seedlings sprout, remove all but 1 seedling per mound
Select an area located in full sun with fertile, well-draining, loam soil and ample space to allow the sprawling vines to grow
If you have limited space, the vines can be trained up a support, such as a trellis
Vines produce male and female flowers separately on the same plant; they often begin producing male flowers several weeks before the females appear
Throughout the growing process, it is beneficial to trim off parts of the vine that are producing small melons so that the plant can then direct its energy to producing the largest and juiciest melons possible, which is usually 1 to 3 melons per plant
While the plants are growing, blooming, and beginning to fruit, they need at least 2 inches of water spread out throughout the week; water in the morning, and avoid getting the leaves wet or use drip irrigation if able
Mulching around the plants can help to retain soil moisture and compost will aid in fertility
Reduce watering once fruits are growing; hot, dry weather produces the sweetest melons, so if you’ve had a lot of rainfall during the ripening stage, this can cause bland fruit
You can tell when your Cantaloupe is ripe when the color between the surface netting on the skin is brown, not green.
A ripe fruit will have a pleasant, fruity aroma at the blossom end and a crack will form on the stem right near the point of attachment. A few days after this point, the melon will detach from the vine with little effort but if it is somewhat difficult to detach the fruit from the vine, the melon is not ready yet
A ripe melon fresh off the vine will keep for 3 to 5 days, or you can cube the flesh and freeze for smoothies & desserts for months!
