Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Green Honeydew Melon is a popular type of melon that can be found in many grocery stores and farmers markets around the United States. This plant produces fruits that average around 7 inches in diameter with small seed cavities, high sugar content and a soft, juicy green flesh. The flavor is mild and refreshing, making it a great addition to fruit salads, smoothies or homemade sorbet. Green Honeydew Melon needs warm weather and lots of water to grow successfully and will be ready to harvest in the late summer months. Grow this fruit alongside other melon varieties such as Cantaloupe and Watermelon to make your own homegrown fruit salad fresh from the garden!
NAME: Melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorous)
VARIETY: Green Honeydew
DAYS TO MATURITY: 90 – 100 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 4 – 11
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun
SOIL: Fertile, loose soil with a pH 6.5 – 7.0
SPACING: 36 – 60 inches
PLANT HEIGHT: 10 – 16 inches
TEMP: 55 – 95ºF
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Plan to start seeds indoors 2 weeks before your last local spring frost in large cell trays with moist seed starting soil mix.
Plant 2 seeds per cell, 1/2 inch deep and water in well.
Ensure the area where your tray is stay above 70ºF and germination should occur in 10 to 15 days.
Once seedlings emerge, thin them so there is only one seedling per cell.
Provide a fluorescent plant grow light placed 3 inches above the seedlings, turned on for 16 hours and off for 8 hours, raising the lights as they grow.
Once seedlings reach 3 inches in height, 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).
After a few days of ‘hardening off’ your plants, you can transplant them outdoors into your prepared soil beds spaced 2 to 3 feet apart in rows spaced 5 feet apart and water in well.
Be careful not to disturb the roots when transplanting!
Sow seeds directly into prepared garden beds 2 weeks after your last local spring frost, or when temperatures consistently stay above 65ºF.
Sow 2-3 seeds 1 inch deep in slightly raised soil mounds spaced 2 to 3 feet apart.
Water in well and when seedlings emerge thin them out to one seedling per mound.
Keep the soil moisture consistent throughout your seedlings’ growing cycle; they need consistent moisture throughout the growing season to produce healthy fruit.
Choose a planting location that receives full sun all day and has loose, fertile soil high in organic matter; melons need a lot of fertility to grow robustly.
Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on rainfall and temperature.
Once fruit has begun to develop on the vine, pinch off any new flowers to allow energy to go to the melons instead of new fruit production.
Prevent weeds with black plastic mulch or woodchips.
Drip irrigation is a good choice to prevent getting the foliage wet.
Honeydew melons will turn from gray-green to pale-yellow/creamy color with great fragrancy when they are ready to harvest.
Generally cracking occurs at the stem and they pull off with ease when they’re ready for harvest.
Store harvested melons at room temperature for a few days to ripen fully, or refrigerate them for longer storage.
