How to Grow Cantaloupe—or Muskmelon—at Home

Because the true cantaloupe plant (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis) is a hard-shelled or warty European fruit seldom grown in the U.S., this article actually focuses on muskmelon (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus). It has a netted-looking rind and often is called cantaloupe these days, but the care for both types of melon is the same.

When considering how to grow cantaloupe, keep in mind that it requires at least 2½ months of summery weather to mature properly, preferably 4 months. However, gardeners in the north stretch their season with the use of transplants, black plastic mulch, and row cover.   

Growing Cantaloupe at a Glance

Common Name: Cantaloupe, muskmelon
Scientific Name: Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis  
Hardiness Zone: Annual
Soil: Sandy, well-drained loam
Light: Full sun
Water: Medium
Food: Organic vegetable fertilizers
Propagation: Seed
Safety: Edible fruit

Cantaloupe Characteristics

A cantaloupe vine can sprawl or climb 6 to 9 feet in length and 3 feet in width. It has 3-inch-long and up to 6-inch-wide hairy and frequently shallowly lobed leaves. It makes yellow male and female flowers over 1 inch in diameter, with the male type usually appearing first on thin stems in clusters.

The solitary female blooms each have a swelling beneath the flower, which will transform into a cantaloupe fruit after that flower is pollinated. Mature cantaloupe fruits vary from 6 to 10 inches in length and 1 to 11 pounds in weight and usually have a beige netted-looking rind and orange flesh. 

If it doesn’t shade their vines, sweet corn often makes a good companion plant for melons that can crawl around its “ankles.”

Recommended Cantaloupe Varieties

• Athena: This F1 hybrid melon declares war on fusarium wilt disease and powdery mildew, and makes 5 to 6 pound fruits in 79 days.
• Hale’s Best Jumbo: One of the most popular open pollinated cantaloupe types, this hale cultivar produces hearty 5 to 6 pound melons in about 85 days.
• Sarah’s Choice: Whoever Sarah was, she probably chose this F1 hybrid because it also is resistant to fusarium wilt and powdery mildew, rates high in taste tests, and produces 3 pound melons in 76 days.

Planting Cantaloupe

To prevent disease, avoid planting cantaloupe where other cucurbits, such as cucumbers, squash, or other melons, have grown during the last 3 years.

When is the best time to plant cantaloupe?

You can get a head start on the season by planting cantaloupe seeds indoors in peat pots 2 to 6 weeks before the last frost date. Alternatively, sow them directly in the garden about 2 weeks after that last frost date when the soil temperature has risen to at least 65 degrees.

Where can cantaloupe grow?

Cantaloupes will need 8 to 10 hours of sun per day. They also require fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 6.5. To provide adequate drainage in heavy clay soils, grow melon plants either in raised beds or atop hills. Gardeners with sandy loam generally can allow the vines to creep along the ground instead. 

Watering Cantaloupe

When growing cantaloupe, keep in mind that melons will require at least 1 inch of water per week, possibly up to 2 inches in fast draining soils, preferably provided via drip irrigation or a soaker hose to avoid wetting the foliage. Make sure that moisture reaches a depth of at least 6 inches.

You can mulch the plants to retain moisture, but don’t apply organic mulch until after the soil heats to 75 degrees, or it may keep that soil too cool. Once cantaloupe fruits begin to ripen, stop supplemental irrigation, which can dilute their flavor.

Pollination

If you think the bees aren’t adequately pollinating your melon blossoms, which can happen during cool or rainy periods, you can try hand pollination in the early morning of a dry day. According to the University of Utah, you should simply use an artist’s brush to collect pollen from the stamen of one of the thin-stemmed male flowers and—using a swirling motion—apply that pollen to the stigmas of the female flowers. Each of those female flowers will usually swell and produce a small ball beneath its bloom. 

Safety Considerations

Although melon flesh is edible, it can be contaminated by salmonella and E. coli bacteria, which usually originate on the rind and spread to the flesh via knife cuts. For that reason, don’t leave cut melon standing in a warm place where bacteria can multiply quickly. Instead, place it in the refrigerator since lower temperatures slow bacteria growth. Also, only cut a melon with a clean knife after you have scrubbed the outer rind thoroughly with a vegetable brush under running water.

Potential Pests and Diseases

Melons often suffer from bacterial wilt diseases carried by insects such as cucumber beetles. To help prevent those maladies, top your melon plants with a floating row cover immediately after you transplant them into the garden or soon after they emerge from the soil for direct-sown plants.

That topper also will help protect them from unexpected late frosts and keep them a few degrees warmer than they otherwise would be. You will need to remove the cover once the plants begin to bloom to allow them to be pollinated. Keep in mind that hybrids tend to be more disease-resistant than open-pollinated melons.