How to tell when your homegrown cantaloupes are ripe

[smilyheart123]

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[dontommyg]

now i really want to grow cantalope!

[KLisaLisa]

@dontommyg If you have the space, it is worth it! Your growing season in MA is shorter than what we have here, but I think you can still grow them.

[ArizonaAdventures]

I really liked your video! I have only one growing currently but can't wait to taste it soon. Keep the videos coming :)

[KLisaLisa]

@ArizonaAdventures Thanks! I watched a couple of your videos and I like your enthusiasm for gardening! Good luck with your melons and fruit trees! Maybe you can start your melons earlier next year.

[SambasWithSophie]

Thank you! Yours is the only thing I found (and I looked at many articles and videos) that really explained and showed how to tell when a cantaloupe is ready to pick--especially the part where you showed how the melon separates from the stem. I'm worried that they ours may not ripen fully. Tropical Storm Irene hit and all the leaves, other than the ones trailing up the fence, are withered and brown. One looks really close so I really want to be sure not to pick it too soon. Your video will help!

[KLisaLisa]

@SambasWithSophie I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Sorry to hear your plants are withering. Some of my cantaloupe plants are withering--it's a combination of the bugs, the heat it has experienced, and the plants are just old. It happens every year around this time--maybe Irene sped things up a little. I hope you get a good one! Next year maybe you can start a little sooner.

[SambasWithSophie]

@KLisaLisa Thank you. I just snuck out into the twilight to take a peek. Nope. The color looks right, but the stem is still fully attached to that melon. But I just know it will be worth the wait. I did manage to pick a couple of nice heirloom yellow tomatoes, so that should tide me and my husband over for a bit. ;-) Your garden is beautiful, by the way. We love how you've integrated the vegetables and the flowers. The bees must love you! Again, thank you.

[RockGardenAntiques]

Thank you for your informative video- enjoyed looking at your garden and your pleasant delivery.

[AlexM5551947]

One day a wild growth started in my yard from an unknown source, and as it grew I wasn't sure what it was going to be but I knew it was going to be some kind of melon judging by its growth. It's looks to be an Ambrosia and all I can say is that these puppies are huge (8.5" long x 6 inches wide). I am here in California and in the middle of summer heat. I am keeping it hydrated and hope that it produces some really sweet ones. There are 5 of these guys growing on the vine. Amazing how it started.

[KLisaLisa]

@AlexM5551947 You could have had some cantaloupe seeds in some compost or a bird could have swallowed the seed and deposited it in your yard. I have had cantaloupes plants pop up several times. Generally it is better to buy the seeds because if the seed came from a hybrid, it does not reproduce the same plant and the new one could have weaknesses (like cracking). It sounds like yours is coming along really well! I hope you enjoy your melons!

[TheTemest]

How in the world do you the foliage on the cantaloupe plant so beautiful and healthy looking? Some of those leaves on the plant are 3 to 3 1/2 months old and look like new! I live in Arizona and needless to say it is a day-to-day ordeal keeping moisture in the ground. Regardless, the older leaves on my cantaloupe plants are either gone, shriveled and yellow or have some type of insect/virus damage. I'm blaming it on the heat.

Anyway, your cantaloupe plants are gorgeous. I'm jealous!!

[KLisaLisa]

@TheTemest Thanks, the leaves may look great in this video, but I can tell you that by mid-August, my plants look like your description of your plants. I generally start the seeds in the beginning of April and transplant them in the beginning of May. We have fungus problems in Virginia due to our humidity. I do my part by watering with soaker hoses and keeping excess moisture off of the leaves. We have problems here with cucumber beetles, stink bugs, and squash bugs. I kill those bugs asap!

[plasticin3]

Thanks for the video!!! I think I might have a ripe cantaloupe so I will try to see if it comes easily off the vine. Its my first year gardening and will be my first ripe cantaloupe hopefully.

[KLisaLisa]

@plasticin3 Good luck! Don't rush those melons--they are worth waiting for!

[inwinblades]

VERY nice looking garden you have yourself there! I just learned some nice tricks watching your video, such as laying down plastic around the plant. I bet this'll cut out on A LOT of weeds attempting to grow. Nicely done! Thanks for your video & time- GrayBeard.

[MrAlschork]

Best answer and video on subject on the web. Many thanks

[KLisaLisa]

@MrAlschork Thanks!

[leosamson]

great video..what are the those things place under the melons on the ground?

[KLisaLisa]

@leosamson To keep the melons off the damp ground, which could cause cracking/marring of the fruit, I often cover the ground with black plastic or I will slide something under the melons that do not hold too much moisture. I tend to use bricks, pavers, styrofoam, pieces of plastic signs, or remnants of composite planking.

[Bobster986]

Thank You!

[MangoPlantMaker]

This is so cool, can I take the seeds from the cantaloupe and plant them, will it work? How long did it take from planting to picking? How long do they take to germinat?

[KLisaLisa]

@MangoPlantMaker You will be much happier with your melons if you buy the seeds--generally on sale Feb through April. The melons you buy from the store generally are a hybrid, a specific cross from 2 different varieties. I recommend Burpee Ambrosia Hybrid--I've tried several different kinds and these taste the best, produce the most, and thrive here in Virginia. I only use about 5 seeds each year, so I keep the rest in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator and use that packet of seeds the next year.

[rayme4raw]

Good info, first year that I've ever grown cantelope.

[jdragon1012]

thank you very much!