grow cantaloupe vertically
He makes little hammocks for the melons to sit on as they grow. Cantaloupe is my favorite fruit but I never have the space to grow them in my yard. Intrigued? Sow seeds only when temperatures reliably stay above 50 to 60 degrees F. Plant in groups of two or three seeds spaced 2 feet apart. If you will be planting your cantaloupes in an open area, you’ll need to construct a sturdy trellis that is eight feet tall by several feet wide, depending on the number of cantaloupes you plan to grow. After preparing the soil for growing cantaloupes, then you’ve to install the … And don’t forget to check out these helpful articles on growing melons next: Photos by Laura Melchor © Ask the Experts, LLC. These can reach anywhere from four to seven feet, depending on the variety. You’ll need to be sure to install a trellis that will hold the weight of the melon vines and ripe fruit. Whether you’re growing cantaloupe from seed or from a transplant, we’ve got you covered. Provide Loose and Deep Soil. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Check out our article on plant nutrients for a quick primer. Soil. I hope you’re able to grow some tasty melons in your green house or garden. As the cantaloupe grow, I’ll simply keep winding the vines around and around the cage until it’s just a bounty of leaves, vines, and fruit. All three types of peas – snow peas, snap peas, and garden peas – grow well vertically. Thank you so much for sharing photos! Planting Cantaloupe Growing Cantaloupe Growing Melons Growing Veggies How To Grow Cantaloupe Vegetable Garden Planner Veg Garden Vegetable Garden Design Fruit Garden. I have not yet trained them to a trellis but know I need to do something. The plants can take up most of a garden when given this space, but if you grow cantaloupes on cages, the plants grow vertically and don't require as much garden square footage. I gently removed it, taking a moment to appreciate how neat the roots looked. July 12th, 2020 Some of these links may be affiliate in nature, meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased. Keep the slings tight enough to support the cantaloupe but with enough give to allow room for the melon to grow. Grow Cantaloupe Vertically And Get A Lot of Tasty Fruit From A Small Footprint Cantaloupe fresh off the vine is a thing of beauty. I can hardly wait until next year when I can do it right!! Or maybe you’ll buy starts from a nursery. U-posts, or other steel posts should fit the bill, or even solid wood posts. A vertical trellis can be made out of a myriad of materials, but in the case of growing cantaloupe, you want to be sure that whatever you select is sturdy. We have had an abundance of rain here. Vines expanding fast June 26th 2020. On the left is a cantaloupe field with black plastic covering and on the right is cantaloupe plants being grown up a trellis system. And growing cantaloupe in containers allows you to extend the growing season by planting earlier in the spring and bringing the young plants inside on exceptionally cold nights. I would love to visit Mongolia one day! Then, I patted the dirt back down and watered the roots before covering them with mulch. Debra, that is so neat that you got all those free seedlings. As the vines grow, simply tie them loosely to your trellis. One mistake that I’ve made was planting the melons too close together. Also, growing a cantaloupe on a trellis will keep the fruit clean and resistant to chewing pests, as well as keeping the foliage dry, thus less susceptible to disease. I have them on extra tall tomato cages. Glad I found your cantolope trellis post. I’ve started a garden with many fruits and veggies including cantaloupe. It sounds like they might be getting a little too much rain (and potentially cold), so if you can shelter them somehow to let them drain some of that water away, try it. So don’t shy away from growing these delicious melons (Cucumis melo var. The plants look beautiful. June 15th, 2020 They are growing fast. Don’t tie it tightly at all. You will also need solid posts upon which to secure the support material. Cantaloupes can also be trained on a trellis or fence to save space. Thank you so much for reading! Make a half-inch divot in the soil and put the seed in the hole, pointy side down. The thought of a massive melon patch is immensely cheering. I started indoors. They do look beautiful, and I bet they will taste amazing. As the plant grows, keep tying the growing vines to the wire as needed. Product photos via Amazon and Home Depot. Harvesting and Storing Cantaloupe. The little cantaloupes are small and hard. Hello, quick question about this: does potassium and phosphorous benefit all plants in this way? Some strong materials you might consider include concrete reinforcing wire mesh, hog fencing, welded wire, and livestock panels. Plant cantaloupes in full sun in well-drained soil. Cantaloupe fresh off the vine is a thing of beauty. By training the vines to climb a vertical structure, you save space in your garden while still giving the melons plenty of space to stretch. How long does it take for cantaloupe to grow? This is another question gardeners are always asking. Have you ever tried growing cantaloupe or watermelon vertically? Cantaloupe plants need a constant supply of water, and particular attention should be paid during summer dry spells. Laura also writes novels and holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. What a fun surprise that must have been! Different plants have different NPK requirements, but a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is that nitrogen primarily encourages leafy growth while potassium and phosphorus do more in terms of root and flower/fruit deveopment. All the tape is there for is to help the vine learn to wind around the trellis. I also dug a hole for a second plant on the outside of the cage. June 26th, 2020 Cantaloupe vines expanding fast – almost time to string them up. Getting the vines up the trellis is only half of the job of growing melons vertically. If you’ve got the building skills, create an arched trellis that people can walk under when they visit your garden. Our growing season begins in the fall to early winter. Also, how do I know which flowers are male and female? Article by Balcony Garden Web. And if you do feel like you need to use a bigger cage, it’s easy to carefully snip off any plant tape you use, gently remove the old cage, and insert a taller one in its place before re-wrapping and organizing the vines. To transplant them into the garden, I secured the cage in the soil and dug a hole in the middle as deep and wide as the pot I started the plant in. The vines will climb all over it, giving the feeling of entering an enchanted wood whenever you pass under your archway. You could even put together one of these gazebos and train the vines to loop around them. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. My leaves are turning brown. Those tendrils are there to help the vines and fruit stay balanced when they’re growing on the ground, and they’re perfect for helping to support trellis growing too. Cantaloupe seeds are planted in seedlings at a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm). The good news is that with a pinch of creativity and a dash of careful setup, anyone can train cantaloupe to grow vertically on a trellis of nearly any type. Prepping The Planting Site. If it is on the ground you’ll want to gently put a piece … The trellising you did looks really nice, too. Many gardeners opt out on growing their own melons due to the space а sprawling melon patch takes up, but that’s where growing а cantaloupe vertically on а trellis comes in to plаy. Cantaloupe plants need about 85 days to mature, but don't rush planting. What’s the Difference Between Male and Female Asparagus Plants? Cantaloupe Growing Tips Grow cantaloupe in rows spaced 3 to 4 feet apart or in "hills" with groups of 2 or 3 plants per "hill". To make this easier, water the seedlings about half an hour before transplanting. Wrap slings made of old sheets, rags, towels or fabric scraps around the melons … You should do the same if you purchased your starts in nursery pots. Once baby melons begin to form, I’ll keep an eye on the structures to make sure they can support the fruit. I have only a 4 foot square raised bed to which I have been adding kitchen scraps all summer for compost. Very carefully loosen the soil around the plants you want to move and take your time in untangling any roots that are bound up with the roots of their neighbors. Encourage the vines to climb by training them up a support system such as concrete reinforcing wire. Protect your newbie fruit as it develops. The vines are strong dense and heavy so make sure the trellis that you are making is strong and sturdy. The female flowers will have a visible ovary, like a mini fruit, at the base of the bloom, while the… Read more ». (And lucky you with that long growing season! Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Please let me know if you can… Read more », Hi Ann! Once the rinds turn from white to gold, your cantaloupe are ready for harvest. If you live in a warmer climate – around Zone 7 and up – direct-sow your seeds right next to your trellis as soon as there’s no threat of frost in the forecast. Since I still had one more plant to put in the garden, I planted it next to a sturdy bamboo hoop and secured the vines the same way I did for the melons trained on the cage. You don’t want to crush the vine. You can definitely dig up a few plants and transplant them a bit further away. Once you’ve got the how-to’s of growing cantaloupe, the vertical part is easy. Use old nylons, pieces of t-shirt or other scrap cloth to create slings for the melons as they mature; otherwise, they will get too heavy and drop from the vine. A fence can work well, as can an archway. If you don’t have space or the building skills to create an arch or gazebo, any of the following structures will work: You get the idea. You won’t regret the gorgeous sight of verdant vines climbing whatever trellis you dream up. If you have the same issue, you’ll want to fix it before the melons start forming so you don’t disturb the fruit. Grow melons and pumpkins in a vertical garden. If you’ve ever had a freshly picked, ripe cantaloupe vs. one purchased at the supermarket, you know what a treat it is. If you are making an arbor, the arch will need extra strength so some PVC pipe might be in order. Are you short of space and want to know How to Grow Cantaloupes Vertically to enjoy them fresh and juicy then you are at the right place! The convenient thing about raising them on a trellis is that you’ll be able to see them more easily than you would if they were growing on the ground, and make sure to catch them at the perfect point of ripeness. But those of us with limited space need to get creative. GARDENER'S PATH® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. As for pollination, we have an article on hand-pollinating pumpkins which also applies to cantaloupes, as they’re in the same family. Once you have the vertical support constructed over your melon hill, be sure it is securely zip tied or otherwise wired together. And more flowers may even develop, although it may be too late in the season for them to produce full-sized fruit before frost hits. 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So that’s my new growing cantaloupe (hopefully not too late), my almost ready one, and my biggest plant probably about a month ago at least, and is much larger now. As soon as the vines are long enough to reach, gently tie them to the trellis. Grow Cantaloupe Vertically And Get A Lot of Tasty Fruit From A Small Footprint. COPYRIGHT © 2021 ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. One is getting bigger. They grow best in well-draining soil that is very loamy and rich in organic matter with a pH of 6-7. Posted on September 20, 2014 by Laura. And your cantaloupes will thank you for giving them all the necessary space to stretch and grow. They don’t require any fancy… But if you notice any wayward vines, simply move them back where you want them to go and secure them with stretchy plant ties. So pretty sad, but a great experience. Best way to grow Charentais melons. The use of trellises (handmade or store bought) and pots/containers of all sizes will help you to grow several varieties of edible crops. As mentioned, cantaloupes can take up a good chunk of the garden, around 3-4 feet (about a meter or so) between plants and a potential sprawl of 20 feet (6 m.)! That’s one gorgeous cantaloupe plant. Trellised cantaloupes utilize a much smaller portion of the garden, allowing even those with limited space to grow their own. This only works for smaller melons, of course--your 20 pound watermelons will need to sit on the ground. Cantaloupes or muskmelons fruit can grow in pots, containers, or garden with trellis. Cantaloupe should be planted in rows of raised mounts, with each row at least 4 feet (1.2 m) apart. It is so sweet and so juicy it will need to take center stage on your plate. Thanks so much for sharing! It’s possible that you don’t even have to move the plants… Read more ». Are there some that may not? Read on to find out how to grow cantaloupes vertically and other information about growing vertical cantaloupe melons. Laura, Cantaloupe, like other Cucurbits, grow long vines. How close together can you plant trellised cantaloupes? Growing cantaloupes vertically allows gardeners with even the smallest garden area to enjoy the fruits of their labor. See our TOS for more details. Thank you for your comment. Around August 25, a couple of days after I buried some cantaloupe scraps, about 75 seedlings appeared. Grow trellised cantaloupes and take advantage of that vertical space. Take 4 or 5 long bamboo stakes and make a teepee structure. Then, I took both of the plants’ vines and gently secured them to the trellis. Cantaloupe/Watermelon. Like its cousin the cucumber, cantaloupe can be trained to grow vertically, reducing its usual sprawl and making it a suitable container plant. And while a tall structure may be ideal for some, you can use a smaller one, like this little green cage I got for some of my cantaloupe to grow on: You’ll just have to keep an eye on the vines and make sure to manage them correctly. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Remember, you’re dealing with heavy, dense fruit and very long vines, so there is some significant weight to support. Have you ever grown cantaloupe on a fence, pole, or lattice archway? Hmm, brown leaves…what zone are you in? Hi. You’ll know it’s time to pick the fruit when the color of the rind … 12 inches at the very closest. With more and more people on the planet, space is at a premium in the garden and out. Grow melons and pumpkins up strong, secure vertical structures. Thus, training them to grow vertically, is definitely a better idea. I’ll attach pics soon, Hi Sherneice! The vines can grow several feet, and the fruits can be heavy, so be sure you use a sturdy, tall trellis. When repotting, you can plant in a row, with a little more than 40” (100 cm) between each melon plant. Our friend has great success growing cantaloupe in a cylindrical trellis. Cantaloupe are much like pumpkins… Read more ». I used this stretchy plant tie tape from the Home Depot. cantalupensis) plant produces many leaves to … If you do have a garden that large, I am sincerely glad. Hi Laura Melchor, I found your post very interesting, just in time that I am preparing for this year’s planting in my yard, I got curious about cantaloupe and I found your post that I think described it all. As a freelance writer, she contributes to several websites and blogs across the web. I posted above asking about train up the trellis. It is so sweet and so juicy it will need to take center stage on your plate. >Growing cantaloupe plants on a trellis. You also want something that will create tight enough gaps for the vines to clamber upon. And is there a way to manually pollinate if it doesn’t happen on its own? My final step was to leave them in the garden, which receives a ton of sunlight, keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn’t wilt. 11 of the Best Cantaloupe Cultivars to Grow at Home, 7 Top Elderberry Varieties to Grow in Your Backyard, How to Grow and Care for Columbine Flowers, Book Review: Cultivating Harmony with Nancy Lawson’s The Humane Gardener, How to Grow Tatarian Aster: a Dynamic Late-Season Bloomer. She’s especially proud of the flowerbeds she and her three-year-old son built with rocks dug up from their little Alaska homestead. The Best Structures for Vertical Growing. reticulatus), which you can learn more about in our growing guide. 8. Sign up for our newsletter. Because vines grow so long – well, tall, if … Consider whether you are making a tall trellis or arbor, or whether you just want a shorter vertical support. Posted on September 20, 2014 by Laura. Many gardeners have to come up with creative solutions in order to grow crops on postage stamp sized plots. So I chose to grow them vertically using a simple tee pee trellis. Plus, training them on a trellis keeps the fruits, vines, and leaves off the damp soil, helping to prevent fungal infections and pest infestations. I’m so glad you found us here at Gardener’s Path. When the fruits reach the size of a small fist, I’ll put them in these melon nets from Amazon, wrapping the mesh around the wires and the bamboo hoop for extra support. We’ve got to train our melons to climb skyward. Vertical benefits. The vines will naturally weave through whatever you train them onto, whether it’s a lattice fence or a bamboo pole. I’ll show you how to do this in just a moment. As a bonus these Charentais melons are a PERFECT candidate for vertical gardening. Hey again, thought I would follow up on this post. I started growing what I thought was squash, but turns out it’s cantaloupe. I am going vertical in a big way next year. Learn more about how to harvest cantaloupe in this guide. I’ll definitely use the vertical raising idea. Lastly, have you ever tried to weed a sprawling melon patch? As a micro homesteader I do not have a lot of space to work with, so growing vertically just makes sense. Hi Candice! Many gardeners opt out on growing their own melons due to the space a sprawling melon patch takes up, but that’s where growing a cantaloupe vertically on a trellis comes in to play. Hot to Make a Watermelon Trellis You just need three things: Vertical supports – this can be almost anything: a rose trellis, a piece of old fencing propped up on a t-post, a chain link fence, chicken run fencing, three slender logs stood on end and tied in a teepee, etc. Here are photos I took today, September 26. The middle plant is cantaloupe. Let me know if you have any further questions! For this purpose, we can use vertical trellis. Fruit. As the vines grow, they should naturally entwine in and around the support. I have also grown cucumbers which I have harvested about 6 from the vines. Please let me know! Melons are vining crops and if allowed to grow long the ground would compete with the rest of my garden plants in my densely packed garden. I’d love to see your comments – and photos – below. Individual farmers weigh the pros and cons of various growing styles including grow cantaloupes vertically. Drip irrigation hoses are also optional but make for uniform watering and easy application of fertilizer. Then, place the containers near a sunny windowsill, under a … Because I’d only loosely tied the vines to the wires, it was easy to unwind them. I think my containers may have not been large enough and my plants may be getting root bound. How far Apart to Plant Cantaloupe. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Learning experience. You can transplant it out to the garden and put a tomato cage around it, or set the container next to a fence or other similar trellis and train the vines straight from the container. You’re doing great, and it’s definitely not too late to train it on a trellis! And glad to see you trying somewhere not as hot. I’m Ann. It’s nearly impossible but it’s easy to weed beneath trellised cantaloupes. How I grow melons vertically along my fence. My Honey Dew are growing and vines are now growing on the trellis vertically.No melons yet .I have them growing in. Once the first true leaves emerge, you’ll notice that the plant is already becoming bendy and viny. The plant may be known for its heavy fruit, but it is also a skilled climber, scrambling up and over walls and any other vertical surface where it can get a good purchase. Even those of you with small or even tiny growing spaces can grow these juicy fruits. My vines are now much happier, with lots of space to grow. This is great. This is exactly what I had to do when I realized the miniature tomato cage I was using wouldn’t be tall enough to support two vines. Would it be a good idea to dig a few and replant? Is it too late, did I wait too long? We occasionally link to goods offered by vendors to help the reader find relevant products. Each plant needs adequate room for its roots to grow and thrive, so you don’t want to crunch them together. Even better, the leaves won’t have to compete with weeds or surrounding plants for sunlight. And they can quickly take over your garden, leaving little room for anything else. Two sturdy poles with twine strung between them. A cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. If you add a few tablespoons of phosphorus (bone meal) and one or two teaspoons of potassium (kelp meal) every two weeks or so, that should help the fruits keep growing. Keep reading to learn about the best structures to support your climbing cantaloupe! Once the seedlings have two sets of true leaves, start hardening them off. Also, now’s a good time to feed them some kelp meal for potassium, which helps the fruits develop, and perhaps even some bone meal, too, for phosphorus. Laura Melchor grew up helping her mom in the garden in Montana, and as an adult she’s brought her cold-weather gardening skills with her to her home in Alaska. Cantaloupe at the base of the fence June 15th 2020. Grow Cantaloupe Vertically And Get A Lot of Tasty Fruit From A Small Footprint. Another benefit of growing upward rather than outward is ease of harvest . But I’m happy with myself and have so enjoyed reading and watching others videos. They should also smell fruity, and easily detach from the vine. I am living in Mongolia for quite a long time and from last year I started to be interested in what you can obtain from nature and my own effort by planting veggies and greens for eating healthy. If you’re like me and live in a colder growing zone, you’ll start your seeds indoors about four weeks before your last frost date. The spacing within a row depends on how you plan to grow your melons: If you want to grow cantaloupe … Growing cantaloupes vertically allows gardeners with even the smallest garden area to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Install the tomato cage. I am in Northern Ontario and hoping my cantolope do okay. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had gardens so big that we could give the cantaloupe their own big old patch to spread their vines? Growing cantaloupe vertically is an ideal way to establish these sprawling plants in a small home garden. Trellised cantaloupes utilize а much smaller portion of the garden, allowing even … I first left them out there for a few hours, then for most of the day, and then all day and all night. It is so sweet and so juicy it will need to take center stage on your plate. I have 4 on the vines. Cantaloupe prefers a sunny location with well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. I’m a first time patio gardener. Cantaloupe seeds are commonly planted in mounds and require 3 to 4 feet of space between mounds to accommodate trailing vines. Cantaloupe fresh off the vine is a thing of beauty. Here the climate is quite harsh, esspecially this season of spring where is cold and windy, but summertime is very hot, so I… Read more ». Cantaloupes can grow as long as 3-4 meters and the garden will look very cumbersome if they keep spreading all over the garden. In gardening, there are plenty of mistakes to be made, but plenty of these can be fixed. Another benefit of growing upward rather than outward is ease of harvest. You can also use those curly tendrils that shoot off the vines to help with training by wrapping them around the wire. While my plants seemed to thrive, I only have 1 cantaloupe on three plants that are ready and two more that are about golf ball and double that size. Can’t wait to try the fresh fruit. I kept mine on the back porch for about a week before moving them to the garden. So don’t let the size of a melon patch deter you. 174. Here is more about what we do. Amend the soil with compost… Backfill the hole, give the seedling a slow, deep watering, and add half an inch of extra soil on top for support. In a traditional melon patch, the gardener finds his or herself doing some sort of garden yoga, twisting and stretching to get a gander at how close they are to harvesting. Because vines grow so long – well, tall, if you will – it can be helpful to choose a structure that’s tall as well. Ours in Alaska is over.). I thought I would let a couple of the grow since I have never grown them before. How Deep to Plant Cantaloupe Seeds. Like winter squash, melons and pumpkins have long vines and the fruit needs additional support when growing vertically. I live in SW Florida, Zone 10A. Great question, Alyssa. Cover with soil and water thoroughly, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged until germination.