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Growing melons in a cold frame
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Posted by ryvoan London, England (My Page) on Tue, May 3, 05 at 4:25
| Does anyone have any experience of growing melons in a large (6'x3') cold frame? I was thinking of trying Blenheim Orange. Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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| Or any experience growing melons at all! Don't tell me there's no-one on the forum who has grown them? I've just bought 3 in a car boot sale, and I don't know whether to put them in the greenhouse or risk them out of doors in a sheltered spot. Also, do they all climb with tendrils or do some of them just trail? Could they be grown on a teepee thing like runner beans? I've got a watermelon, a charentais and a canteloupe. |
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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| hello how big is your greenhouse? melons need a fair bit of space in my experience the watermelon would do best in the greenhouse with lots of food and water they like it quite walm the other 2 it would be worth trying in the cold frame planted on a raised hump of soil so no water can collect around the stem or they have a tendency to rot watered and fed well and only 1 melon left per lateral branch you should get a reasonable crop. you can grow them up training wires as long as they are very well secured and you need to hang ripening melons in a stocking to support the weight a better method if you have the space is to let them sprawl where ever they likebut make sure you put straw or something to help keep the melons off the soil |
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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- Posted by Pond Portsmouth, UK (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 20, 05 at 8:00
| Last year I grew two varieties on my compost heaps - piel de sapo and ogen. I didn't look after them very well, just the odd watering when I remembered (not normally a neglectful gardener, honest!) but I still ended up with one melon on each plant. They were very small (tennis ball) but delicious. This year I am growing an ogen in a cold frame but I don't know yet how it will do. |
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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- Posted by ryvoan London, England (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 20, 05 at 8:22
Hi
I am pleased to see there are a few melon growers out there after all. Thanks to Garden Nerd for getting the ball rolling. I decided to plant one Bleheim Orange melon plant in the cold frame on my allotment about three weeks ago. I planted it in the centre of the frame, on a small mound to keep the stem dry. So far it appears to be doing well but I would say it is growing very slowly. Mind you until this weekend's record hot temperatures it has been fairly cool down here in East London/Essex. Last year I grew melons succesfully in my green house. The variety was Galia (Thompson & Morgan). They grew well - reached the size of a grapefruit and tasted quite sweet. I got about 6 melons from two plants. Trained them up some plastic trellis and supported the ripening fruit in little hammocks made out of old onion nets. I would have done the same again this year except the greenhouse is full of cucumbers. If I can I'll try and send an update.
Regards, Ryvoan |
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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| One is definitely a climber as it has tendrils, so I'm going to get that to go up a tripod in a sheltered, hummocky area of the garden. It'll be in a corner, so come those chilly October evenings I can be out there with hot water bottles, fur coats and bubble wrap constructing a little tent for it, because I'm sure I'll have nothing better to do. I'm trying to empty the greenhouse of other stuff, so as nature abhorrs a vacuum, the other ones can sneak in there. Er, how big is big, exactly? So, Pond, you grew yours in the open. I don't have a handy compost heap, wonder how they would do planted in the top of a plastic compost dalek, assuming I topped it up with soil first? More potential for my tent-building proclivities, too. |
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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- Posted by Pond Portsmouth, UK (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 21, 05 at 8:50
| Yes, mine sat in my wooden bins. They sank quite a lot as the season went by, but the lack of light was compensated for by the extra protection of the sides. This year I have empty bins (so far) as I have used all the material I can find making new beds on my second allotment. |
RE: Growing melons in a cold frame
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| Yes, I grew an a melon plant in my cold frame! I planted two some years ago bought at a local garden centre. I think one was gold 'sweetie'. I was told only to let two melons develop per vine. They were gorgeous, deep yellow inside, small round shape - really sweet with a lovely flavour. Good luck to you! |
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