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Show 4 - APATHY TIMES - AUGUST 15, 1997 GARDEN GRAB BAG Is there anything as luscious as a firm, ripe cantaloupe on a hot summer day? Whether you prefer eating your slices plain, as chunks in a melon salad, or as the base of a wonderful slushy drink, you can't beat the richness and flavor provided by this member of the melon family. Soil quality, rainfall and poor drainage may also contribute to the fruits being watery and less flavorful, but this shouldn't be much of an issue in our area, since too much water is rarely our problem! Cantaloupes have shallow, easily damaged roots so pull weeds gently rather than tilling or shoveling around the hills. As the fruit develops, mulch with old hay or straw to They're also an excellent source of vitamins A and C and provide a change from the more common sources of these vitamins. The official name (as if any of us ever remember these!) is Cucumis melo and it is also called a muskmelon and is related to the casaba, Crenshaw, Persian, and honeydew melons in addition to the good old watermelon. There are two schools of thought about when to start your Seeds. The first say to start them indoors if you want them hardy and strong before insect pests arrive, BUT the second group say that the seeds started directly in the garden ONCE THE WEATHER IS WARM ENOUGH rapidly catch up and even surpass transplants. We definitely have a long enough growing season here and should be fine starting them in hills in the garden. The allowable range for cantaloupes is a minimum night temperature of 55° F. and minimum days of 80° F. For my area that's a June lst planting date since I'm remembering the last few Memorial Day weekends! Just remember that perfect melon—growing weather equals warm days and not too hot nights. When nights are very warm the plant uses up more of its sugar and has less left to store in the fruit. Prepare your bills by turning over dirt at least 1'-2' deep then piling it into a hill. Cantaloupes prefer light sandy soil with a pH 6.0-7.5. Dig a hole in this new hill and add 4"-6" of compost or well rotted manure to provide nutrients for the plant roots. Space your hills 4'-6' apart and remember that the rule of thumb is that 2 hills yield 8 fruit over 3 weeks which is slightly more than the standard and larger melons. For those of you who want to try containers rather than hill planting, try the Sweet Bush hybrid. If you have started seedlings indoors, try not to disturb the roots when transplanting and put two transplants into each hill. If you're planting seeds then use 6-8 seeds per hill and then remove all but the 2 best after sprouting. Remember to save those leftover seeds since unused melon seeds keep them up off of the damp ground or set on spare boards. Like melons, cantaloupes like the shade provided by com and benefit the corn by protecting it from raccoons. In August, when the harvest generally begins, the tan netting becomes more pronounced and background turns from green to yellowish. This is also accompanied by a very fruity aroma. The cantaloupe are ripe when the skin turns these colors and the stern slips from the fruit under gentle thumb pressure. Diseases and pests to watch out for are the striped or spotted cucumber beetles, bacterial wilt, and powdery mildew (both of which are more likely to be a problem in wetter areas). Eliminate weeds that can harbor disease- spreading insects during the entire growing season. Floating row covers can screen out the beetles but have to be removed for pollination to occur (just tried some of these this year and LOVE them because they also have some additional wonderful uses I'll tell you more about later). One of our local growers whose success with cantaloupes is phenomenal, Chuck Jenks, gave me the following tips to pass along to you. He also says that melons of all types are heavy feeders and need good, composted soil, and that they don't like clay soils at all. Additionally, they don't particularly like sprinkle irrigation and prefer good, deep waterings about once a week. (Ah ha! That's MY problem with them!) He says that in Castle Valley he can usually plant as early as May lst and that they're up and growing well within 2 weeks. They are fairly frost sensitive and only a few things (like honeydews, casabas, and Christmas melons) can be removed to ripen off the vine if a heavy frost threatens in the fall. My biggest surprise was when he told me that, not only skunks and deer, but also coyotes love a fresh, ripe cantaloupe if they can get hold of one! So there you have the basics of good cantaloupe growing and harvesting. If you're looking for a great taste treat, throw some in a blender with ice and a little lemonade. It's a real heat-beater, smoo—oo-ooth and rich too. I certainly appreciate Chuck Jenks' help on this and would love to hear from any of you on this or other subjects. See you next month! —Rusty Salmon. 259—4044 keep for about 5 years. Cantaloupe and other melons need extra warmth so good advice is to cover the hill with black plastic to warm soil leaving just the top open where your seeds or transplants are. I've tried this even using old black garbage bags and seen a noticeable difference in the early growth compared to hills where I didn't use anything. This also helps control weeds but should be removed at the end of the season before it starts to sun rot and makes a mess of little plastic pieces. Compost tea for the first weeks is a good way to start the young seedlings and then it is advisable to fertilize about every 2 weeks. Flavor is influenced not only by temperatures but also by leaf surfaces which make carbohydrates, therefore abun-—dant leaves encourage sweeter fruit. 9 Groundwater Locating o Well Development Studies & Reports. Water Treatment Systems 9 HC 64 Box 2003 Castle Valley. Utah 84532 - 801-259-8042 Anton Layne Kabonic |
