![]() Melons are much more sensitive than squashes so use low tunnels with floating row covers that do not abrade plants.Water heavily and, if soil is dry, place a temporary hay mulch around plants until a soaking rain comes.Don’t place melons next to vigorous crawling plants like cucumbers, gourds or winter squash. A cold start can permanently stunt growth, so wait for a warm spell after all danger of frost to transplant, usually between May 20 and June 20. Prepare hills in advance with liberal amounts of well-rotted manure or compost.Melons resent transplanting but will take if their roots are not disturbed. Minimum germination soil temp 60°, optimal range 75–95°. Start indoors in early May (later if the spring is slow to warm) in plastic or peat pots, 2 or 3 seeds to a pot.Note days to maturity and select varieties that will ripen in your climate.Though they require some extra fussing, the results are sure worthwhile. They love heat, cannot stand frost, and may be damaged by night temperatures below 40°. Melons are a tender crop with high nitrogen requirements. Most Years You Can Vine-Ripen Melons In Maine 18th- and 19th-century growers preferred to sow 4- to 10-year-old melon seed, believing that such seeds produced plants that spread less and fruits with a finer perfume. Melon seed lives more than 10 years with proper storage. Days to maturity are from date of transplanting.About 25–35 seeds/g watermelons about 20 seeds/g exceptions noted.Plastic mulch and row cover are de rigueur for success in the open field in the North. Luckily, Mayor resists split ends better than any canary we’ve grown. Good size, full color, and slight give to finger pressure on the blossom end mean it’s ready to pick. ![]() While the luxurious flavor does fade some, “cutting into a good homegrown melon on Halloween is pretty awesome.” Mayor does not slip from the vine. Best of all, staffer Heron Breen reports picking Mayors in early September and storing them at room temperature until November. Our staff says of Mayor: “Like a sorbet,” “So smooth, amazing texture,” “Essence of a flower, honey sweet” and “Buttery, tastes like candy.” Good market-worthy yields even in Maine. Unlike other canary types, few furrows mar Mayor’s smooth skin. Mayor is not a crunchy “meh” grocery canary, but a ripe-honeydew-and-creamy-crenshaw-like combo. The blocky oblong deep golden-yellow 4–6 lb fruits with white flesh feel heavy for their 8–10" x 5–6" size. A Spanish-bred canary whose name is an adjective, translating to ‘bigger’ or ‘major’.
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