How to grow melons from seed

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Sunday, 24 March 2019 at 3:00 pm

Melons are a sweet and tasty summer treat – we show you how to grow them.

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Although the melons we buy from supermarkets are grown in warmer climes, it is possible to grow your own in a greenhouse.

Melons are closely related to cucumbers and require similar growing conditions to thrive. To grow them successfully you need to provide them with warmth, water and food.

They can be quite vigorous, so regular pruning is needed to keep them under control. Each plant should produce two to four melons.

Follow the steps in this easy guide to grow your own delicious crop of melons.

You Will Need

Melon seeds
9cm pots
Seed compost
A heated propagator
30cm pots
Potting compost
Plant supports
Plant ties
Liquid feed
A pair of tights or netting

Step 1

Growing melons from seed - sowing the seed

Sow two seeds per pot of seed compost in a 9cm pot. Water well, and then place the pots in a propagator at a temperature of at least 18°C (65°F). Keep the propagator in a well-lit position.

Step 2

Growing melons from seed - melon seedlings

After germination, remove the weaker of the two seedlings and keep the compost moist but not too wet. After the first true leaves have emerged, reduce the temperature in the propagator to a minimum temperature of 15°C (59°F).

Step 3

Growing melons from seed - watering the plant

Plant out in late spring to early summer. Pinch out the main growing point to two or three buds, to encourage sideshoots to develop. Add a plant support, such as a bamboo cane, and water well.

Step 4

Growing melons from seed - tying in the plant

As the plants establish, keep tying the long main stem to a plant support. Make sure the compost is kept moist at all times, which will mean checking the plants every day. Start to add a liquid feed once a week to encourage strong growth. To prevent the plant from becoming too crowded, pinch out sideshoots after three or four leaves, on a weekly basis.

Step 5

Growing melons from seed - female melon flower

Melons produce both male and female flowers. The female flower has a fruit developing behind the bloom whereas the male flower has a thin stalk. Insects normally pollinate the flowers, but in a greenhouse, you may need to hand-pollinate them. First identify the female and male flowers, looking for the fruit behind the female and the thin stalk behind the male.

Step 6

Growing melons from seed - pollinating the flowers

Choose a warm, sunny day when the flowers are fully open. Pick a healthy male flower and remove its petals to expose the inside of the bloom where the pollen is produced. Gently move the male flower into the fully open female bloom, which allows the pollen from the male anthers to transfer on to the female stigma.

Step 7

Growing melons from seed - young melon plants

Thin out developing fruits, allowing just four melons to grow per pot-grown plant. As the fruits develop, water well and feed with a high potash liquid feed, such as comfrey solution. Support heavy fruits with a pair of tights, or netting such as the net bags you buy oranges in. As the fruits ripen they will give off a sweet aroma and will soften at the end opposite the stalk. The skin may also change colour. Finally, small cracks will develop on the fruit around the stalk, which means it’s time to pick.

Growing other melons

It is of course possible to grow other types of melons, such as watermelons and Canary melons, but cantaloupes and honeydew melons, like those in this guide, are the easiest to grow in the UK.

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