How to grow Melon in the UK
A challenge! Best in a greenhouse in the UK.
- DifficultyMore care needed
- WherePots
- Grows to30cm
- Spacing90cm
- Time to first pickabout 16 weeks
When to sow, plant and harvest melon
| Sow indoors | mid April to mid May |
|---|---|
| Plant out | early June to mid June |
| Pick | early August to late September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Starting it indoors
- Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
- Push the seeds in (2cm deep) - a couple per pot
- Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
- Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
- When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot
Planting it out
- Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 90cm apart each way
Top tips for growing melon
- Try a small variety like 'Minnesota Midget'.
Looking after melon
- Week 6: Only keep 4 melons per plant - pinch off any others so they grow bigger
Soil and feeding
Rich, moist soil packed with goodness. These are hungry plants. Dig a hole (or make a mound) and fill it with manure or compost before planting, then feed every week or two once the fruit starts.
Pests and problems
- Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather
- Go on a slug hunt at dusk with a torch and move them far away
- Sink a jam jar into the soil with a little beer in it - slugs fall in
- Cut the bottom off a plastic bottle and pop it over each young plant, like a mini greenhouse
Harvesting and eating melon
Ready when it smells sweet and the stalk starts to crack.
How to eat them: Chilled in slices on a hot day.
Storing melon
Keeps 3-5 days once ripe.
- Ripen at room temperature, then keep in the fridge
Cut into cubes and freeze for smoothies and ice lollies.
Good varieties of melon
- Minnesota Midget: Small, sweet melons that ripen in our summers.
- Sweetheart: Orange-fleshed and very sweet.
Saving your own melon seed
From a ripe fruit in autumn.
- Bees mix pollen between courgettes, squash and pumpkins, so saved seeds can grow odd-looking fruit - that's half the fun!
- Scoop the seeds from a fully ripe fruit (courgettes: leave one to grow into a huge marrow first)
- Wash them, then dry on a plate for 2 weeks
- Or roast them with a little salt - a tasty snack
- Seeds from 'F1' varieties (it says on the packet) don't grow the same - save from ordinary ones.
Things to build for melon
Where to buy melon seeds
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Melon questions
When should I sow melon in the UK?
In the UK, sow melon indoors from mid April to mid May. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.
When do I plant out melon?
Plant melon out from early June to mid June, once the last frost has passed.
When can I pick melon?
Melon is ready from early August to late September. Ready when it smells sweet and the stalk starts to crack.
How long do melon take to grow?
Roughly 16 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are melon easy to grow?
Melon are rated 'more care needed' for beginners, and can be grown in pots and containers.
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