Maybe it’s because I always struggled with math in school, but anytime I see numbers and measurements, I balk.Unfortunately for my plants, this includes
12.06.2023 - 01:03 / gardenerspath.com / Laura Ojeda Melchor
When and How to Harvest Cantaloupe, the Sweetest Garden CandyIs there anything tastier than a juicy, soft-yet-firm piece of cantaloupe unfurling its delightful flavor on your tongue?
Of course not!
And there’s no better reward for the work involved in planting and growing this tasty melon.
Maybe your melons are looking more and more mature every day, and you’re not sure when to harvest them.
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If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place, because today we’re going to talk about when and how to harvest this delicious melon (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus).
Here’s what I’ll cover:
When to Harvest CantaloupeThis sun-loving fruit takes about 65-90 days from germination to reach maturity – depending on the variety – and when you consider the size and complexity of a melon, that’s impressive.
So depending on your USDA Hardiness Zone and the cultivar you are growing, you might be harvesting melons as early as June, while others may have to wait until late August.
You don’t want to harvest your cantaloupes too early or they won’t be sweet enough (this is how I always feel about the seemingly inexplicably named honeydew – sorry, honeydew lovers out there!). And if you wait too long, they’ll get mealy and squishy. Yuck.
If you do harvest a slightly unripe melon, it will continue to soften, but the sugar content of the fruit will not increase. It won’t be quite as sweet as it would be if it had ripened on the vine.
Unripe cantaloupes will still be green, and you’ll be able to see this through the web of “netting” that develops over the rind.
Check your seed packet or your garden planner to determine when they’re about a week
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