Gardening Tips

Transplanting

When planting melons (or cucumbers) from starts, there are three things to do for a successful transplanting:

• Wait until the soil is warm: Planting in cold soil will slow a plant's growth. Melons like warm soil and warm weather. It is better to let a melon start sit on your porch with some sun than put it in the ground until daytime temperatures reach the 80s. It is an old wives tale that melons don't like to be transplanted. They do just fine with the right timing and care. 
• Transplant on an overcast day: Watch the weather forecast and pick a time when there will be a few cloudy days in a row. The ideal time is the last spring or early summer rain. It is usually warm by then and the rain is more of a drizzle than a torrent. In Northwest Oregon, this is usually the last week of June. Many people think this is too late, but the season is just getting started. If July and August are hot, there will be plenty of production. If the summer is mild, it won't matter when you plant because production will be adversely affected. 
• Water lightly to start: Dig a proper hole and sprinkle in some fertilizer. Add some water to the bottom of the hole and mix the soil around so it is damp but not soaked. This should be a few inches below the surface. Place the transplant in and make sure its roots touch the damp soil. Cover the roots and compress the soil a little so the plant sits firmly in the ground. Do not water the plant for a couple of days. 

Melon starts don't like wet feet. Too much watering when you first set the plant can damp off even a well-established start. By dampening the soil beneath the surface, you give the roots plenty of moisture for the first few days while it establishes itself. Once you see that the plant is thriving, give it a good drink and keep the soil moist from then on. After the plant has matured, and especially after it starts flowering, try to avoid getting water on the leaves. Water at the base of the plant to prevent mildew.

Harvesting

One way to check a melon for ripeness is to gently press the blossom end with your thumb. If it is soft to mild pressure, it is likely ready for harvest. Proper color and size is also a good indicator. A ripe Lambkin, for example, should be 2 to 4 pounds and have a fair amount of yellow mottling on its skin. Another test for melons is smell. Ripe fruit should have a pungent melony odor. Some varieties of melon, such as Galia, will slip, or separate, from the vine when ripe.