If you want a melon flavor between cantaloupe and honeydew, try the Galia melon.
The National Weather Service predicted it's going to be a hotter than normal summer. While the heat might be hard on some people, if you're a melon grower, you'll love it.
When planting melons, lay black plastic down on raised beds to heat the soil and keep weeds away.
Plant through holes in the plastic and keep the vines well-watered. Add a balanced organic fertilizer monthly.
If you're short on space, train the vines up a fence and support the fruits with nylons.
While the king of melons is the cantaloupe, try some specialty melons with different flavors and shapes.
The honeydew melon has tan skin and pale green or white flesh. Unlike cantaloupes, it doesn’t continue to ripen after picking, so wait until this baby is fully ripe to harvest. Give it a good sniff to make sure it’s mature.
If you want a melon flavor between cantaloupe and honeydew, try the Galia melon. It looks like a cantaloupe on the outside, but has pale green flesh on the inside.
Crenshaw melons have pale green skin and a salmon-pink colored flesh that's sweet and slightly spicy. It’s a long-season melon, so protect it from late-season frosts.
Charentais melons hail from France. They look like a cantaloupe, but the inside has orange flesh with a sweet, almost tropical flavor, and a strong aroma. Eat this one quickly, since it doesn’t last long, even in the refrigerator.
For watermelons, try yellow- or orange-fleshed, seedless hybrids, or grow an heirloom like Moon and Stars. This large melon has bright yellow moons and stars on the green skin.
Next week on the Connecticut Garden Journal, I'll be talking about centurea. Until then, I'll be seeing you in the garden.
