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Few gardeners in Russia grow melon in their summer cottages. This culture is traditionally cultivated in more southern regions. However, there is an exception to any rule. One such exception is the Cantaloupe melon. This is the only melon that can be successfully grown in Russia.
Description of Cantaloupe melon
Melon Cantaloupe belongs to the Pumpkin family. The homeland of this plant is the territory of modern Turkey. The melon got its name in honor of the Italian town of Cantolupo in Sabino. The estate of the Pope was located here, to whom these fruits were once presented for dessert.
Botanical description and characteristics of Cantaloupe melon are given in the table:
Characteristic | Value |
A type | Annual herb |
Stem | Creeping, rounded-faceted, with antennae |
Leaves | Large, round-lobed, with long petioles, green |
Flowers | Large, pale yellow, bisexual |
Fruit | The pumpkin is rounded, covered with a striped skin. The average weight of a ripe fruit is 0.5-1.5 kg |
Pulp | Juicy, orange, sweet, with a strong musky aroma |
Storage and transportability | Low, shelf life should not exceed 3 weeks |
Disease resistance | High |
Ripening period | Mid-season, ripens in the second half of August |
Purpose of fruits | Eating ripe, making dried fruits, candied fruits, preserves |
The strongest aroma gave this plant its second name - Musk. Sometimes Cantaloupe is also called Thai melon.
Melon varieties Cantaloupe
Thanks to breeding work, many varieties of cantaloupe have been bred. The most famous of these are the following:
- Iroquois;
- Blondie;
- Charente;
- Gaul;
- Prescott;
- Parisian.
White Muscat Melon
An early ripe variety that ripens 60-70 days after planting seedlings in open ground. The shape of the fruit is round, the skin is smooth. Fruit weight can be up to 2 kg. The pulp is rather juicy and sweet, has a greenish tint.
It has good transportability. It is preferable to grow in greenhouses. The fruits can be eaten fresh and dried.
Melon Cantaloupe Green
The variety got its name from the green color of the melon skin. Fruits are small, rounded. Their average weight is 1-1.2 kg. The surface has a pronounced mesh relief. The rind is quite dense, so the crop can be easily transported over long distances. The pulp has a greenish color with a creamy tint, very juicy.
Melon Cantaloupe Yellow
The fruits of this variety grow up to 1.5-2.2 kg. They are rounded, segmented, with a pronounced relief. Ripen at the end of August. In the middle lane, it is recommended to grow in greenhouses, but there are also reviews of good yields when planting yellow Cantaloupe melon in open ground.The pulp is orange with a greenish tint, very juicy and aromatic.
Differs in a high sugar content (up to 14%), it is recommended for consumption both fresh and dried, jerky.
Cantaloupe melon cultivation
It is best to grow Cantaloupe melon in central Russia in a greenhouse. This is a guarantee that the fruits will ripen even in rainy and cold summers. Most often, the seedling method is used; in more southern regions, seeds can be planted immediately in open ground.
Seedling preparation
Seedlings are usually planted in early April. It is preferable to use individual peat pots for this. This will allow you to avoid picking in the future and will greatly simplify further work on transplanting plants into open ground or a greenhouse. Seeds are usually soaked overnight in a growth stimulant or aloe juice before planting. The seeds are planted in a soil substrate, watered with warm water, after which the pots are covered with foil and placed in a well-lit warm place.
The soil in the pots should be regularly ventilated and moistened with warm water. After 3-4 weeks, the grown plants are ready for transplantation. During this time, you need to prepare the beds on which the melons are to grow.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
For planting the Cantaloupe melon, you need to choose a sunny, well-lit place. The soil is preferable to be loose, light and breathable, loamy or sandy loamy, with a slight acid reaction. Melon beds can be dug up in advance, while simultaneously adding humus, rotted manure or compost to the soil, and then cover them with black covering material. This will allow the ground to warm up well. By the time of planting seedlings, its temperature should be at least + 18 ° C.
You should not choose low-lying places where water can accumulate for planting Cantaloupe melons. Therefore, initially, the beds must be made high or at least raised. A good result is also obtained by growing Cantaloupe in the so-called "warm" beds, which have good thermal insulation.
Landing rules
After the ground has warmed up enough, you can start planting the Cantaloupe melon. They are usually planted in rows. The distance between neighboring plants should be at least 30-35 cm, between adjacent rows - at least 1 m. Previously, small mounds of earth are poured onto the beds in the right places, on the top of which the planting is carried out. If the seedlings were grown in peat pots, they are planted with them. Otherwise, before removing the seedling, the soil in the pot must be soaked in water in advance for the convenience of extracting the plants.
After planting, the mounds with seedlings and seeds are watered abundantly with water. For the first time, it is better to cover the plants with plastic wrap if they are planted in open ground. It will be possible to remove it completely after the plants take root and get stronger.
Watering and feeding
Cantaloupe should not be watered frequently. Watering should be sparse but abundant. Water should not be allowed to stagnate between rows or furrows. Increasing the frequency of watering is possible only during dry periods. You can determine the state of plants by the leaves. If they turn yellow or become stained, then the plant does not receive moisture. Watering should be carried out strictly at the root, avoiding the ingress of water on the leaves. Watering should be completely stopped at least one week before harvest.
There is no particular need to feed melons if manure or humus was introduced when digging up the soil. If the soil is poor, the plants can be fed with a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer. After flowering, Cantaloupe can only be fed with superphosphate and potash fertilizers.The use of organic matter is still a priority, if it is possible to do without mineral fertilizers, it is better to do so.
Formation
If you do not take any measures to form the plant, then you can not wait for the fruits at all. Melon will simply spend all its energy on growing vines and building up green mass. To limit growth and make it bloom and bear fruit, pinch the top of the plant after the appearance of 7-8 full-fledged leaves on it. This gives a powerful impetus to the lateral branching of vines and the appearance of flowers on them. After the formation of ovaries, as a rule, 2 vines are left, on which 3-5 fruits are formed. In the future, you need to regularly cut off the stepchildren, which the plant forms in excess.
In the photo - cantaloupe in the garden:
Since the stem of Cantaloupe is a tendril vine, some growers grow this melon on a trellis or vertical grid. In this case, the fruits are formed by weight and do not come into contact with the soil. If the vine is lying on the ground, a piece of wood, a piece of foam or other material should be placed under each of the melons that are forming to prevent the fruit from contacting the ground.
Harvesting
The average ripening period of the Cantaloupe melon is 60-70 days, while from the moment the fruit ovary appears until the removable ripeness is reached, it takes about a month. Fruiting is quite amicable, begins in the second half of August and lasts until mid-September. In good weather conditions, all left fruit ovaries can ripen. A sign of ripeness is the strong musky aroma that the ripe fruit emits.
It is not worth delaying harvesting, as the aroma will weaken over time. Stalk cracking is another sign. In an overripe melon, it can completely disappear.
Collect and transport the harvested melons carefully, avoiding blows. Cantaloupe has a limited shelf life, so the harvested fruit must be consumed or processed within 3 weeks.
Diseases and pests
Diseases and pests infrequently attack Cantaloupe. Their appearance is usually the result of improper care, for example, excessive watering, as well as the result of unfavorable weather conditions. Here are the most common diseases most commonly found on melon.
- Downy mildew. Identified by yellow spots on the leaves. The spread of the disease can be prevented by treating plants with fungicides such as chlorothalonil. The prevention of this type of mold is by tying the vines or another way of limiting their contact with the ground, for example, growing on a horizontal trellis.
- Microspherellous rot. Vines become brittle, a yellow-orange liquid is released at the site of the fracture. This disease cannot be cured. The affected plant must be removed, and the soil must be treated with fungicides. It is not recommended to plant a melon in this place in the future.
- Fusarium wilting. It is determined by gray spots on the leaves and the general sluggish state of the plant. Diseased plants must be destroyed, and the soil must be treated with any fungicide.
Of the pests, Cantaloupe is most often attacked by the following insects:
- Nematodes. The presence of nematodes can be determined by the characteristic nodes at the roots and on the stems of the plant. Breeding nematodes is very difficult. Most likely, the planting of Cantaloupe in this place will have to be abandoned.
- Aphid. It is determined by the black sticky bloom on the leaves, which can lead to wilting. Leaves with aphid colonies must be cut off and destroyed, the plant must be treated with natural insecticides. You can use tools such as Karbofos, Aktelik, etc.
- Spider mite. It is determined by the presence of a thin web entangling the leaves of the melon.At an early stage, the spread of the tick can be stopped by tearing off the infected leaves and treating the plants with acaricides. With a large population, melon farming may have to be abandoned.
During the ripening period, the fruits of Cantaloupe can be damaged by other pests. Therefore, it is so important to isolate them from direct contact with the soil. It is also important to keep the beds clean, remove plant residues in a timely manner and prevent waterlogging of the soil.
Cooking use
Despite the small size of the Cantaloupe melon, culinary experts from all over the world unanimously note its good taste and excellent aroma. This is what led to its widespread distribution in various regions, from Asia to North America. Cantaloupe is distinguished by a short shelf life, however, even during this time, the entire crop can be processed in time. And its culinary application is very wide.
Dried Melon Cantaloupe
The dried cantaloupe Cantaloupe contains all the beneficial vitamins and minerals that it is so rich in. Its pulp contains riboflavin, folic acid, retinol, ascorbic and nicotinic acids - a real storehouse of useful substances. Making your own cantaloupe can be tricky, but you can easily get it at any store that sells dried fruit.
Pictured above is dried cantaloupe. This product retains its natural bright color, characteristic melon aroma and is an excellent substitute for artificial sweets.
Dried Melon Cantaloupe
Like dried cantaloupe, dried cantaloupe is quite common in stores. You can try to cook this product yourself by cutting the pulp of a ripe fruit into small pieces and drying them in the sun. They can be used as a sweetener, and can also be used as a filling for pies. Chunks of dried melon can be added to compotes or yoghurts.
Candied Melon Cantaloupe
Candied melon Cantaloupe has a distinct aroma and excellent taste. In addition to valuable trace elements, they contain beta-carotene. This is the only melon variety with this substance in its composition. Candied fruits are widely used as a sugar substitute because they contain sucrose.
Calorie Cantaloupe melon
The calorie content of 100 g of Cantaloupe melon is only 33.9 kcal. This is approximately 1.5% of a person's daily requirement. It takes 4 minutes of cycling or 22 minutes of reading to burn that many calories. Dried melon has more calories, its energy value is 341 kcal per 100 g of product. 87% of the total calories come from the carbohydrates it contains, in particular sucrose. That's quite a lot. Therefore, Kantolupa should not be consumed by people with diabetes.
Melon Cantaloupe reviews
Conclusion
Melon Cantaloupe is quite easy to care for and does not require a lot of labor to grow.In greenhouse conditions, this culture can be cultivated in various regions, and it can be said with confidence that the result will be good. Ripe melon Cantaloupe is sweet and fragrant, and especially grown with your own hands.
