perhaps you have a small yard , or a tiny patio garden that you lovingly tend .
Or maybe your garden is already chock - full of fleeceable goodness and you do n’t have any outer space for any huge , hungry melon .
Whatever the rationality , if you think you do n’t have the space to originate your own fresh cantaloupe vine , believe again .
Photo by Laura Melchor.
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With the right care , cantaloupe can thrive in a container – even a smallish one – which intend anyone , anywhere , in whatever size house or garden , can delight its sweet-smelling deliciousness .
In this guide , I ’ll show you exactly how . Here ’s what I ’ll cover :
Photo by Laura Melchor.
What You’ll Learn
Getting set out
Why produce in a Container ?
Choosing the Right Container
machinate Your Container
How to Grow
Container Care
Growing Tips
Cultivars to Select
Managing Pests and Disease
harvest time Time
Likepumpkins , watermelon , andcucumbers , the cantaloup is a penis of theCucurbitaceae family .
Originating in south Asia , cultivated in Europe , and sold commercially in the United States since 1890 , there are two major motley we savor today : the North AmericanCucumis melovar.reticulatus , and the EuropeanC. melovar.cantalupensis .
To receive out more about this best - ever melon vine ( in my opinion ! ) , check outour cantaloupe growing guidebook .
This article will focus on make your container - grow cantaloupe dreams come straight .
To start , these are vining plants , with a sprawl development riding habit .
For a container garden , you ’ll demand to select a nanus variety – I ’ve bring home the bacon a couple of good word below – and you ’ll also take to train them to spring up vertically , using a treillage , or a tomato John Milton Cage Jr. .
quick to acquire ? rent ’s go !
away from want of space , what other reasons might there be for rise your cantaloupe in a container ? One big reason I can think of is this : the weather .
melon adore the rut .
They arise best when daytime temperatures hover between 70 and 90 ° F , with nighttime temperature dipping no lowly than 50 ° F .
If you ’re like me and you go in Alaska , or in any other chili pepper zone , you have it away that your ability to maintain these temperature is likely unreliable .
particularly not for the whole of the 65 to 90 - daylight growing period cantaloupe vine need , depending on the cultivar .
That ’s why container are the complete match for cold - zone growers who want garden - sweet melons : rise your cantaloupe indoors , orin a greenhousefor as long as you need to .
Or you’re able to set them outdoors during the day and bring them indoors at nighttime .
The same give way for those of you in extra - red-hot fix . melon love warmth , but they do n’t want to be inundated by it .
So if temperatures on a regular basis rise above 100 ° F in your area , containers allow you to move your cantaloupes out of the warmth when demand .
The flexibility a container offer is key to your success .
With a container , you could grow cantaloupe as an annual in any zone , at just about any time of the yr . Talk about an extensive growing season !
Right now in my country ( Zone 4 ) , night dip down to the low 40 and daytime temperature struggle to reach 60 ° F .
And June is just a couple of weeks away . My young cantaloupe plant are safely ensconced indoors , where they do n’t have to concern about freezing to death .
To maximize my chance of attract in a successful harvest , I ’ve adjudicate to keep two of my five melon vine seedlings indoors , and I ’ll plant the other three out in pots on my patio follow July .
I ’ll show you how I ’m doing it so you could try it too .
These vining plants need plenty of outer space for their radical to grow , so choose a container that’sat least16 inches cryptic and 14 inch spacious .
24 inch Round Classic Planter
If you have the space , you could try these large charge card planter , available from Amazon , if you require to grow full - size varieties .
Indoor or terrace - garden agriculturalist may want something belittled and easy to move around . The pot you choose can be made from sturdy plastic , terra cotta , or breathable textile .
As long as it provides safe drainage with yap at the bottom , or a ego - tearing plantation owner insert , you ’re ready to get started .
And you could always bring pebbles to the bottom of the container for drainage if postulate – and if you ’re not planning to move it around .
When I got started with the task of transplanting my young plants from ejaculate trays into containers , I realise that none of the mountain I had on manus were truly fully grown enough .
As the plant are still smallish , I decided to transplant them anyway . I ’ll move them into their big , permanent containers in a few weeks .
you’re able to do the same if you ’re still essay to locate the idealistic planter for your untried melons .
Before you get grow , find afull sun locationwhere your container will experience 6 - 8 hours of sunshine per day .
This can either be a sunny sphere of your mansion , under artificial visible light , or alfresco .
Fill your container to an column inch below the top with either :
If you resolve to utilize dirt from your garden , do n’t use soil that has been previously imbed with cucurbit , as it can harbor disease .
Cantaloupes prefer land with a mildly acidic pH of 6.0 - 6.5 , that is loose and well - enfeeble to promote the growth of healthy roots .
you may either direct sow ejaculate in your container orstart them in come tray . If you last in a cold area , it ’s good tosow seeds indoorsat least four weeks before your average last frost appointment .
For those in warmer region , sow in in containers outdoors anytimeafteryour average last frost date , provided your spring up season is long enough to give your chosen variety time to get on .
Since I live in arctic Alaska , I started mine in seed trays a couple of months before last Robert Frost . Because I planted them pointy - side - up , only half the seeds develop . Oops !
You should plant them pointy - side - down , as that ’s where the roots egress .
To sow ejaculate in container , dig a half - inch - deep hole and drop two cum inwardly , pointy - side - down . Do the same affair in seed cell . Cover with soil , and water with a spray bottle so you do n’t terminate the seeds .
To promote them to develop quickly , you could cover the pot or source tray with plastic to trap humidity inside .
Just check that to remove the covering the present moment the first green shoot pokes through the soil . Keep them evenly moist , in a sunny spot or under a grow light .
Thin seedlings to one per container or ejaculate cell when they have their first readiness of true leafage .
When to Transplant
If you take off your cum in trays ( or have purchase seedlings from the baby’s room ) , you ’ll need to transplant them to their lasting container when they have at least two sets of true parting .
I lead mine in their trays for two months , and one of the plants started getting drooping and unhappy .
I ’m pretty sure it felt cramp , and did n’t have enough root space .
If you are transfer your seedling to an outdoor container , verify you harden them off first .
To do this , place them outside in a sunny location for a few hours per Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , bit by bit increase the amount of clock time over the line of a week .
To transplant , all you have to do is cut into a hole the size of it of the root egg , mildly dispatch the seedling from the tray , and set each one in its novel container . To make this prosperous , water the seedlings about half an hour before transplanting .
Backfill the jam , give the seedling a dumb , deep watering , and add half an inch of supernumerary soil on top for support .
Then , put the containers near a sunny windowsill , under a grow light , or in your chosen fix outside .
When the plant is about four to six column inch magniloquent , fecundate with a balanced liquid state fertilizersuch as 5 - 5 - 5 ( NPK)according to package command .
Fertilize again in about two or three week , or when flowers start to develop . But this time , expend a lower N fertilizer , such as 5 - 10 - 10 ( NPK ) , so you do n’t promote too much leafy growth and not enough fruit development .
Another important aspect of keeping cantaloupe happy is to provide decent water . These plant need coherent moisture , but do n’t allow them to become waterlogged .
This is especially authoritative when you ’re turn them in container , which dry out more quick than garden soil . To aid keep the dirt moist , you canapply a layer of straworother mulching material .
Keep the foliage juiceless by irrigating at the stem of the plant , not from overhead .
In the last week before harvest , wateronlywhen the top two inches of territory is dry and the leaves are somewhat wilted . This allow the carbohydrate to pore in the melon vine and keep them from cracking .
Training the Vines on a Trellis
Remember how I said not to worry about handle ungovernable vines in a 16 - inch container ? Here ’s why : it ’s easy to train them to develop vertically on a trellis or similar supporting structure .
Bamboo 4 ft U - Hoops , Pack of 10
Easy supports for container - grow cantaloup vine are bamboo u - hoops , likethese sell on Amazon .
you may also practice tomato cages , or train them up a treillage against a wall in your garden .
To confiscate the works , take some garden tape and wrap it around the vine , and tie it to the basketball hoop or trellis . add together more tape to attach new growth to the structure as the vine get long .
When the melons have grown to about the sizing of a fist , you’re able to use ankle - length nylons or netted produce grip to sling the yield to the structure , to give the vine additional support .
merely post the produce purse around the developing fruit , and attach it to the trellis or other sustenance . As the yield grows , the bagful will expand and foreclose the vine from breaking .
register more about uprise cantaloup vine on a trellis .
While youcangrow full - sizing melons in container , you ’ll get the effective issue with dwarf cultivar that bring forth smaller fruits and unretentive vines .
Here are a couple of my favorites :
Sugar Cube
True to its name , ‘ Sugar Cube ’ delivers sweet flavor . It is tolerant to many common disease , including fusarium wilt .
This hybrid cultivar produces small-scale yield of just 2 - 4 pounds in weight , so it ’s ideal for container growing .
‘ Sugar Cube ’
Like other melon , ‘ Sugar Cube ’ needs full sun , and yield will be ready to reap in 80 days .
incur packets of 30 seedsavailable at Burpee .
Tuscanito
This “ baby ” melon strive about 2 pounds in weight , with a steady bod and sweet flavor .
you may even stack away these babies in the refrigerator for up to two weeks before press cutting , and they ’ll stay fresh .
hail from Italy , ‘ Tuscanito ’ is a popular hybrid to wrap in prosciutto for a tasty bite .
‘ Tuscanito ’
With quite a little of sunshine , you’re able to njoy your ‘ Tuscanito ’ fruit in just 70 Clarence Day .
you’re able to find seed in a variety of packet sizesat True Leaf Market .
need More Options ?
Find them in our variety choice guidebook , “ 11 of the Best Cantaloupe Cultivars to Grow at Home . ”
Cantaloupe can fall prey to damage from aphids , cucumber beetles , cutworms , and crush bugs .
But because you ’re turn it in containers , you’re able to keep a stuffy heart on the plants and nip any infestations in the bud .
To manage aphids , spray the vines and leaves with a strong blast of water and thenapply diatomaceous worldly concern – which can also helpmanage squash hemipteran infestations .
In the case of forged plague you may use neem fossil oil or insecticidal soap , which can also helpget rid of cutwormsand cucumber beetles .
Alternaria foliage blight affect flora in hot , humid conditions , and it ’s because of the fungusAlternaria cucumerina .
The disease begins as small brown - yellow spots that grow bigger and spread to other leaf .
Remove move leaves and spray with fungicide . To avoid this condition , fetch your plants indoors during very hot and rainy weather .
Downy mold is a common but annoying disease that have brown topographic point on the leave and eventually kills them .
It ’s do byPseudoperonospora cubensis , and is well treated with fungicide . To avoid it in the first place , keep the works out of excessively humid conditions and abstain from overhead tearing .
To harvest your container - grow cantaloup , watch the veiling and the rind underneath .
When the rind turns from green to yellowness and the netting from ashen to creamy - gold , it ’s harvest time .
The stem should be pop to split up from the melon , and all it takes is a soft jerk to withdraw it .
The cantaloupe should also smell angelical and risque , especially in the spot where the vine satisfy the fruit .
If you want a longer shelf living for your melon , reap them when there ’s just a slight depression at the stem , not a full crack .
The flavor may not be quite as unfermented , but you ’ll be capable to keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks .
Otherwise , wash that melon vine and slice up it up refreshing , or store it in the fridge for up to 3 - 5 years .
get wind more about harvesting and preserving cantaloupes .
Melony Delights in Small Spaces
Now that you lie with how to grow cantaloupes in containers , there ’s no reason you ca n’t savour garden - unfermented melon vine , no matter how small your growing space .
Invite your supporter over and wow them with a Cucumis melo cantalupensis and prosciutto snack . Watch their brow move up when they realize you mature the fruit on your patio .
Or , like me , simply enjoy keeping your melon vine protect from the atmospheric condition by implant them in the safe flexibility of a container .
And if you desire toexpand your container garden , check out these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally publish May 25th , 2020 . Last update : March 30th , 2025 . Product photos via Burpee , Amazon , and dependable Leaf Market . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock .
About
Laura Ojeda Melchor
