Would n’t it be nice if we all had garden so big that we could give the cantaloupe their own boastful old patch to spread their vine ?
If you do have a garden that orotund , I am sincerely yours glad . The sentiment of a monumental melon vine plot is immensely cheering .
But those of us with limited place need to get creative . We ’ve got to train our melons to go up skyward .
My little cantaloupe plants will get plenty of sun even though their neighbors are towering kale, spinach, and celery. Photo by Laura Melchor.
We link to vendors to help oneself you find relevant products . If you corrupt from one of our links , we may earn a perpetration .
The good news is that with a pinch of creativity and a dah of careful setup , anyone can train cantaloupe to grow vertically on a treillage of nearly any type .
So do n’t shy away from grow these delicious melons ( Cucumis melovar.reticulatus ) , which you’re able to learn more about inour grow scout .
My little cantaloupe plants will get plenty of sun even though their neighbors are towering kale, spinach, and celery. Photo by Laura Melchor.
Even those of you with pocket-size or even tiny growing spaces can acquire these juicy fruits .
Are you ready to get started ?
I thought so .
Here ’s what you ’ll determine :
How to Grow Melons Vertically
Why Melons Need Space
Cantaloupe , like other cucurbit , spring up long vine . These can reach anywhere from four to seven feet , depending on the variety . And they can quickly take over your garden , pass on little room for anything else .
By training the vine to mount a vertical social organisation , you save infinite in your garden while still giving the melons plenty of space to stretch .
Plus , civilise them on a treillage keeps the fruits , vines , and leaves off the damp grunge , helping to forbid fungal infections and pest infestations .
Even good , the leaves wo n’t have to vie with locoweed or circumvent plant for sunlight .
Keep say to get a line about the adept structures to stomach your climbing cantaloupe !
The Best Structures for Vertical Growing
Because vines grow so long – well , tall , if you will – it can be helpful to choose a body structure that ’s magniloquent as well .
If you ’ve generate the edifice skills , create an arched treillage that people can walk under when they bring down your garden .
The vines will climb all over it , giving the feeling of entering an enchanted wood whenever you pass under your arch .
You could even put togetherone of these gazebosand train the vine to loop around them .
If you do n’t have space or the building skills to create an arch or summerhouse , any of the watch over structure will work :
You get the idea . And while a marvellous social organization may be ideal for some , you’re able to use a low one , like this little green cage I got for some of my cantaloup to raise on :
You ’ll just have to keep an eye on the vines and verify to manage them correctly . I ’ll show you how to do this in just a import .
And if you do finger like you call for to use a big cage , it ’s soft to cautiously snip off off any plant life tape you use , gently remove the onetime coop , and stick in a tall one in its place before re - wrapping and organizing the vine .
This is on the nose what I had to do when I realized the miniature tomato cage I was using would n’t be tall enough to patronize two vines .
I bought a 52 - inch John Milton Cage Jr. instead .
Because I ’d only loosely tie the vines to the wires , it was prosperous to make relaxed them .
Some of the dirt under the first wire band came loose , which made my breath catch in my throat for a moment , but ultimately I do n’t believe the rootage were disturbed .
Then , I pat the dirt back down and water the roots beforecovering them with mulch .
My vine are now much happy , with lots of space to develop .
If you have the same egress , you ’ll want to bushel it before the melons start forming so you do n’t commove the yield . In gardening , there are plenty of mistakes to be made , but stack of these can be fixed .
Planting the Melons
Whether you ’re growing Cucumis melo cantalupensis from source or from a transplanting , we ’ve get you covered .
From Seed
If you go in a warmer climate – around Zone 7 and up – direct - sow your seeds mightily next to your trellis as soon as there ’s no scourge of Robert Frost in the forecast .
Make a half - inch divot in the dirt and put the seed in the hollow , pointy side down .
hatch with land and pee thoroughly , keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged until germination .
Once the first true leaves come forth , you ’ll observe that the plant is already becoming bendy and viny .
As shortly as the vines are long enough to achieve , gently tie them to the trellis .
Vigoro Sturdy Stretch Tie
I used this stretchable plant tie tapefrom the Home Depot .
Do n’t attach it tightly at all . You do n’t want to crush the vine .
All the taping is there for is to help the vine learn to curve around the trellis . As the plant uprise , keep tying the growing vine to the wire as call for .
From Transplants
If you ’re like me and live in a colder growing zone , you’llstart your source indoorsabout four weeks before your last freeze date . Or maybe you ’ll bribe starts from a nursery .
Once the seedling have two curing of true leaves , start hardening them off . I kept mine on the back porch for about a workweek before moving them to the garden .
I first exit them out there for a few hours , then for most of the solar day , and then all day and all night .
My final stride was to impart them in the garden , which receives a net ton of sun , keeping an oculus on them to make trusted they did n’t wilt .
They flourished .
To graft them into the garden , I assure the batting cage in the soil and comprehend a hole in the middle as deep and wide as the pot I started the industrial plant in . You should do the same if you purchased your startle in baby’s room muckle .
I gently removed it , fill a moment to apprise how groovy the root look .
I also dig out a jam for a second plant on the outside of the cage .
Then , I hold both of the flora ’ vines and gently secured them to the treillage .
Keeping the Melons Trained
As the cantaloup grow , I ’ll just keep lift the vines around and around the cage until it ’s just a H.M.S. Bounty of leaves , vine , and yield . It ’ll be a little crowd , but that ’s hunky-dory .
Since I still had one more plant to put in the garden , I engraft it next to a sturdy bamboo basket and secured the vine the same way I did for the melons cultivate on the cage .
Once baby melon begin to mould , I ’ll keep an eye on the structure to ensure they can support the yield .
When the fruit pass on the sizing of a small fist , I ’ll put them in these melon netsfrom Amazon , wrapping the mesh around the conducting wire and the bamboo hoop for spare support .
Melon Nets , Available from Amazon
The vines will naturally weave through whatever you check them onto , whether it ’s a lattice fence or a bamboo pole .
But if you notice any wayward vine , simply move them back where you desire them to go and fasten them with stretchable plant railroad tie .
you may also employ those curly tendrils that shoot off the vines to aid with training by wrapping them around the wire .
Those tendril are there to avail the vine and fruit stoppage balanced when they ’re growing on the undercoat , and they ’re unadulterated for help to support trellis grow too .
Harvesting Cantaloupe Grown on a Trellis
Once the rinds plow from lily-white to gold , your cantaloupe are quick for harvest time . They should also smell fruity , and easy detach from the vine .
The convenient affair about raising them on a treillage is that you ’ll be able to see them more easily than you would if they were growing on the priming coat , and make certain to watch them at the perfect point of ripeness .
Learn to harvest cantaloup in this guide .
Vertical Bliss
You wo n’t repent the gorgeous peck of verdant vines climbing whatever treillage you dream up . And your cantaloupe vine will give thanks you for afford them all the necessary space to stretch and develop .
And do n’t forget to chink out these helpful article ongrowing melonsnext :
Photos by Laura Melchor © require the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more item . Product photos via Amazon and Home Depot . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock .
About
Laura Ojeda Melchor
