Harper, L. Kime, and A. MacNab, A. Sherf, and J. Identifying Diseases of Vegetables. University Park: Penn State Extension, Maynard, D. Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers. Hoboken, N. Penn State Extension Vegetable Production. Kime, senior extension associate in agricultural economics; and Jayson K.
Harper, professor of agricultural economics. Department of Agriculture-Extension Service. Let's Stay Connected. By entering your email, you consent to receive communications from Penn State Extension.
View our privacy policy. Thank you for your submission! Home Cantaloupe Muskmelon Production. Cantaloupe Muskmelon Production. Cantaloupe is a crop that is well-suited to small-scale and part-time farms and has multiple markets for growers. Marketing Fresh-market cantaloupes are produced in Pennsylvania from the end of June to the end of September. Planting and Fertilization Commercially produced cantaloupes are generally started as transplants in the greenhouse 18 to 24 days before being planted in the field.
Table 1. Pest Management A good integrated pest management program is critical in cantaloupe production to ensure high-quality produce. Harvest and Storage Cantaloupes are hand-harvested at the full-slip stage of maturity for best taste and texture. Environmental Regulations All agricultural operations in Pennsylvania, including small-scale and part-time farming enterprises, operate under the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law. Sample Budget A sample fresh-market cantaloupe production budget is included in this publication.
Jeavons, J. How to Grow More Vegetables. New York: Ten Speed Press, Jayson K. Harper, Ph. Lynn Kime. Expertise Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education. Elsa Sanchez, Ph. Expertise Sustainable vegetable systems Organic vegetable systems Field vegetable production systems High tunnel vegetable production systems.
Thomas Ford. Michael Orzolek, Ph. Steve Bogash. Why do we need this? Entering your postal code will help us provide news or event updates for your area. Related Products. Pepper Production Articles. Garlic Producer Videos. Fruit can reach very large size lb but more commonly lb , globe shaped, white to light yellow smooth rind, light-orange to pink flesh, crisp texture, sweet; excellent frozen.
Japanese melons approximately days : This type generally refers to the high-priced greenhouse grown gift melon found in Japan, but grown in the field in the warmer parts of Oregon.
These melons are round or slightly oval, very sweet, about 7"-8", lb extremely well-netted green rind. Fruit is non-slipping when ripe: Tokyo King, the classic Japanese type, white-fleshed ; Emerald Jewel green-fleshed ; Emerald Pearl green, crunchy, sweet flesh , Ginryu and Zuikoh both have sweet, green flesh; excellent frozen.
Choose light, well-drained soils for earliest crops and reduced risk of stand establishment problems. Avoid using fields in your rotation in which muskmelons, watermelons, pumpkins, squash cucumbers or other Cucurbits have been planted. Direct seed melons when soil temperatures exceed 65 F. Set transplants only after all danger of frost has passed or use appropriate protective structures or covers see item on row covers below.
Approximate dates are:. Seed at a rate of 4 seeds per foot and thin to 18 inches Plant the seed 1 inch deep, and space the rows feet apart. Avoid excessively high plant populations that may reduce sugar content of fruit.
Allow at least 6 sq. The use of transplants is recommended for western Oregon, and for early production in eastern Oregon. Transplant production requires 4 to 5 weeks under proper greenhouse conditions. Muskmelon seed numbers approximately 19, per pound. Use fungicide treated seed.
Muskmelons are sensitive to damping off, especially under cool, wet soil conditions. The minimum soil temperature required for germination of these crops is 60 F, with the optimum range between 70 to 95 F. Depending on cultivar, muskmelon plants may bear separate male and female flowers on the same plant monoecious , which is typical of elongated-fruit varieties. Most American round-fruited cultivars bear male and perfect flowers male and female organs in the same flower flowers on the same plant andromonoecious.
Young plants begin bearing male flowers and do so all through flowering. Depending on the cultivar, perfect flowers, or female flowers, which are fewer in number, begin appearing 1 to 2 weeks after initiation of the male flowers and are found only on branch runners.
Bees transfer pollen from male flowers to the female flowers, making fruit set possible. Melons are not pollinated by wind, and since melon pollen is heavy and sticky, even those varieties that have perfect flowers, need bees for adequate pollination.
It is recommended that at least one honey bee colony be introduced for every acre during the blooming period since native bee populations may not be adequate, or may not coincide properly with the blooming period. Research in California indicates that "a higher quality marketable crop results 50 crates per acre increase with two colonies; crates per acre with three colonies ". Placement of colonies in the field has an effect on the number of bee visits per flower. Visits per flower were more than doubled with colonies spaced no more than yards apart in comparison with colonies placed at only one spot in a 40 acre field.
At no time should any portion of a field be more than yards from a bee hive. Avoid using insecticides injurious to bees and manage application of pesticides in a manner to protect bees and apiaries from injury. Gibberellic acid GA is labelled for stimulation of fruit set in muskmelon during periods of cool temperatures.
The label calls for one application before bloom followed by two more applications at intervals of days. Caution: The efficacy of GA applications for fruit set in melons has not been confirmed by research in the Pacific Northwest. Use windbreaks as necessary especially in eastern Oregon.
Grain windbreaks have been found effective when grain rows are used for each melon row. Winter wheat varieties, rye, or oats can be used. Spring barley may be used for February plantings. Seed grain thickly, seeds per inch. This requires about 10 lb barley, 9 lb wheat, or 8 lb rye to seed grain rows 12 feet apart. Windbreaks may be cultivated out after the melon plants are well established. If they are not, windbreaks should not be allowed to touch the plants because abrasion of the enlarging fruit can cause that fruit to be misshapen.
Windbreaks may be cut off or rototilled around June 25, before melon vines develop long runners that may be damaged by tractor tires. Black plastic ground mulch controls weeds, may increase soil temperature, conserves moisture, and protects fruit from ground rots.
Mulch increases yield and earliness and is recommended particularly in Western Oregon where temperatures are limiting. For black plastic mulch to increase soil temperature, it is critical that the soil surface be smooth and that the plastic be in close contact with the soil. This can only be achieved by laying the plastic with machines specifically designed and adjusted for this task.
Clear plastic mulch is excellent for transferring heat to the soil but does not control weeds. A new generation of plastic mulch films allows for good weed control together with soil warming that is intermediate between black plastic and clear film.
These films are called IRT infrared-transmitting or wavelength-selective films. They are more expensive than black or clear films, but appear to be cost effective where soil warming is important.
Plastic, spunbonded, and non-woven materials have been developed as crop covers for use as windbreaks, for frost protection, and to enhance yield and earliness. They complement the use of plastic mulch and drip irrigation in many crops. Non-woven or spunbonded polyester and perforated polyethylene row covers may be used for 4 to 8 weeks immediately after transplanting.
Covers should be removed when plants begin to flower to allow proper pollination. Row covers increase heat unit accumulation by 2 to 3 times over ambient. Two to four degrees of frost protection may also be obtained at night. Soil temperatures and root growth are also increased under row covers as are early yields, and in many cases, total yields. Row covers may be replaced after pollination is completed after fruits per plant have been pollinated to further enhance earliness. However, some abrasion of fruit may occur if the covers are allowed to be in contact with the plants.
Preliminary research in California indicates that soil-supported covers or mini-tunnels have been used to promote early production of some crops. Similar to hoop-supported tunnels, these increase soil and air temperature around the plants, maintain surface soil moisture, and prevent crusting. They may also provide about 7 days advantage in earliness and harvest season, depending on crop and time of planting.
Soil to form the sides of the tunnel is brought from the sides of the plant row, which may be direct seeded or transplanted at the same time, or prior to tunnel installation. A modified bedshaper is used to form a ridge on each side of the plant row, leaving a suitable area for planting.
A inch-wide piece of embossed clear plastic is then used to cover the plant row, leaving a 5 to 6 inch-high space between the planted row and the plastic cover. Mean temperatures may be increased F depending on time of planting and sunlight availability and intensity.
Care should be exercised that crops are not damaged from excessive heat. Covers should be removed from most crops when temperatures under the cover exceed 90 F for more than three consecutive days.
Good management practices are essential if optimum fertilizer responses are to be realized. These varieties are usually grown for local markets and do not ship long distances. Cantaloupe can be directly seeded or transplanted. Either method requires wide rows and adequate spacing in between plants. Ideally, harvest should be from 2, to 5, cantaloupe per acre on bare ground and from 6, to 12, per acre on plastic mulch. Smaller varieties of less than 3 pounds each may yield as many as 20, per acre.
Growing conditions should include full sun and well-drained, possibly sandy soil with a 5. Constant moisture is needed throughout the season; drip irrigation is best as it produces less foliage and allows honeybees unrestricted access for pollination.
Mulching is ideal to keep soil moisture levels constant and minimize disease. One honeybee colony placed either beside or within each acre is needed at early flowering, hives can be removed when fruit is set. Approximate time from pollination to harvest is 30 to 35 days. A lightweight plastic film or mulch is often used to cover a seedbed. See plasticulture for details. In California, some growers use specialized techniques to promote earliness.
In the southern desert valleys, cantaloupes are often grown in a mid-bed trench. This system uses a bed shaper to produce a trench in the center of an inch bed. A single seed line is planted in the trench and then covered with clear polyethylene, which helps provide some frost protection and aids in early growth. After plants are established, they are thinned, the area is weeded, and the polyethylene is vented and removed.
The beds are then reshaped into a standard configuration. Slant-bed culture is also common, wherein a single seed row is planted on a south-facing side of a sloping inch bed. This method increases solar heating and stimulates germination.
These beds are also re-shaped after crop establishment into a standard inch raised bed. Cantaloupes produce both staminate and perfect flowers, the latter having both male and female parts and ultimately developing into the fruit.
Growing cantaloupes requires bee pollination. Poor weather conditions cold, rain, high wind, or prolonged cloud coverage or use of pesticides that reduce bee activity may reduce yield. This is an area on the rind that is thin, poorly developed, soft, and appears lighter in color. The presence of a ground spot increases the risk for microbial growth and pathogen contamination.
In addition, cantaloupes with ground spot may be more susceptible to internalization by pathogens during post-harvest handling. In some regions, growers will hand-turn melons to prevent development of a ground spot, increasing the potential for contamination from human contact. However, ground spot formation can be prevented using methods other than hand-turning to keep cantaloupes off of the ground and dry, including proper planting-bed preparation and careful irrigation management.
To qualify for organic certification, growers of organic cantaloupes must comply with requirements for composted and certified soil amendments. Cantaloupes need plentiful water, and frequency of irrigation can vary from weekly to daily. There is considerable variation depending on weather, irrigation efficiency, leaching requirements, and need for pre-irrigation.
The water used during production and harvesting activities may come from a variety of sources, including municipal water, wastewater, ponds, rivers, lakes, wells, etc. Cantaloupe growers use a wide variety of irrigation methods to ensure soil is moist, especially prior to planting. One of the most popular and oldest methods is furrow irrigation , also known as surface or flood irrigation.
Although historically, most cantaloupe fields have been furrowed, many other growers have used sprinkler irrigation. Most cantaloupes in Colorado are now grown using a combination of drip irrigation and plasticulture.
Whichever irrigation technique is used, it is important to ensure the tops of the beds stay dry in order to minimize fruit contact with moist soil, as this can result in ground spot and fruit rot.
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