help with melons
Growing melons (canteloupe) in the greenhouse for the first time. I've got five nice fruit on four plants. They are beginning to smell lovely and sweet, but not yet very large ( a bit bigger than a cricket ball), and are turning golden yellow. What is the best way to tell if they are ripe, and is there anything i can do to speed up the process? (For example, should i now be removing the leaves, like i do to speed up ripening of tomatoes?)
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Patience Rosie let them ripen in the vine. You'll know when they are ripe when using your thumb you can just press in where the vine attaches to the melon. There will be a little give where they join.
Also there is no need to remove leaves to speed up the ripening of tomatoes. It doesn't.
My Minnesota Midget melons (outside, cloche, on pieces of wood) Turned yellow but gave no indication of separating from the stalk. A very gentle pull and away they came - just like that! I did leave one which I didn't think was ripe but was. It separated on its own and then insects attacked it And I check each melon every day. PS. Four plants - 40 melons. Not overly large but sweet, fragrant flavour. A definite for next year.