melon 'Charentais'
true cantaloupe melon or Cucumis melo 'Charentais'
- Position: full sun
- Soil: humus-rich, moisture retentive soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Hardiness: tender annual
This famous, popular Cantaloupe melon with 2lb (1kg) fruits bursting with aromatic, thick, extremely sweet, deep orange flesh. 'Charentais' is best grown in a greenhouse although it will produce netted pale greenish yellow fruits in frames or under cloches and is highly recommended for northern parts of the UK. - Growing instructions: Sow singly into pots, edge down into the compost. Cover with a fine layer of compost and firm gently. Cover pots with glass, polythene or propagator lid. Keep at 20-25°C and keep moist. Remove cover when seedlings appear. At 4-5 leaf stage, place 45cm apart in the greenhouse, training main stems vertically up wires, remove the growing point at approx. 7th leaf stage on in a cold frame, limit growth to the size of frame. Alternatively, space 75cm apart in a warm, sunny sheltered position outside. Once fruiting begins apply a liquid feed once a week.
- Sow: February to April
- Harvest: July to October