Cucumis melo Melons

Planting position: Full sun. Ideal for frost-free regions with long, warm seasons. Spacing of 1,5m between and around plants.
Requires regular watering (less during germination period). Well-draining, compost-enriched loamy soil and layers of grass clippings mulching for seedlings. Added 2:3:2 to preparing beds, at a rate of 65g.m ² and apply 3:1:5 during flowering period monthly. Pinch out growing tips when the main stem is 50cm long. When growing rock melons, train the vines on a trellis (as for cucumbers) to save space.
Propagate from seed, pre-dusted with a propriety brand fungicide.
Harvesting is done from 3 months after sowing, before fruit is fully ripe. Rock melons are ready when the stalk pulls away quite easy. Harvest watermelons when fully ripe and the bottom skin is yellowish.
Pests, diseases and their cures: Anthracnose and Downy mildew - control with mancozeb. Fusarium - drench the soil with captab. Powdery mildew - control with benomyl. Pumpkin flies, White flies and certain ladybirds - spray with mercaptothion. Red spider mite - apply dicofol.

Spanspek (Cucumis melo) have trailing vines with tendrils, which bear pale green to orange fruit. These fleshy fruits are sweet and have masses of pale seeds. Netted melon (Cucumis melo reticulatus) is roughly skinned, has a strong fragrance and yellow to salmon coloured flesh. Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are popular for its sweet, pinkish-red fleshed fruits. These heavy fruits contain black seeds and a thick skin of deep green, variegated or grey-green. It is delicious in fruit salads. Stock melons (Citrullus lanatus citrioides) are oval or round, ±6kg heavy and smooth light green, or yellow and green striped. The ivory-coloured flesh is inedible when raw and used in jams etc. Winter melons (Cucumis melo inodorus) have smooth, green to yellow skins and are also known as Honey dew.