Melons By Tyson And Zach

For our class garden project we will be planting and growing melons, hopefully successfully for our school garden that we are restarting.

Starting Melons by Tyson

Melons should

be started inside in a Container near the window where they can get as much sun as possible. They should be transplanted into a garden outside or in a greenhouse by the end of May or beginning of June.

The best zone for growing melons is zone 4.

Soil and nutrients by Tyson

You need warm (about 20 degrees Celsius), well-drained soil. Add dolomite lime and compost or well-rotted manure to the bed and ½-1 cup of complete organic fertilizer beneath each transplant.

for the best growth your plant should get lots of sun and be watered amply every day.

What kind of container to use (and inside greenhouse or outside)

To successfully grow melons You should start to plant melons indoors in a container in mid April. For best results in growing melons in a container you have to select an icebox or midget variety box.

The melons should be transplanted into a garden outside or in a greenhouse by the end of May or beginning of June.

Pests, Diseases and how to treat them

There are many pests with melons and here are some examples and how to treat them.

Melons are prone to aphids which can be washed off easily with a soapy solution.

Cucumber beetles can cause problems, they transfer a bacterial wilt from every plant the are on as they eat the leaves. The wilt will cause the plants to wilt and die, destroying the crop, there isn't a cure that is known and the solution is to remove and destroy the infected plants as soon as possible.

Powdery Mildew and Downey Mildew can affect melons which will cause leaves to wither and die, it usually doesn't kill your plant but may limit the crop. In case of a severe infestation the crop can be sprayed with a suitable chemical. The best prevention is to use a resistant seed stock.

Anthracnose can occur and can be recognised by a brown spot that goes steadily black and the centre falls out. The fruit can be poor and distorted. Remove the plant as soon as possible and destroy it. There are fungicides that can be used but the results are mixed. Get good seed because some can carry the disease.

Fusarium can affect the roots but it mainly happens to older plants, remove the plants and use resistant seed and rotate the crop as the seed can stay in the ground. Crop rotation or the change of soil in a greenhouse application will remove a lot of the disease and pest problems.

info from: http://www.gyoveg.com/melon-pests-and-diseases.html

and: http://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow/vegetable-seeds/Melons/

and: Art Knapp plantland home and garden.
Link for Art Knapp Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/artknappspg