Magical Melons

Whether you call them spanspek, cantaloupe or simply sweet melons, it’s hard to deny the magic of these delicious fruits. A foundation of summer fruit salads, they are a perfect complement to other fruits but taste just as good scooped out and enjoyed on their own. Luckily for gardeners, these fruits are as easy to grow as they are to eat, spreading quickly and ready to harvest after just three months.

Where did spanspek get its name?

Those interested in etymology may be wondering where on earth the name spanspek came from, and how it became so widely used across South Africa for speakers of all languages. This fascinating story begins in the Cape Province with governor Sir Harry Smith and his wife, Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith, or simply Lady Smith (sound familiar?). The governor apparently sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs every morning, while his wife enjoyed cantaloupe instead. The fruit gained the nickname Spaanse spek (‘Spanish bacon’ in English), later shortened to spanspek.

Upright or sprawling?

Cantaloupes have a sprawling growth habit like other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, covering generous areas of ground with their large leaves and runners. While they will grow happily this way, they do take up a lot of space and become more susceptible to pests and diseases when the fruits are close to the ground.

Instead, consider growing them upright by training them up a trellis or fence. This saves a ton of space in the garden and limits the chances of fruits and leaves rotting. They may require a little extra maintenance in this position, but you’ll likely end up with better fruits in the long run.

Planting

You can start sowing seeds early in spring. Late frost can damage the vulnerable new growth, so be sure to check your last frost dates before you get started. Alternatively, start the seeds in small pots either in a greenhouse or indoors to keep them warm, transplanting outside once they are a few centimetres tall and have at least one full leaf.

When sowing or transplanting, space them around 50cm apart. Plant at least two, preferably three, seeds in the same spot and thin them out later, retaining the strongest seedling. If you have the space, continue to sow every three weeks until the end of spring to ensure a continuous supply of fruits throughout summer.

Before planting, enrich your soil with compost and bonemeal to improve its quality. The planting position should be in full sun, not shaded by any nearby plants. If growing up a trellis, you can use the space below to plant smaller crops like leafy greens that prefer a bit of afternoon shade.

Care and maintenance

Place your trellis soon after planting or at the time of planting to avoid disturbing any root growth later on. Once the vines have grown tall enough, tie them to the support using garden ties or fabric to accommodate movement and growth. Any restrictive wires can cut into the vine, damaging the plant and making it more vulnerable to disease.

Sweet melons are thirsty plants that need plenty of water to produce their tasty fruits. Keep the soil consistently moist (but never oversaturated) and water more often when temperatures are high. Always water the soil, avoiding the leaves and fruit to prevent disease. A layer of mulch underneath the vines will help retain moisture and stop any leaves from directly touching the soil.

Once the plants begin to mature, feed them with a liquid fertiliser designed for flowering and fruiting plants. This will prevent blossom drop while supporting fruit development.

Support

When growing melons upright, the large fruits will also need support. Weighing more than 1kg, the vines can quickly snap if not relieved of this pressure. If you have any netted bags from oranges or onions, you can loop those around the fruits once they start to develop, tying them to the trellis or fence. Alternatively, you can craft your own macrame supports by creating string netting and gently holding the fruits inside. These supports are easiest to fit to your specific plant and allow the most room for growth without restriction.

Harvesting

When the fruits are large and cracks begin to develop at the spot where the stem joins the fruit, you can remove the melons from the plant. The opposite tendril may also begin to die off, indicating the fruit is ready for harvest. Slice within a week, longer if stored in the fridge, and enjoy.

Riaan’s tips of growing sweet melons

Riaan Duvenhage is Starke Ayres’ Southern Seed Sales Manager and Product Manager who specialises in sweet melons and is based in the Western Cape. Here are his tips for melons:

These versatile Melons, Cucumis melo, are part of the Cucurbitaceae family and are thought to have originated in Southern Asia and Persia (now Iran). Today many different types of melons are cultivated all over the world.

Melons are frost-sensitive and are monoecious (both male and female flowers are produced on the same plant). The flowers remain open for approximately a day and are insect-pollinated.

Melons can be grown in a wide range of soil types, although lighter soils are preferred. The highest yields will generally be produced in deep, well-drained, clay-loam soils. Melons should be well supplied with organic matter and are intolerant of wide variations in soil pH (pH 7.0 being the ideal). The soil must be thoroughly and deeply cultivated to enable good root development.

Melons are mostly planted in the spring and summer months, with limited planting during the winter in the warmer northern part of South Africa.

Generally, harvesting occurs 10 – 12 weeks after planting. Melons should be harvested in the early morning, as hot fruit respires much more rapidly and can lead to over-ripe fruit.

Two sweet melon varieties from Starke Ayres are available to home gardeners; ‘Hales Best’ is a muskmelon with typical sweet flavour, and the select hybrid ‘Venus’, which has added disease resistance as well as improved flavour and shelf life. Seeds are available at any major retailer or garden centre. www.starkeayres.com