Soil needs
Charentais melons can be direct seeded outdoors once all danger of frost has passed or you can start them indoors 1 month before the transplanting date. They will do well with 2-3 inches of organic matter added on top of the soil. Work this into a depth of about 6-8″, then you can form a mound that is about 2 inches high and 4″ in diameter. If you are direct seeding then you will want to plant 3-4 seeds per hill/mound and plant the seeds about 1″ deep. You will want to keep the soil moist during the duration of the growing season. The seeds should germinate within 3-10 days. Once the seedlings are about 6″ tall you can cover them with 1-2″ of straw or mulch to help retain soil moisture.
Best way to grow Charentais melons
Unlike most musk melons, Charentais melons do not detach from their stem when they are ripe (more on knowing when they are ripe later). Normally when you grow melons vertically you need to make little slings for them, so they don’t fall to the ground and smash. Crushing your dreams of melon domination to smithereens.
Charentais melons 1 vs Cantaloupe 0
Another good reason to grow Charentais melons vertically is that they are prone to splitting when they are ripe. So if they are grown on the ground they easily fall prey to ants. Which can also crush your dreams of melon domination. I am planning on trying to grow Charentais melons hydroponically, so we will have to see how that works out.
“Pruning†charentais melons
Some gardeners will tell you to remove all but the three best melons per vine. But the idea is that by reducing the number of melons per vine, the plant is able to focus all it’s energy on the remaining ones. Word on the street is that you end up with larger melons this way.
When to harvest
A charentais melon will reach maturity within 75-90 days. They tend to split at the bottom when they are fully ripe. This is a great indicator, but you have to make sure they don’t fall victim to ants. Also, they give off a delicious smell that wafts through the morning air when they are ripe. The tendril closest to them tends to shrivel and go brown when they are ripe. But this is not 100%. They also change colour from grey/green to a light green/yellow with a hint of orange. Unlike most musk melons, they do not fall off when they are ripe. So you will have to keep checking on them and cut them off when the time is right.
Saving seeds
As always, I encourage you to save seeds for this year’s harvest to plant for next year. Charentais melons are a prime candidate for this as we harvest, and eat them when they are mature. All you have to do is to scoop out the seeds and pop them into a little mason jar with some water. I like to cover the top with a piece of paper towel or toilet paper and write the type of seed and date on it. Then just secure it with a mason jar ring. Let them sit for about 2 days so that they can ferment.
This method is also great to help identify seeds that are variable vs those that are no good for no one. The good seeds will settle at the bottom and the bunk ones will float to the top and can be discarded. Once you have picked out any bad seeds, dump the rest into a strainer and rinse them with clean water. Then layout a piece of paper towel and lay the seeds out on it with space between them.
Let them dry for about a week and then you can transfer them to storage awaiting next season’s planting! If after a week they don’t seem dry enough, leave them a bit longer. We want to make sure they are fully dry so that they don’t go mouldy. Make sure to put them in a container with some air circulation.
