PlantsVegetables & Roots
Melon
Cucumis melo
Zone 6a garden plant. Hardy through a Chicago winter unless the note says to pot it.
Short-season melon for a hot south bed
AdvancedVegetables & RootsEdible
- Light
- Full sun
- Moisture
- Medium
- Mature size
- Vine 6 ft
- Spacing
- 3 ft
- Bloom or harvest
- Fruit Aug–Sep
- How it spreads
- Annual vine
- What to buy
- Transplant short-season varieties.
- When to plant
- Start indoors late April. Set out early June. Fruit must finish before frost.
In the design
Choose varieties listed at 75–80 days. Standard cantaloupe often misses the frost.
If you eat it
Ripe fruit
Wash the rind.
Only eat what you planted and can name. This is not a foraging or medical guide.
