How often to fertilize these watermelon and cantaloupe?

[Braddmd]

I live in New Jersey, tough place to grow these babies. I did not use compost, few three mounds of organic dirt. I've been using 2tsp of liquid seaweed per mound once a week since the females started to grow. Is this enough? Too much? Please advise.

[rainbowgardener]

I don't grow melons. I'm just bumping this since you didn't get an answer, so more people will see it.

But my general take on fertilizing (which I know many around here would not agree with! ) is that if it looks healthy, with green leaves, no yellowing etc, it is leafy and it is growing at a reasonable rate, then it is doing fine. I would just keep doing what you are doing unless you start having some reason to worry about them.

[Gary350]

I grow melons the only thing i give my melons is wood ash for BER, i think i have good soil I have never had it tested but every thing grows OK. You can use pellet lime for BER, wood ash has a lot of minerals and lime it works good for BER in many things like melons, squash, peppers, tomatoes. The most important thing is do not plant melons in hills it crowds the roots. Plant seeds 3 feet apart. 1 plant will make 25 to 30 melons. I always play it safe and plant 2 seeds just in case 1 plant dies but that has never happened. The next important thing is keep the vines covered with soil = dirt. If you plant melons in rows plant 1 seed in the center of a 50 foot row let 1 vine grow in each direction. Cut off all the other vines, cut the vine when it reaches the end of the row. Keep the vine covered with soil it will grow roots every place the vine is covered with soil this provides the plant with more water and minerals to make larger melons. This year i planted my melons in the center of a 12'x12' square, I keep the vines growing clock wise around the circle. At first i had 2 vines that turned into 10 vines that turned into 20 vines that turned into 40 vines very quick. I like rows better than circles, circles are harder to deal with. Melons love hot dry full sun weather with moist soil. Melons will rot laying on soil that is wet so I put my melons on cement blocks, flat rocks, bricks, anything to keep them off the wet soil. My melons were out of control in only 4 weeks so I started cutting the vines off short to force them to stay in the 12'by12' space. It looks like I only have 4 melons at the moment but they blossom all summer until frost kills them my plants will make more than 4 melons. The trick is trying to eat 1 melon every day when they start making more melons. Melons are hard to see, I have 4 large melons, several smaller melons that can only be found by moving the leaves side to side with the hoe handle. If you think you have poor soil get some good fertilizer. I have no clue what fertilizer commercial growers use. When I lived in AZ soil is basically worthless nothing grows with no fertilizer, the best fertilizer i could find was low 8-8-8 i think it was called palm tree fertilizer. I use to see tractor trailer trucks loaded with 1000s of melons in AZ.

[ButterflyLady29]

You really need to post pictures of the whole plant if you want opinions about the health of the plant. But my opinion is that as long as the plants look good and green with lots of leaves and flowers and developing fruit you must be doing something right. If you had lots of growth and no flowers I'd say you are applying too much nitrogen, but apparently that's not the case.

[Braddmd]

Any idea approximately how much longer till these are ripe? A few more weeks?

Thanks for the great advice.

[Gary350]

Any idea approximately how much longer till these are ripe? A few more weeks?

Thanks for the great advice.

Those are not cantaloupes, they are muskmelons. In the USA they call them cantaloupes their true name is Cucumis melo reticulatus. They have a better flavor than real cantaloupe and are easier to grow. When they turn yellow they are ripe. I like these better than any other melon when they are ripe. I don't remember for sure i think they are a 90 to 120 day crop, might need to look that up. Keep an eye on them they stay green a long time then over a period of about 5 to 7 days they turn yellow. When they are green they are very solid like squeezing a rock but when they turn yellow they are less solid you squeeze them they flex a little. You pick them at the correct time at peak flavor wow they are so good. They are at peak flavor only a few days, pick them early flavor is not quite good yet, pick them when they are over ripe flavor they have lost some good flavor. I think i will start making my melons with a black marker when i see them start to turn yellow, I write the date 7/31/16 on it, then I watch it much closer, when it is more yellow and squeeze a little, I pick one and see how ripe it is. Maybe I can learn the exact moment to pick at maximum flavor. Maybe there is a scientific way to find the exact hour of maximum flavor when one should be picked, maybe they float in water when they are at maximum good flavor? I am dreaming I love these when they are at their best. .

[Braddmd]

Thanks for the response. Do they fall off the vine like cantaloupes when they are ripe?