When to harvest muskmelon (cantaloupe)

[Braddmd]

I've always grown watermelon, but this year I decided to grow muskmelon. Watermelon have that vine that crawls up, and turn yellow.

Not sure how to tell if these muskmelon (cantaloupe) are ready for harvest.

Any advice?

[Lindsaylew82]

In my experience, they need to have something underneath them, like a plastic plate or a brick or something like that, otherwise, they will get bored into from beneath. I know that wasn't the original question, but I think it's important. I was picking ripe melons only to find them ruined from the bottom.

I have always picked them once they begin to turn yellow orange on the outside, and you can smell the fragrance of melon. Oh it's a glorious smell! They usually slip from the vine when they're ripe, which means that they separate with very little effort.

[Braddmd]

They are all sitting on wood chips. If that's not enough I'll place boards tomorrow. It's been raining for 4 days now! Too much moisture.

[KitchenGardener]

Boy would I give my eye teeth to be able to grow something as magnificent as that - the last time I tried, it looked beautiful, but our lack of significant heat translated to a lack of significant sugar, unfortunately. Great melon flavor, just more like a cucumber than a melon!

[Lindsaylew82]

Mine were sittin upon pine straw. I would pop a solo plate under there, just in case. I have used paper plates, but if you don't use several plates, they just chew right on through them into your melon. The plastic solo plate in the smaller size work really well, and they can be reused many times!

I hope they don't crack with all that rain!

[jal_ut]

Just give the stem a slight push, when ready it will pop right off. As others have mentioned the color and smell are good indicators too.

My melon patch is a disaster this season. A late frost killed the early plantings, so starting over a month late, everything is running late. Not sure if I will even get a harvest. All we need is an early frost.

[Braddmd]

Sorry about your melons ;(. So muskmelon do pop off the vine like cantaloupe? One has turned yellowish and is getting softish but still attached firmly to vine.

I almost cut it, but you are sayingwait??

[jal_ut]

Yellowish and softish? Sounds ready to me. You are going to have to decide.

muskmelon vs cantaloupe? Far as I know they are the same thing: Cucumus melo. Of course there are a lot of varieties.

[jal_ut]

Yellowish and softish? Sounds ready to me. You are going to have to decide.

muskmelon vs cantaloupe? Far as I know they are the same thing: Cucumus melo. Of course there are a lot of varieties.

[Braddmd]

That's what I'm talking about. It is a little soft to touch and looks yellow. But firmly attached to vine. I have 8 of them, my first year growing. Worst case scenerio I harvest too early and wait a little longer on the next ones. Hmmm...maybe I'll just got for it.

[Braddmd]

Will they ripen after picked? Or are they like watermelon where you get what you pick.

[Braddmd]

Yellowish and softish? Sounds ready to me. You are going to have to decide.

muskmelon vs cantaloupe? Far as I know they are the same thing: Cucumus melo. Of course there are a lot of varieties.

So I cut one open, not ripe yet. They are at about 70 days. Still hard, and attached to vine...but vines and tendrils are starting to dry out. Is that good???? Is that normal????

[Lindsaylew82]

Just wait for the slip.

All that other stuff is good and normal. Put something under them though!!!

[Braddmd]

Ok. Thanks.