I am growing cantalopes for the first time and wonder how I can grow them with limited space. I have heard that melons will grow on a trellis. But then I wonder if a trellis would fall over from weight of mature vine? Any suggestions on how I can grow cantlopes with limited space and what types of structures you guys use would be very appreciated. Thanks. Stacey
Melon growers please advise
The main thing with trellised cantaloupes is the necessity to support the growing fruit, because it slips from the vine when ripe and would go splat! Old pantyhose have often been used for this purpose.
OK I can do that. I'll make a sling that supports the weight of the fruit and then tie that in to the trellis.
I have a four foot fence (a wire livestock fence) that surrounds the garden - would that be a better structure to tie in to (maybe more stable?) or would a wooden trellis do just as well? Also, how high/wide should the support structure be for a mature vine?
I grew melons on a trellis last year. It was made of bamboo poles leaning against my patio roof. It worked well, although they did not get as much sun there as they could have. I used whatever I had around for nets for the fruits, although I found out later that since I was growing kinds that don't slip, I didn't have to. My poles were 7 ft long, but the melons didn't get more than 6 ft. Some were a bit less, like 5.
I also made a trellis for tomatoes last year out of bamboo poles, and it supported quite a load. Just make it in the shape of a kid's swing set.
I'll bet bamboo poles work really well; I've heard that bamboo is very strong and probably makes an excellent trellis. Thanks for the info on size - I haven't grown cantalopes before so I didn't know if they would be like 20ft giants or less than 10 feet; I just read that I needed "a lot of space" to grow cantalopes.
You can construct a simple A-frame using 2-by-2-inch or 1-by-2-inch lumber to fit almost any space. Cover the frame with wooden slats for the melons or chicken wire for beans and smaller climbers. Hinge the frame so you can fold it and store it in the winter and move it to different parts of the garden from year to year.
Place the frame lengthwise east and west so you can grow on both sides of the frame. A frame 3 to 4 feet tall is more than tall enough for cantaloupes. You can intercrop underneath the frame: radishes, turnips, leaf lettuce, bunching onions. These quick growing crops will come to harvest before the vines fully grow up and leaf out.
Melons and cucumbers grown vertically develop thicker stems and can support more weight than sprawlers. You can also use bird netting cut to size to sling-support the maturing cantaloupes.
Thanks for the wealth of info! I like the hinged trellis idea; plus they are movable and storable and folded up shouldn't take up much space.
I've grown melons and cucumbers with tomato cages for support. The plants were growing in large pots beside a wood fence. The vines got so long they climbed up over the fence too.
Similar to Calalily, I made round tomato cages from concrete re-wire. It has six inch squares and is quit strong. It does a good job of supporting cukes and cantaloupe vines and fruit. As the cantaloupes grew large they were supported with the wife's discarded stockings. This system worked really well for me and my style of gardening.
Oh, some of the cantaloupes grew so large they would not fit thru the openings in the wire. When they were ready to slip they would have to be walked up to the top of the cage to get them out.
I made these cages 25 years ago and they will be used again this year....that's how long they last.
Good info here. I want to try cantaloupes and/or watermelons. I love them both
I trellised mini watermelons last year, and it worked just fine.
That is a great idea about using sturdy tomato cages for melon cages. I have used them in the past for tomatoes before I switched to using poles and last year to a bamboo trellis (wrap a cord around the bottom of the tomato stalk and tie it to the crossbeam, then just wind the stalk around the cord as it grows--it works great). AM Leonard has great deals on bundles of bamboo poles in all sorts of lengths, if you do decide to use them.
How big were the watermelons, Ltilton? Or what varieties?
These were the "personal" sized wmelons. Not much bigger than the large sized softball. Small enough to trellis. I had a few varieties - I believe I recall "Solitaire" and "Little Baby Flower" and "Petit Treat" among them.
Well, I am going to have to try this. My full sun gardening area is small. No room for watermelons. But a tiny one on a trellis? You betcha!
I can't resist any longer.
A few years ago, I saw a picture of melons growing on an A-frame trellis, with supports.
Very amusing, as she used old bras! All types & colours, but all, uh, large.
These were hung on the outside of the trellis for easy access.
Oh brother; where we could go with this one...
Another pic I saw was a wood arch, and the supports were made as removable shelves, about 8" square. Great idea: put them up when they're needed, and easy to store otherwise.
I can just imagine what my neighbors would do if I put bras on my melons in my front yard, lol!
Sounds like a great notecard or postcard to sent to your gardening buddies! Too bad I didn't snap that photo. :)