The hybrid seed will not produce plants true-to-type. If you want to save seed for the future, make sure you’re saving seed only from open-pollinated melons rather than hybrids. More than likely you’re not going to carry around seeds for three to four years before planting, so ordering fresh seed from a reputable seed company is probably the best way to go if you’re just starting out. Older seed is thought to be correlated with shorter vines, which produce larger and sweeter fruit. In old seed catalogs and documents, it was written that older cantaloupe seed was the best to plant, with the seed having viability up to ten years. Planting Seeds are the best way to propagate cantaloupe.Ĭantaloupes are propagated by seed. The skin covering of the North American cantaloupe resembles a net, which is why it is named ‘reticulatus.’ Australians call cantaloupes ‘rock melons’ because their skin resembles a rock. The North American cantaloupe ( Cucumis melo reticulatus) is common in the United States and Canada. The European cantaloupe ( Cucumis melo cantalupensis) has pale green skin and is lightly ribbed. There are slight differences in cantaloupes based on the region in which they were produced. This rise has been attributed to the availability of imported cantaloupes during the winter and spring months, which are off-season in the United States. While it’s not as popular as something like apples, consumption of cantaloupe has risen in recent years. Arizona, Colorado, and Texas are also big producers of cantaloupe. Today, most cantaloupe is grown in California’s Imperial Valley, which is touted as the greatest melon-producing district in the United States. These tribes had been cultivating muskmelons for so long that they had even developed their own varieties. In fact, several Native American tribes had been growing muskmelons already when many European settlers began to settle in America. However, by the 17 th century, muskmelons were being grown by northern Native Americans, as their relatives in tropical America had learned about muskmelons from the Spaniards many years earlier. There is not much documentation on muskmelons compared to other fruits and vegetables, but it is thought that the frequency of poor flavor in varieties may be why the spread was much more gradual for this fruit. Around this time, muskmelon popularity also began to spread throughout central and northern Europe from Rome. It is reported that Christopher Columbus carried seeds on his second voyage and had them planted in 1494 on an island called Isabela Island, however, some believe this was not its first culture in the New World. Middle Agesīy the Middle Ages, muskmelons were commonly found in Spain. The muskmelon spread to the Chinese a little later from the regions west of the Himalayas. The Romans gave directions for growing and preparing it with spices for eating. There are several records of muskmelons being known to the Greeks and Romans from the 3 rd century B.C. Some experts have identified a fruit in an illustration dating back to 2400 B.C. The oldest record of muskmelon is from Egypt. There are several wild species related to muskmelons in these regions. Northwestern India and Afghanistan were believed to be the secondary centers of development for these plants. Muskmelons in general are native to Persia (present-day Iran) and adjacent areas, and this is believed to be their main center of development. Cantaloupes are typically round or oval and they usually have rinds with a “netted” appearance that can vary from greenish to yellow. You may have heard cantaloupes being referred to as muskmelons, and while that is true, it is important to note that not all muskmelons are cantaloupes.Ĭantaloupe belongs to the muskmelon group, which also includes honeydew and casaba melons. reticulatus) is a member of the family Cucurbitaceae, a group of plants including squash, watermelons, pumpkins, cucumbers, gourds, and other types of muskmelons. Plant History These ancient fruits have deep roots in Iran and Egypt.Ĭantaloupe ( Cucumis melo L.
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