Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Melon seeds
GROWING FOR SEED
For a successful hand pollination, prune the plant to make it easier to work with
and focus on the flowers you want to use. Shorten the main vine on young plants back to three flower
buds and the main side vines to two. Flower buds are found in the leaf axils and are stimulated to
bloom when the vine is cut. Melon seeds are ripe as soon as the fruits are edible. Overripe fruits are no
longer so tasty, but seed yield in overripe fruits can be up to 10% higher than in fruits of eating ripe-
ness. For this reason, allow fruits from successful hand pollination to go overripe to increase seed
yield.
HARVEST
As for cucumber, except it is not necessary to ferment melon seeds: they are not surrounded
by a germination-inhibiting gel.
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS
• earliness
• plant health
• number of fruits per plant
• suitability for storage
• adaptation to local climate
• flavor (especially sweetness) of fruit
Various melon varieties
