SAKATAS SWEET MELON (85 days)

Everything about this melon suggests sweet – bubble gum sweet. The flesh can be eaten right down to the white rind, yet the softball-sized fruit is small enough to be grown on a trellis. This melon also is quite prolific – a dozen per hill is a possibility. 

 20 seeds

PLANTING

Cucumis melo

Germination: 4-10 days

Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures 70-85ºF

Seed Sowing Depth: 1/2" deep

Sowing Indoors: 3-4 weeks before the last frost. Provide 70-85ºF soil temperature. Sow 2-3 seeds per cell/pot. Sowing into individual biodegradable peat/cow pots reduces root damage when transplanting. Transplant after last frost, 36" apart.

Sowing Outdoors:  Sow after the last frost when the soil temperature is over 70ºF. Sow 2-3 seeds every 36", thin to the strongest seedling. 

How much does a packet plant: 18-20 foot single row, 5-6 hills

Harvest: Look for the following signs as it does take some practice on telling when they are ready to harvest. The skin tone changes and the netting becomes heavy, the ends soften, they will slip from the vines or a gentle tug will pull it away from the vine, a crack develops around the stem, the closet tendril to the stem dries, and the aroma increases when ripe.

Tips:  Plant in fertile soil, amended with compost or well rotted manure, and keep well watered. They benefit from growing on black plastic and by using row covers for weed, insect control, and more rapid growth.