I regret to inform you of this , but I ca n’t keep it to myself any longer :
My partner thinks cantaloupe is n’t any good .
There . I said it .
This dirty little secret is one that I ’ve post with me and fought against for years , often deprive myself of the ( imagined ) racy delectation of a sweet and perfectly ripened orange - fleshed melon – for fear of bringing one into the sign of the zodiac that might be less than perfect .
We link to vendor to facilitate you find relevant Cartesian product . If you bribe from one of our link , we may realize a committal .
In case you ’re worried this dear , sweet human that I call my husband is something of a tyrant , I do n’t want you to get the amiss impression .
Far , far on the opposite death of the spectrum in terms of tyrannical mannerisms , I assure you , he ’s all about homegrown produce , and roll in the hay bringing big hauls of fresh fruit and vegetables into the kitchen from our local farm box delivery service or the farmers mart .
Back in the day when you were allow to try a sample distribution , he ’d go angry .
And that ’s really the proceeds at hand . The ability to try before you buy is n’t always available to us .
yield is a varying product , and quality can range from the overwhelmingly succulent to … well , something that you might be more fain to spit out and shun forever .
You ’re more likely to get something sweetened , toothsome , and perfectly mature when you may raise it yourself . And when it comes to sealed item likestone fruitand melon vine , my bestie and everlasting housemate is in fact something of a fruit connoisseur .
Can you blame him for judging all store - bribe cantaloupe poorly , unless try otherwise ?
After too many childhood fruit cup filled with pre - cut foodstuff store melon that was picked , chopped , and packed far too soon , rather than face up even one more chunk of pale , dry , unsympathetic cantaloupe , he ’d rather skip it altogether .
Unless peak ripeness can be assured , that is .
And that ’s where this roundup comes in . One of the in effect function ofgrowing your own cantaloupe at homeis that you get to select when to pluck those webbed orbs from the vine , allow your senses head the style , and you get to decide when to make that first slice to let on the juicy goodness deep down .
I ’m not about to take you to stop counting your poulet melons before they hatch . I have dream about far more cantaloupe ( and honeydew ) than I ’ve in reality devour over the retiring decennary and a half , after all .
But before you get to sowing or transplantation , fertilizing and lachrymation , be given to pollination , and finding joy ( and occasional aggravation – what are those spot , and these bug ? ? ) in all the various tasks required to bring these sunny vine fruits to harvest , you have a decision to make :
Which cultivar to plant ?
While the grocery store might offer a simple generic “ cantaloupe ” with no additional identifying features , and you may even be lucky to find a few unlike cultivars for sale from a local farmer , I ’m betting you had no idea there were so many delicious type out there to choose from .
Many are named after goddesses , with an stress on beauty . Some of them are jumbo , others diminutive . All of them are amazing , if you ask me . But I ’ll try , for your sake , to be a little more discerning .
It was n’t easy to narrow down this roundup of top cantaloup vine cultivars to just 11 . But I did it , to make your decision a little easier . Even connoisseurs can be plague by the paradox of choice …
To help reduce your own potential tendency towards works picking panic , I ’ve put together this lean of my dearie , from A to Z.
11 of the Best Cantaloupe Cultivars
A variety ofmuskmelon ( Cucumis melo ) , there are two principal variant of this species . C. melovar.reticulatushails from North America , whereasC. melovar.cantalupensiscomes from Europe .
Some would argue that cultivars of thereticulatusvariety are not in fact “ on-key ” cantaloupe but rather , other types of muskmelons . But since the late 1800s when cantaloupe was firstused as a marketing termfor all types of melon vine shipped throughout the US in crates , the name ( and associated oversimplification ) has stick .
A few nimble details to overcompensate :
First , Cucumis melo cantalupensis are generally beige or tan to greenish in color , and the rind are covered with veiling . Most varieties are also ribbed , or deal with what are known as “ sutures , ” grooves of depart profoundness that typically start light unripened and darken as the fruit matures .
Next up , though most of our roundups of advocate cultivars include industrial plant altitude and pass around info , I ’ve found that cantaloupe descriptions in particular do not often include these specifics , unless they are particularly noteworthy . When growing cantaloupe , be sure to give them plenty of quad to do their thing .
Finally , many cantaloupe type are further break down intoWestern and easterly varieties in the US .
Western cultivars are what you ’re most potential to see in supermarkets . These weigh an average of two to four lb , with heavy veiling ( that’snetting , with an N ) , shallow surgical seam , and small source cavities for the maximum quantity of flesh per melon .
Most of the westerly case produce consistent melons that are consummate for commercial growers to deal , and they contain up well in transit , hence their alternative moniker : “ ship ” cantaloupe . In fact , they ’re often beak before they ’re fully mature at the“half - slip ” stage , when stem still require a bit of spare coaxing to release the yield .
Eastern types , on the other hand , are broadly a spot enceinte at five to eight pounds each , with more pernicious netting , recondite sutures , and a great seed cavum . If you do n’t see the name Eastern , these are also sometimes refer to as “ elephantine ” – more on that later .
You ’ll recover information detail the special equipment characteristic of each of my top picks here , including days to harvest , mature melon vine weight , and more .
So brush up up those melon vine ballers , and let ’s apprehend in !
1. Aphrodite Hybrid
presumptively named after the Hellenic goddess of beloved , cacoethes , beauty , and desire , ‘ Aphrodite ’ is an Eastern type known for its sweet , lush fruit .
Plant a few of these and go away a little room to seethe around between the rows with your lover , breathe in the musky scent of burgeon exceeding yield . The vines still care to sprawling but they are shorter than those of some types , with a more thick growth habit .
backbreaking veiling , slight sutures , and orange flesh mark this kind , which is articulate to have a honey - similar flavor .
‘ Aphrodite Hybrid ’
Melons weighing six to eight pound each maturate in 72 days . One of the earliest to be ready , if you have a inadequate farm season or you want to be the first in your region to enjoy some homegrown cantaloupe , this is the perfect pick .
Do these melons have aphrodisiac properties , as their name intimate ? You ’ll have to grow your own and taste one to get hold out .
This type is resistant to fusarium wilt andpowdery mold .
Packets of 25 germ areavailable from Burpee .
2. Athena Hybrid
Another standout on the goddess roster , ‘ Athena ’ is named for the Hellenic goddess of Wisdom of Solomon and war , a helper of ancient Italian sandwich .
If you need a minuscule special assistance in the melon patch , I ’d plant this type for luck . It ’s another Eastern cultivar , particularly suited to southeast mood .
know for its high quality in terms of texture , flavor , and odor , these beauties also boast a shelf life that ’s a bit longer than what ’s typical for other form , a plus if you are n’t able to consume your entire harvest home right away .
‘ Athena Hybrid ’
intimately circular fruit with coarse veiling and no sutures on the outside , and firm orange flesh on the inside , grow to about five or six pounds . They ’ll get to maturity in 75 days .
‘ Athena Hybrid ’ is insubordinate to powdery mildew , downy mildew , and fusarium wilt disease . It ’s also one of several mixture of cantaloupe recommended by theexperts at the Penn State Extensionfor growers in Pennsylvania . Where are my gardeners in the Mid - Atlantic at ? You should expect good consequence if you pick this character .
semen areavailable in a sort of package sizes from truthful Leaf Market .
3. Ball 2076 Hybrid
An improved rendering of the ‘ Ball 1776 ’ cultivar , perhaps the breeder who named this one had an middle toward the US tricentennial jubilation ( the cantaloup of the time to come ! ) .
The Ball Seed company vaunt this type as their best tasting melon , with a super sweet flavor – that ’s out of this world !
Okay , I added that last part . But 2076 … suppose the hypothesis !
‘ Ball 2076 crossbreed ’
to a great extent net tumid yield of about five pounds each reach maturity date in 85 days . They have slender rind , and juicy orange bod .
‘ chunk 2076 Hybrid ’ is resistant to alternaria , powdery mildew , and pubescent mold .
ejaculate areavailable from True Leaf Market .
4. Charentais
An open - pollinated heirloom with origins follow back 100 year to the Poitou - Charentes region of France , this melon vine was first brought to market by the Randon family and it ’s been beloved ever since .
Described as “ the quintessential French melon ” and “ the skillful melon vine ever develop , ” the Salmon River - colored flesh has an exceedingly pleasant , ace mellisonant savour and an ambrosian perfume reminiscent of tropical fruit .
‘ Charentais ’
With lenient skin , this type is a unique delicacy that does not send well . Unless you have a chance to shoot the breeze this region of France when these coveted cantaloup are in season , you ’re not probable to find them in local marketplace .
spare yourself the conflict of a tenacious - distance relationship and keep the romance active by grow these in your own garden instead .
‘ Charentais ’ takes about 85 days to reach maturity . webby skin note with grey-headed - unripened striped suture surrounds the pinkish - orange tree flesh .
The yield average two to three pounds each , so a individual softball game - sized orb is utter for splitting with your undecomposed bud after you pluck it from the vine .
Seeds areavailable from Eden Brothers .
5. El Gordo Hybrid
I ’m not about to fertile - disgrace a melon . The name really says it all with ‘ El Gordo , ’ though the pick of name here was a bit blunt , to say the least . This melon ’s tantalizing curve and voluptuous sizing are qualities to be celebrated .
This F1 crossbreed – get quick for it – can weigh up to 30 pounds at adulthood . That ’s like a whole season ’s worth of cantaloupe combined in just one fruit !
This Eastern type matures in 75 to 80 days . Netted oblong fruit with pale fleeceable sutures grow to a Rubenesque 15 to 20 pounds each on average .
‘ El Gordo Hybrid ’
you’re able to expect pile of sweet medium - orange flesh that ’s pure for eating smart , juicing , and adding to sweet talker , and you’re able to make big batches of cantaloupe water ice pick and sorbet with whatever you have left over .
If you ’re going for walloper , be sure to cull some of the flowers early in the season so the vine can focus their vigour on producing just a few fruit . Typically , these will succumb three to four yield per flora .
‘ El Gordo ’ is resistant to powdery mildew and watermelon mosaic virus .
source areavailable from Home Depot .
6. Hearts of Gold
Like Neil Young , I ’ve been to Hollywood and the land of the redwoods , crossbreed the sea too , and continually dream of the perfect cantaloupe .
Maybe he did n’t have fruit in mind when he indite the lyrics to his noted song , but Young and I ( and I ’m sure all of you gardeners out there reading this as well ) have one thing in common : we all keep searching for that heart of Au .
So , I present to you ‘ Hearts of Gold . ’ This just might be the one .
‘ Hearts of Gold ’
This heirloom variety has a chronicle dating back to around 1895 , when it was develop by Roland Morill of Benton Harbor , Michigan . He claimed it was the merchandise of an inadvertent cross between ‘ Osage River ’ and ‘ Netted stone , ’ both of which are quality cantaloupe cultivars in their own right .
And what a happy accident that was .
brand in 1914 , this was one of the most pop types of melon in the Midwest until the 1930s . Thankfully , even after it proceed out of fashion among commercial growers as other types became uncommitted , seed - savers preserve this cultivar and continued rise it for generations . It ’s deserving a scene in your garden today !
produce on vigorous vines , you could look good yields of three - pound yield , with deep orange flesh that ’s thick and sweet , in about 80 to 90 days .
The melons are nearly pear-shaped and to a great extent netted , with moderate tease and thin rind . modest seminal fluid cavities intend there ’s passel of room for the tasty flesh .
mailboat of 50 seeds areavailable from Burpee .
7. Olympic Express Hybrid
Have your own Summer Olympics at home , with ‘ Olympic Express . ’ With this case , you just might bring home the bacon the race to be the first among your horticulture admirer to get a sweet and delicious melon on the board .
What is the Olympic Express precisely ? I imagine it in locomotor shape as something akin to Agatha Christie ’s Orient Express , filled with murder and machination and wad of tea and cognac in the dining car … butau naturel , with rider as unadorned as they were on the day they were born , as in the stylus of the original Olympic Games .
‘ Olympic Express Hybrid ’
waitress , sorry . I must have drifted off for a 2d there , into the realm of daydreams . We ’re talk about cantaloupe here !
This early - mature westerly variety show produces yield that ’s quick to blame in about 75 days , with melons weighing six to seven pounds each .
The orange flesh is sugared , crisp , and business firm , with a lowly cavity . And the plants are insubordinate to fusarium wilt and powdery mould .
Seeds areavailable from Burpee .
8. Planters Jumbo
Marketed as another boastful boy ( or so I suppose … ) , in comparison to ‘ El Gordo , ’ I ’ve got ta say – when I was first introduced to this case and liken his name with his mug stroke , I was not convinced .
When you ’ve got melons that can attain a system of weights of up to 30 pound growing out back , being told that a cultivar expected to yield fruit of “ only ” four to five pounds is going around visit himself Jumbo , that just leaves me saying , “ Huh ? ”
At first , I wonder , was somebody having a little fun with this one ? Did the stock breeder have visual sensation of Planters peanuts and elephants and who knows what on the brain , maybe after a little too much fourth dimension spend hard at workplace in the greenhouse ?
I was n’t really certain . I could only assume that whoever named these “ giant ” was not familiar with our pal Gordo .
But do you remember a little before when I was report the Eastern character and I said , “ more on that by and by ” ? You ’ve witness firsthand a bit of meter - travel with that Revelation of Saint John the Divine ( shades of ‘ Ball 2076 ’ … ) , since this particular tidbit of info get to me , the writer , after‘Planters Jumbo ’ landed on my inclination of top picks .
As I allude to originally , “ jumbo ” is often used interchangeably to describe the more delicate easterly type that are more suitable for commercial production and sale in local markets , with a less consistent shape and typically heavy size .
‘ Planters Jumbo ’
So , describing these as jumbo melon vine may finger a bit shoddy . But keep in mind that they are still about two times as large at maturity date as some of the other varieties on this list , and that ’s nothing to sneeze at .
This is a solid selection that ’s a favorite among growers !
With loyal rind and perfumed , deep orange flesh , liquid veiling , and green sutura , these melons pass maturity in 80 to 90 days .
It ’s deserving the wait , specially if you live in a region with a hot , humid climate where vines are often prone to disease .
‘ Planters Jumbo ’ is resistant to downy and powdery mildew . These can survive heavy rainfall , and they ’re also drought tolerant .
Just about whatever come their way , if you ’re growing in a tender USDA Hardiness Zone in the Southeast with soused summer , these should be able-bodied to handle it .
9. Sarah’s Choice Hybrid
As you ’re belike more than aware of by now , my vision run to run wild when I contemplate a plant breeder ’s reasoning behind the carefully selected name for their lovingly tended novel hybrid .
So , what ’s the flock with this one ? Sarah , Sarah … who was she ?
Sarah Plain and Tall total to mind first , but I was more of a Mary ( of The Secret Garden)/Mandy / Alice in Wonderland type of girl .
Immediately thereafter , I stalled out . I just could n’t call to the forefront of my idea the sweet and spicy Sarah who was responsible , hard as I endeavor to pull her with my genial fingerbreadth from the shadowy realm where I knew she must be hiding .
Fortunately , Google come to the rescue .
( Google also sent me on a long tan since there is ostensibly a smorgasbord known as ‘ Hannah ’s Choice , ’ no sexual relation as far as I can say , hail from Cornell . But we ’ll bring through a closer flavor into that one for another day . )
‘ Sarah ’s Choice Hybrid ’
This cultivar was bred by Dr. Brent Loy of the University of New Hampshire , a plant geneticist and stock breeder who specialized throughout his calling in improving coinage in the Cucurbitaceae mob . Though I can not support this with utmost sure thing , it seems Loy mention this one according tohis married woman ’s preference .
How lovely !
‘ Sarah ’s Choice ’ is a nearly rotund heavily netted melon vine with a pretty appearance , and sweet , juicy , thick orange form . She may not be ‘ Aphrodite , ’ but ‘ Sarah ’s Choice ’ boast knockout and enchant however .
High - yielding vine produce fruit of about three hammering each , and you’re able to bear 75 solar day to maturity .
This westerly eccentric is resistant to powdery mildew and fusarium wilt .
10. Top Mark
‘ Top Mark ’ acquire an uber - gamy score from me , as a hardy heirloom variety with excellent disease resistance .
And there are no washup suits or talent exhibition in this beauty competition – only pure , au naturel melon of the eminent calibre . ( If you desire to wander down that way of life with me a little further , learn myguide to celebrating World Naked Gardening Day ) .
‘ Top Mark ’
make its first appearance on the market in the early 1960s , this westerly case remain popular among growers today .
Moderate netting , subtle tantalization , and salmon - hued flesh that ’s thick and sweet ? contract me up .
Very vigorous heat - liberal vines are repellent to powdery and downy mildew as well as blackleg , and ‘ Top Mark ’ also brook papaia ringspot computer virus and watermelon vine mosaic virus .
Expect 80 to 90 days to maturity for a harvest of fruit press three to four pounds each .
Seeds areavailable from Eden Brothers Nursery .
11. Zena
Though the warrior princess that I recall so lovingly spelled her name with an X , ‘ Zena ’ will undoubtedly contain some appeal for those of you who found yourselves glued to the screen every clip the other , more famous one appeared on TV in the ‘ 90s .
I can just imagine the conversation with the neighbors now …
“ Nice chatting with you , got ta go check on Zena … she ’s in the garden , sunbathing … ”
‘ Zena ’
A var. of the name Athena ( there she is again ! ) , the origin of this name are Old Greek , mean “ of Zeus ” or something along those lines .
This Eastern variety is also sometimes touch on to as a “ mini melon , ” ( not jumbo at all ! ) and it ’s well - suited to warm , tropical climates .
Oblong two to three - pound sterling fruits with large netting feature salmon - tinge anatomy inside , with a hunky-dory grain and delectably sweet flavor . ‘ Zena ’ will reach due date on the other side , in 70 to 76 days .
I recommend enjoying a vainglorious bowl of chilled cubes in front of your preferent action at law adventure show , preferably one sport a strong distaff lede .
The Best Quality Cantaloupe Is Grown at Home
If you have the blank , and you dream about cantaloupe as often as I do , maybe you may add more than one cultivar to the garden .
May the first cantaloupe that you deplumate from your own backyard be the juiciest , sweetest , most square melon you ’ve ever tasted . When I finally get a shot at grow my own someday , I ’m sure it will be .
Sure , the loveable guy rope that I live and laugh and dance til dawning with whenever potential would take a Mangifera indica over a melon any daytime ( and it was he who taught me about the wonders of buying the mature yield from the Indian grocery store by the caseful , and sucking from the gravid , compressed pit the sweet mango flesh that was just too hard to move out with a knife – and too sound to waste ! ) .
He ’s not much of a gardener either . That ’s more my thing .
But that does n’t mean he would n’t make out running if he heard me call from the kitchen , “ It ’s quick ! The first cantaloup vine is ripe ! ” so we could stand over the sink together with succus ladder down our blazonry to our elbows and grin on our face .
My own patio garden is little , baking in the Southern California sun in some daub , shaded and oh - so - juiceless in others . So far , any plan to invest in large bbl and melon net and shorter - vined varieties has been nothing more than a dream , and some doodlingin my gardening journal .
But someday , the time will come when I will grow my own . And that first fondly tended homegrown melon vine – well , it ’s depart to be the serious cantaloup that we ’ve ever had .
What type is your top woof ? Any cantaloup cultivar that I break down to mention here that you just have to share ?
Or possibly you ca n’t conceive I made it all the way through this roundup without throwing in a cantaloupe / can’t - elope joke ?
And for evenmore growing tips for the melon - loversout there , bookmark these article to register next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more item . Product photos via Burpee , Mountain Valley Seed Co. , Eden Brothers , and Gurney ’s . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Allison Sidhu
