Melon

Looking after it

Water: Melons need normal watering. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy and water at the base in the morning. Water less once the fruit starts to ripen in late summer. Feeding: An average amount of food suits melons. In a pot, give a general liquid feed every 10 to 14 days in early summer. Once the fruits are the size of a walnut, switch to a high-potassium feed. Stop feeding as they ripen.

Harvest and keeping

A ripe melon smells sweet and the stalk starts to crack where it meets the fruit. The end opposite the stalk gives a little when you press it. Cantaloupe types then come away from the stalk with a light push. A ripe melon keeps a few days at room temperature. Once you cut it, cover it and keep it in the fridge.

What can go wrong

• No fruit forming. Under cover, few insects reach the flowers. Open vents and doors on warm days. Pollinate by hand with a small brush, from male flowers into female ones, which have a tiny fruit behind the flower.
• Powdery mildew. White powder covers the leaves, worse when plants go dry. Water steadily and keep the leaves dry.
• Red spider mite. In dry air under cover, the leaves get fine pale speckles and thin webbing. In hot weather, wet the greenhouse floor and mist the plants.