Muskmelon Cantaloupe - Hale's Best Jumbo

Muskmelon Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe matures early and has an excellent sweet flavor. This hardy variety will grow in all regions and is more drought tolerant than other melons. The beautiful oval melons have a ribbed, tan skin, and a sweet, musky flavor and aroma.

Muskmelon  Cantaloupes are a variety of the muskmelon, and the name “cantaloupe” refers specifically to the North American variety.

Cantaloupe seeds can be planted directly into the garden.

Sow seed directly into the garden soil a few weeks after the last frost date. Seeds can be planted again in late summer for a fall harvest. 

Create a hill of well-drained soil about 10" high and 2' across. Plant 3 seeds 1" deep on top. Later thin to one plant per hill. Grow in full sun and water often.

They should come up in 7-14 days depending on the soil temperature. They grow quickly in warm weather. Keep their roots cooler with a few inches of mulch and it will conserve moisture and reduce weed growth. If you are in a cooler climate try to keep plants as warm as possible. One suggestion is to plant them next to a warm south-facing wall and to cover the vines during cooler nights. 

Cantaloupe vines spread quickly across the garden and can reach 3-6' long. If space is limited they can be trained up a trellis, but be sure to provide support for the hanging melons. When the fruits on the trellis are the size of a baseball place them in a stretchy net or sling. For larger melons, keep only 2-3 fruits per vine and remove the others. Harvest when the melons they are yellowish-orange and slightly soft near the stem. They can gently be pulled from the vines when mature.

Each packet contains 30 Muskmelon Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe seeds. Cucumis melo Annual. Open-pollinated, heirloom, non-GMO. Harvest after 80 days  $3.00

This packet plants 10 mounds for growing 10 plants. 

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Cantaloupe sprouts, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds are edible.

This melon has sweet orange flesh and makes a great summertime treat. It can be eaten at breakfast, added to fruit salads. or cut into cubes for a snack. It's fun to eat it on the rind. Seeds can be roasted for a healthy snack full of fiber. 

Features.

Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe is best eaten fresh. The melons are ready to harvest when the rind changes color from green or grey to yellow. Harvest when the stem pulls easily and cleanly from the fruit. If the stem has to be removed forcibly from the melon, it is not fully mature. In addition, mature melons have a distinct, musky aroma and the end opposite the stem should be slightly soft. One common way to preserve cantaloupe is by freezing. Cut it into large cubes and store the fruit in a sealed container in the freezer.