EarliChamp F1 Cantaloupe Melons Vegetables Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

This melon is very similar to the popular Earligold cantaloupe, with its slight sutures and heavy netting. The fruit from EarliChamp cantaloupe seeds are larger and heavier, and the plant has an improved array of disease resistance - Powdery Mildew Resistance, Fusarium Wilt Resistance races 0 & 2. Best of all, the thick orange flesh is wonderfully sweet with a Brix rating of 12-14%... Sweet! Start EarliChamp seeds indoors near the end of April in coastal gardens, and transplant only when the soil is warm at the end of May or even in June. Provide any extra heat you can, and grow in full sun in highly fertile soil.

Matures in 72 days. (Hybrid seeds)

• Sweet, thick orange flesh
• Slight sutures and heavy netting
• Large, heavy fruits
• Hybrid seeds
• Matures in 72 days

All About EarliChamp

Latin

Cantaloupes (musk melons) & Honeydews: Cucurbita melo
Watermelons: Citrullus lanatus
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Difficulty

Easy in a greenhouse or cloche, or outdoors in long, warm summers. Somewhat challenging without these conditions.

Season & Zone

Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full-sun

Timing

It is essential to start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse 4-6 weeks after the last frost date. Transplant when the plants are 5 weeks old. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 20-25°C (68-77°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

Starting

Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep. Set transplants 60-90cm (24-36″) apart in rows 1.5-2m (5-6′) apart.

Days to Maturity:

From transplant date.

Growing

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Choose a warm, well-drained soil. Add dolomite lime and compost or well-rotted manure to the bed and ½-1 cup of balanced organic fertilizer beneath each transplant. Melons need warm growing conditions. Use black plastic mulch, cloches, or floating row covers. Success may improve in raised beds. Melons plants require 8-10 weeks of good, hot growing weather from the middle of June to the end of August. During that time, a melon vine must grow 5-9 leaves before starting to flower, then set 4 or more male flowers before making its first female flower, and then ripen its fruit before cool, damp weather sets in. Melons do not ripen off the vine. During the entire growing season, make sure to provide ample water.

Harvest

Fruit will ripen in late August to early September. Ripe cantaloupe will easily detach from the vine when light finger pressure is applied to the stem. Watermelon is ripe when the tendril nearest to the fruit withers and dries up.

Seed Info

In ideal conditions at least 60% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 60 seeds, per acre: 5.2M seeds.

Companion Planting

Melons are great companions for corn, marigolds, nasturtiums, pumpkin, radish, squash, and sunflowers. Avoid planting near potatoes. Melon leaves are full of calcium, so they’re good for the compost heap.