The Different Types of Melons: Rare & Common Varieties

Melons are not to be ignored. That sweet, juicy flesh is undeniable in the thick summer heat no matter where you&#;re located. When you start growing your own melons, you open up a world of delicious flavors unrivaled by any grocery store melon. Let&#;s take a look at a few common and rare types of melons.

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What Is A Melon?

Melons are a beloved member of the Cucurbitaceae family. This means they&#;re related to squash and cucumbers. Melons are known for their sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. Botanically, the melon is a type of berry! Melons are known to have been grown by ancient Egyptians and were some of the first crops to be brought by colonizers to the Americas. A number of indigenous tribes around New Mexico have been known to grow their own cultivars derived from melons introduced to them by the Spanish. 

For the best melons, there is a short window of time between the transcendent flavor of perfectly ripe and perfectly rotten. To catch a melon at its peak, check the patch every other day when it&#;s getting close, looking for tell-tale signs of cracking around the stem and full aromas. Those fruits must absolutely be harvested and eaten on the same day. For a more failsafe harvest indicator, fruit is ready when it slips easily from the vine. Beware! Deer love perfectly ripe melons too, so guard your patch well!

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4 Main Genera of Melons

Melon genera is a complicated subject because they can be umbrella terms for a pretty wide variety of species. The main thing to remember is that plants of the same species can cross with each other. So the species name will have to be taken into account when thinking about seed saving. Many types of melons will fall into one of these four genera.

Citrullus

Citrullus melons include our common watermelon as well as some other lesser known vines. This genus is most largely distinguished by the shape of its leaves which are deeply lobed.

Cucumis

The genus Cucumis includes both melons and cucumbers, as they are closely related. Your typical honeydew and cantaloupe fall under this category. This includes a wide range of varieties and is probably one of the most commonly grown melon genus. 

Benincasa

This genus is a little harder to come by in common gardens. There is only one member of this genus which is Benincasa hispida, also known as the wax gourd. Native to southeast Asia, it is eaten as a vegetable when mature. 

Momordica

Momordica is a slightly wider collection of melons and you may have heard of it referred to as bitter melon. Bitter melon is a staple in many Asian cuisines.  

Common Types of Melons

Watermelon,

Citrullus lanatus

Watermelons are some of our favorite sticky sweet melons for the height of summer. They have a very high water content, similarly to cucumbers. Watermelons are grown in tropical to temperate regions worldwide. They produce large fruits that are typically a bright red or hot pink color on the inside (though can be white or yellow as well) with a beautiful green rind on the outside. Commonly eaten raw alongside hot dogs and hamburgers, watermelon can also be blended into a delicious beverage or pickled for a shockingly delicious and unique snack.

 

 

Cantaloupe,

Cucumis melo 

Cantaloupes are sweet and tender and tend to be a bit fleshier than watermelons. Typically, they&#;re known for their bright orange insides with an ordinary beige rind. They love sandy soils but can be grown in many climates. Try adding cantaloupe to your charcuterie board or slicing it up into a salad!

 

 

Honeydew,

Cucumis melo L. Inodorus

 

Honeydew melons are a close cousin of the cantaloupe - just take a look at their latin names! Honeydew is known for its green, not overly sweet flesh and performs particularly well here in the Southeast but can certainly be found growing elsewhere.

 

 

Casaba,

Cucumis melo var. Inodorus

 

Casaba melons, yet another cousin of the honeydew and cantaloupe, is a white fleshed melon that looks more like a squash due to its textured yellow rind. Its unique flavor makes it delicious in both sweet and savory dishes and it grows best in dry, hot climates.

 

 

Rare Melon Varieties

This famous French cantaloupe is known for its powerful, flowery and fruity perfume. Its thick rind and salmon-orange flesh has a caramelized sugar flavor to its sweetness. This variety can tolerate cooler temperatures, making it a good choice for mid-western and high elevation growing locations.

 

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This cantaloupe is a Carolina favorite named for the hot and humid coastal conditions of South Carolina. It&#;s resistant to powdery and downy mildew and grows three- to five-pound fruits on vigorous vines.

 

 

The heirloom Bradford Family Watermelon is a super special, super rare variety. In its day, it was known as the sweetest, most flavorful watermelon right down to its dark green rind. It&#;s been grown by the Bradford family in South Carolina for over 100 years and so is particularly specialized to growing in that region. That being said, there&#;s been success in other locations as well.

 

 

While we categorize this as a cucumber, this fruit - also known as mouse melon or cucamelon - deserves a special shout out. This rampant vine will produce dozens of one inch green and white fruits whose resemblance to watermelons will delight anyone who comes across them. While not particularly sweet like other melons, this cucumber is delicious pickled or eaten fresh.

 

 

That&#;s right! A yellow watermelon! With super sweet yellow flesh and classic black seeds, this unique watermelon found popularity in the s because it was well-adapted to the cooler growing region of the Northeast. These fruits grow to about 20-35 pounds and are a show stopper at any picnic.

 

 

Now, this cucumber is actually, botanically, a melon. Though, culinarily, is most often used as a cucumber. But its hallmark thin skins and cucumbery taste makes it delectable in salads or beverages alike.

 

 

Melons are satisfying to grow AND eat. Whether you&#;ve got a sweet tooth or prefer a milder dessert, there's a three- to thirty-pound botanical berry (melon) for you.

 

Article Written by: Leah Smith

About the Author: Leah Smith is the Seed Product Manager at Sow True Seed, where she focuses on adding new varieties to the catalog and ensuring the seed stock is top-notch. Her firsthand experience in farming has given her a deep understanding of cultivating crops while caring for the environment. 

 

Sweetness is graded on the Brix scale, which measures the percentage of solids (everything that&#;s not water) in juice extracted from fruit. Those solids include not just sugars, but amino acids, proteins, minerals and vitamins &#; in other words, fruit that is sweeter also has more complex flavors and a better nutrient profile.

Hot Tip: Sweeter fruit has a better nutrient profile.

The Brix rating, often abbreviated &#;Bx&#;, results from the interplay of genetics, climatic conditions, soil conditions, and ripeness. Below are a few considerations for how to harness those forces in the name of producing the sweetest possible melons.

Start with the Sweetest Varieties

All else being equal, some melons are naturally sweeter than others purely on the basis of genetic composition. Some seed purveyors list the average Brix rating for their melon, but for many common varieties that information is easily obtained through a quick internet search. A Brix rating of 12 is considered pleasantly sweet; 14 is very sweet; and 16 is over-the-moon sweet.

Sow Seeds Early

A long, hot growing season is required for optimal ripeness, and thus sweetness. Start melon seeds indoors in 4-inch pots at least six weeks before the average date of last frost in your area so that the seedlings are already well-established once warm weather hits. If you transplant the seedlings outdoors when the weather is cool, they&#;ll stop growing; so wait a couple weeks after the average date of last frost to do so, or until nighttime temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees.

Find Your Warmest Microclimate

Heat brings out melons&#; sweetness, so make sure to plant them in a location that warms up early in spring and stays hot through the end of September. The south side of a fence or wall is ideal as the structure will absorb heat and light from the sun and reflect it back onto the melons. Locating the melons near a sunny brick patio or other paved surface also helps to create hot microclimate for these tropical plants. Such measures aren&#;t necessary in southern California, the desert Southwest, and the Deep South, but in cooler climates melons need all the help they can get to reach optimal ripeness.

Accentuate the Sun&#;s Rays

You can&#;t do anything to change the climate where you live or the amount of sun your yard gets, but there are a couple tricks for making the most of the available heat in any location. Covering the soil in melon beds with garden-grade black plastic film, which traps heat much like an asphalt surface, is one time-honored trick. You can also install clear plastic or see-through fabric &#;row covers&#; over melon beds to create a mini-greenhouse. These must come off in early summer when the plants begin to blossom so that insects can pollinate the flowers. Cover the beds again in late summer to ensure optimal ripening as the weather cools.

Don&#;t Crowd Your Melons

Melons grow on sprawling vines and do not ripen effectively when grown in cramped quarters. The seedlings are typically planted on mounds (three to a mound) spaced 2 feet apart in rows 6 feet apart. Thin the fruit to three melons per vine, as this will result in more nutrients (and thus sugars) pumped into each melon. If space is an issue, build a sturdy trellis and train the melons up the south side of it &#; this saves bed space, but also puts the fruit into better contact with the sun&#;s warming rays.

Sweetness Starts in the Soil

Sugars are produced in the leaves through the process of photosynthesis, and then pumped into the fruit &#; so the more lush the leafy growth, the higher the Brix rating. To encourage strong growth, blend 4 to 6 inches of composted manure into your melon beds prior to planting. Then add a balanced organic fertilizer (such as a mixed blood meal/bone meal product) every 3 to 4 weeks. Some gardeners elect to plant melons right into their compost pile, which not only provides loads of nutrients, but a bit of extra heat.

Water Heavily &#; But not During Ripening

Keeping melon leaves lush also requires copious amounts of irrigation. This is best applied with soaker hoses or a drip system, as overhead irrigation encourages fungal disease, which definitely detracts from melons&#; sweetness. During the final weeks of ripening, however, excess water dilutes the sugar content of the fruit. So as the fruit approaches its full size, cut back on irrigation, providing only enough water to keep the leaves from completely wilting. It is normal at this stage for some of the older leaves to turn brown.

Pick at the Pinnacle of Ripeness

Even if you do everything else right, no melon is sweet if picked immature. Signs of ripeness include a fruity aroma, a slight softening of the rind, and a hollow sound when you strike the fruit with your knuckle. But the sure sign is how easily the fruit detaches from the vine. If it releases with a slight tug, it&#;s ripe enough to harvest. However, the highest sugar content is achieved when fruit detaches from the vine on its own (or if this does not occur, when the vine becomes shriveled and dry where it is attached to the melon). The risk at this stage, of course, is that birds and other critters may start eating the fruit before you do.

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