Russian Melon Seeds

Russian Melon is a classic netted cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. reticulatus) prized for its intensely sweet, musky aroma and firm, juicy orange flesh wrapped in a coarse, raised rind net. As it ripens it perfumes the whole garden, and the background rind colour shifts from green to a warm yellow-tan. It is at its best eaten fresh and well chilled, sliced into fruit salads, or blended into cooling summer drinks, the kind of richly fragrant melon that tastes of high summer.

Planting

This is a warm-season crop, so wait until the danger of spring frost has passed before sowing. Direct-sow outdoors only once the soil has warmed to at least 18 C and the nights are warm; in cooler conditions, start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost and move them outside 1 to 2 weeks afterwards. Plant the seeds about 1.5 cm deep (anywhere from roughly 1.3 to 2.5 cm is fine; for indoor modules around 0.5 to 1.5 cm). Sow them in groups of 2 to 3 in hills spaced 45 to 60 cm apart, with rows 1.5 to 2.4 m apart; allow at least 90 cm between trailing plants, or 45 cm when training up a support. Germination is best at a soil temperature of 21 to 32 C (keep indoor starts at 27 to 32 C until they sprout), and seedlings usually appear within about a week, roughly 5 to 10 days under warm conditions. Give the plants a hot, sunny spot with a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun a day, though 8 to 10 hours is better. In Egypt, the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria) can direct-sow or transplant from late February through April, once the soil has warmed past winter and the risk of cold nights below 12 C has passed, for a harvest from late May through July; a shorter second planting is possible in late summer (August to early September) in milder Delta areas. In Upper Egypt (Aswan, Luxor, Minya) the warmer winters allow earlier sowing from late January through March. Aim to set fruit before the harshest May to August heat, and avoid sowing so late that flowering falls in peak July and August heat, since temperatures above about 35 C reduce fruit set and pollination.

Fertilizing

Before planting, work a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10 into the soil at about 1.5 kg per 100 square metres. Sidedress with nitrogen once the vines begin to run (around 0.5 kg of 34-0-0 per 30 m of row), then sidedress a second time after bloom as the fruit begins to set (for example 15.5-0-0). Go easy on nitrogen overall, as an excess pushes the plant into leafy vine growth at the expense of fruit. If you are growing in containers or under glass, feed every 10 to 14 days with a general liquid feed, switching to a high-potassium feed once the young fruits reach about walnut size.

Care

Give the plants about 2.5 to 5 cm of water a week, keeping the soil evenly moist down to around 15 cm. Drip lines or soaker hoses are ideal, and watering in the morning keeps the foliage dry, which is especially valuable in humid conditions; ease off watering as the fruit matures to concentrate the flavour and prevent splitting. Once seedlings emerge, thin each group to the strongest 1 to 3 plants. Transplant out gently when seedlings have 3 to 4 true leaves, as melons resent root disturbance, and you can pinch out the growing tip after 5 leaves to encourage side-shoots. Watch for striped and spotted cucumber beetles (which spread bacterial wilt), squash vine borers, squash bugs, spider mites and aphids; floating row covers help exclude pests early but should be removed at flowering so bees can pollinate. Keep an eye out for powdery and downy mildew, bacterial wilt, anthracnose, angular leaf spot, gummy stem blight, Alternaria leaf blight and cucurbit viruses, and water at the base with dry foliage to reduce fungal problems. The fruit ripens about 35 to 45 days after the flower is pollinated. A ripe melon reaches full slip, meaning the stem separates cleanly with a light twist; the rind netting turns coarse, the background colour shifts from green to yellow-tan, and it gives off a sweet melon fragrance. Pick it then, because cantaloupe does not keep ripening once harvested.