Queen Anne's melon is a small, wonderfully fragrant melon. The melons remain quite small, only about 5 cm each. But they taste delicious and have quite a lot of flesh for such small fruits. The melons ripen from green with stripes to orange-brown with yellow stripes and spots. These plants produce a large quantity of these deliciously sweet and tropical-tasting fruits.
Melon is a very healthy and versatile fruit. Melon contains: vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, B11, C, E and K. And the minerals potassium, calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium. Melon also contains a large amount of antioxidants, lots of carbohydrates, fibre, fruit sugars and protein. Melon combined with raw ham is also a must. Hollow out a melon and fill it with a fresh fruit salad or bowl. You can also sprinkle some pieces of melon on a salad with nuts or puree melon in a milkshake or smoothie. Melon can also be boiled, baked, grilled or roasted. Melon is also delicious in a cold soup or salad. Melon tastes delicious with cheese, ham, lettuce, lemon juice, mozarella, chicken, beef, pork, tuna, prawns and feta cheese. Vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, peppers and strawberries. Height: 100 - 200 cm. Non-hardy annual.
Indoor sowing: April - May
Germination: 7 - 10 days
Germinationtemp.: 22 - 25°C
Sowing depth: 1 cm
Planting distance: 50 - 60 cm
Transplanting: from the middle of May
Plant position: sunny/sheltered (greenhouse)
Harvest period: July - October
Sow indoors from April on in a propagator, heated greenhouse or a warm room. Germination starts at 22°C. A constant temperature provides a better germination. Keep the temperature during germination as even as possible. Don't let the temperature drop during the night. Sow in individual 8 cm Ø pots, one seed about 1 cm deep and cover with sowing soil. To prevent rotting of the seeds: keep the soil moist, not wet. Harden the seedlings gradually to outside conditions (avoid frosts) from the beginning of May. Transplant them to a cool frame or unheated greenhouse, soil temperature must at least be 12 °C from the middle of May (Ice-Saints).
Melons bare fruits on the side-shoots. Top the mainshoot after the 4th or 5th leave. Out of this mainshoot form side-shoots. These must be topped after 6 leaves and out of these side-shoots form the fruit baring side-shoots which must be topped 1-2 leaves above the melons. Give the plants a very sunny and warm spot. The best results are obtained when plants are put in a (unheated) greenhouse or glasshouse. Give the plants, when the fruits start to develop, every week some liquid fertilizer.
