High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production
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High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production University of Missouri Extension M173 Contents Author Botany 1 Lewis W. Jett, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia Cultivar selection 3 Editorial staff Transplant production 4 MU Extension and Agricultural Information Planting in the high tunnel 5 Dale Langford, editor Dennis Murphy, illustrator Row covers 6 On the World Wide Web Soil management and fertilization 6 Find this and other MU Extension publications on the Irrigation 7 Web at http://muextension.missouri.edu Pollination 7 Photographs Pruning 8 Except where noted, photographs are by Lewis W. Jett. Trellising 8 Harvest and yield 9 Marketing 10 Pest management 10 Useful references 14 Melon and watermelon seed sources 15 Sources of high tunnels (hoophouses) 16 For further information, address questions to College of Dr. Lewis W. Jett Agriculture Extension State Vegetable Crops Specialist Food and Natural Division of Plant Sciences Resources University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 Copyright 2006 by the University of Missouri Board of Curators E-mail: [email protected] College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production igh tunnels are low-cost, passive, melo has several botanical subgroups (Table 1). solar greenhouses that use no fossil In the United States, reticulatus and inodorus are Hfuels for heating or venting (Figure commercially grown, while the remaining groups 1). High tunnels can provide many benefits to are grown for niche or local markets. horticulture crop producers: The cantaloupe fruit that most Americans • High tunnels are used to lengthen the are familiar with is not actually a true cantaloupe. growing season of crops. A true cantaloupe has no netting on the rind, is • High tunnels protect the growing crop often warty, and many will not abscise or slip from environmental stress such as from the vine when mature (Figure 2). True can- drought, driving rain, wind and temper- taloupes are widely grown in Europe and include ature extremes. varieties such as Charentais, Prescott, D’Alger and • High tunnels protect crops from insect Petit gris de Rennes. and disease invasion. A muskmelon (Cucumis melo var. reticu- • High tunnels are well suited for pro- latus) has a pronounced netting on the fruit, is ducing heirloom and specialty veg- aromatic, and slips from the vine when mature etables that require a specific growing (Table 1). Most wholesale markets prefer an oval environment. to round muskmelon with medium to heavy net- • High tunnels permit intensive crop pro- ting and slight ribbing, while some local markets duction on a small area of land. prefer lightly netted, deep-ribbed types. The terms muskmelon and cantaloupe are often used Many warm-season (frost-sensitive) veg- interchangeably in U.S. markets. etable crops can be grown in a high tunnel. Galia melons are green-fleshed, aromatic Cucurbits are a large, diverse group of warm-sea- muskmelons with a golden-yellow, netted rind son plants in the Cucurbitaceae family. Cucurbits (Figure 2). Galia melons are adapted to warm, include many popular vegetables such as cucum- dry climates and are often called desert melons. ber, gourd, cantaloupe (muskmelon), squash, Rainfall during flowering and fruit formation pumpkin and watermelon and are an important significantly lowers the quality of Galia melons. dietary source of fiber, minerals, beta-carotene Watermelons are classified as seeded diploids and vitamin C. or seedless triploids. Seedless watermelons have higher production costs but may be profitable as Botany an early-season crop in a high tunnel. A seedless Cantaloupe or muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) watermelon is a cross between a diploid (two sets and watermelon (Citrullis lanatus var. lanatus) are of chromosomes), seeded variety and a tetraploid annual plants with a trailing vine growth. Cucumis (four sets of chromosomes) line. The resulting Figure 1. High tunnels are plastic-covered, solar greenhouses that can be used for early-season cucurbit production. College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production A B C D E F Figure . Muskmelons and watermelons vary in shape, size and color. A. ‘Athena’ muskmelon. B. Charentais cantaloupe. C. Personal-size (mini) seedless watermelons. D. Galia muskmelon. E. Athena (left) and Galia 15 (right) muskmelon flesh. F. Prescott cantaloupe. plant is sterile with three sets of chromosomes. excellent source of lycopene, which is credited Seedless cultivars must have pollen from a with reducing many forms of cancer. seeded, diploid cultivar to set fruit. Mini seedless Both melons and watermelon are native to watermelons (less than 6 pounds) are becoming Africa and thrive in a warm, dry climate with a popular with consumers as single-serving mel- long growing season. The optimal growing tem- ons. Melons and watermelon are second only perature for melons and watermelons is 70–85 to bananas in total U.S. per capita consumption degrees F. of fresh fruit. Melons are low in fat and sodium, Cucurbits have palm-shaped leaves that are have no cholesterol, and provide many essential lobed (watermelon) or nonlobed (cantaloupe). nutrients such as potassium. Watermelons are an Leaves are arranged in an alternate pattern on Table 1. Groups of Cucumis melo. the vine. The vines are angular and hairy with several lateral branches that in turn have many Cucumis melo secondary branches. Vines can reach a length of subgroup Cultivar examples Fruit characteristics 30 feet for some cucurbit varieties. Cantaloupensis Prescott melon Smooth to warty fruit surface. Very Melons and watermelons have modified, (true cantaloupe) D’Alger aromatic. No netting. Fruits do not Charentais slip from vine when mature. Widely threadlike leaves called tendrils, which the grown in Europe vine uses for anchoring or climbing (Figure 3). Inodorus Canary melon Not aromatic. Fruit does not slip Tendrils can be branched (watermelon) or simple Casaba melon from vine when mature. Flesh is (muskmelon). Both cucurbit crops have strong Crenshaw melon usually green or white. taproots that can be deep on nonirrigated melons Honeydew melon but generally are shallow but horizontally exten- Reticulatus Muskmelons Netted and aromatic fruit slips from Persian melon the vine when mature. sive when the crop is adequately irrigated. Galia melon Cucurbit flowers are diverse in color, shape Conomon Makuwa uri No aroma. Fruit has crisp, white and size (Figure 4). Cucurbits have a monoecious Chinese melon flesh. Widely grown in Asia. flowering pattern, which means male and female Sakata’s sweet flowers are separate on each plant. Melons have Flexuosus Armenian cucumber Elongated fruit with no aroma. male (staminate) flowers and a mix of female (pis- Snake melon tillate) and perfect (both male and female organs) Chito Mango, Lemon melon Fruit is not sweet or aromatic. flowers. Watermelons typically have staminate Dudaim Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon Very aromatic fruit. and pistillate flowers. Staminate flowers appear University of Missouri Extension College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 3 Figure 3. Watermelon leaves (left) are lobed with branched tendrils while muskmelon leaves (center) are nonlobed with simple tendrils at each leaf axis. Tendrils are used by the vines for climbing and anchoring (right). Figure 4. Melon flowers (left) are brighter yellow and yield more nectar than watermelon flowers, (center and right). Figure 5. Mini seedless watermelons are similar in size to muskmelons (3–6 pounds). first and are followed by emergence of more sta- to 650 (small-seeded cultivars) seeds (Table 2). minate and pistillate flowers. Generally, 12 to 15 Table . Seeds required for transplant production staminate flowers are produced for each pistillate flower. Vegetable Plants/oz of seed* Cantaloupe 500–600 Cultivar selection Cucumber 500–600 There are many productive cantaloupe and Pumpkin 200 watermelon cultivars that can be grown in a high tunnel (Figure 5, Table 3). Choose a suitable cul- Summer squash 200–300 tivar for your market outlet. Purchase high-qual- Watermelon 200–400 ity, vigorous seed for transplant production. (See *Graded transplants. Appendix for a list of seed suppliers). High-qual- ity seed means faster germination and vigorous Table 3 includes suggested varieties of musk- growth. One ounce of muskmelon seeds contains melons, cantaloupes, honeydews and mini seed- 950 to 1,200 seeds while one ounce of water- less watermelons for high tunnel production. melon seeds contains 300 (large-seeded cultivars) University of Missouri Extension College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 4 High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production Table 3. Potential melon and mini watermelon cultivars for high tunnel production. Days to Disease Cultivar Cucurbit type maturity Fruit description tolerance PM Athena Muskmelon 80 Oval/round fruit with minor netting and no sutures. 1,2 F0,1,2 PM Aphrodite Muskmelon 75 Oval, large fruit. Light sutures. 1,2 F0,1,2 Ambrosia Muskmelon 86 Round fruit. Coarse netting. Good garden cultivar. PM Crescent Moon Muskmelon 73 Large, eastern-type melon. PM12 Round fruit with heavy netting. Green or orange flesh. Jenny Lind Muskmelon 70 — Large blossom scar. Heirloom melon. PM Odyssey Muskmelon 80 Round, large fruit with coarse netting and shallow sutures 1,2 F0,1,2 Primo Muskmelon 78 Small, western-type shipping melon. Heavy netting PM12 Arava Galia 77 Round fruit with green flesh. Light netting. PM PM Galia 152 Galia 80 Round fruit with green flesh. Very aromatic. No sutures. 1,2 F0,1,2 PM Galileo Galia 83 Round fruit with green flesh. Light netting. 1,2 F0,1,2 PM Gallicum Galia 80 Round fruit with green flesh. Small fruit. 1,2 F0,1,2 PM Lavigal Galia 80 Round fruit with green flesh. Very aromatic. Light netting. 1,2 F0,1,2 Round fruit. Very early, 2.5–3 lb fruit which slips at PM Early Dew Honeydew 80 1,2 maturity. F0,1, PM Honey Orange Honeydew 74 Oval fruit with orange flesh. 1,2 F0,1, PM Honey Star Honeydew 85 Round fruit with light-green flesh.