| What can we do to improve on last year's crop of cantaloupes and honeydew melons, which grew large and great-looking but didn't have a hint of sweetness. |
| It sure is frustrating to tend a crop only to be rewarded with unedible fruit. There are several conditions that contribute to bland-tasting melons: too much nitrogen fertilizer, picking before the fruit is ripe, cool temperatures, and cloudy skies. Providing the right micronutrients can improve flavor as well. Here's a preplanting fertilizer recipe you can try next year (enough for 2 or 3 melon plants). Place the mixture under rows or hills up to a week before planting. * 3 shovels of soil * 1shovel of compost * 2 shovels of manure * 1 shovel of peat moss * 1 cup bone meal * 1 cup cottonseed meal * 2 cups alfalfa meal * 1 cup wood ashes * 1 cup dolomitic limestone |
