Growing Rockmelon, also Canteloupe

Cucumis melo : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                S S    
                  T T T
                  P P  

(Best months for growing Rockmelon in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed

September: Frost tender

  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 20°C and 32°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 40 - 60 cm apart
  • Harvest in 10-16 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweetcorn, Sunflowers
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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26 Jan 10, lesley (Australia - tropical climate)
i have planted tomato seedlings and when i transplanted them, they died a few days later. what did i do wrong? I live in Darwin?
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04 Sep 10, Robyn (Australia - tropical climate)
I'm in darwin as well and was told never to plant tomoto plants in the ground. Pots apparently work well.
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21 Jan 10, Helen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have RMs growing both climbing as well as crawling on the ground. They are all growing very well sized. How do I know when to harvest? I dont want to lose any of them. I live in Perth
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11 Jan 16, Loren (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, We're in Perth and have 5 vines. The two oldest vines sprouted together in situ and we already have 5 melons. We're novices so it's quite exciting getting the kids involved. So far no issues but thought I'd share!
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20 Feb 15, Pam (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown 2 huge rockmelons and one have picked 1 which doesn't have much flavour. I have always dug the vege scraps into the garden fertilised regularly and soil looks good. Anyone got any clue why Pam
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10 Jan 10, Helen O'Toole (Australia - temperate climate)
We planted afew seeds and now we have have about 12 rockmelons that will be ready at the same time is there any way I can preserve them?
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22 Nov 09, Betty Menzies (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My rock melons like to attach themselves to a vertical wire-netting fence. Should I encourage them to grow upwards as a vine, then support the fruit somehow, or are they better to remain growing along the ground?
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18 Nov 09, adam synnott (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Liv, yes rockmelons are from the curcurbit family, and need to be pollinated like a pumpkin of zucchini. They have male and female flowers, and I find it easier to pollinate by hand. The females have a small ball thingy on the base of the flower,(obviously, this is a small rockie, waiting to happen), and i take a male flower and press it into the flower of the female. The pollen is more potent when damp, so the early morning is a good time to do this. Often rockies have a small flower hidden under something, and I hand pollinate to make sure I get some rockies, otherwise, it's hit and miss. I'm in Armidale in NSW, and often the weather just isn't warm enough to ripen rockies and watermelon, but with a shadehouse or hothouse, I should get some this year. Good Luck.
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31 Oct 10, Ivan (Australia - temperate climate)
Sir I am from South Africa and thinking of planting watermelon in a shadehouse. Is there any spesific type you will recomment and do you take them off the ground like tomatoes with strings or leave them on the ground? Thanks Ivan van Zyl
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17 Nov 09, LIV (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
do rockmelons come from flower buds??
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Showing 201 - 210 of 217 comments
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When the plant first starts sending out runners there is mainly male flowers. Then there will be female flowers, It takes a lot of visits from bees to pollinate and set the fruit. I hand pollinated pumpkin the other week and one female flower set fruit and the other didn't. The answer I have no idea. Pumpkins, cues melons are all in the same family. The pumpkin female flower only opens for about 6-9 hrs for one day. Probably melons cues zucchinis are the same. If you are in the sub-tropics you probably should have planted these 2 mths earlier. My rockies (I should have planted a month earlier) are about 5-10 days from start picking and some grubs are just destroying the leaves.

- Mike

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