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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01 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You can grow rockies in the autumn. Probably don't taste as good as the spring ones. I had rockies in and harvested the last in Jan - the fruit left in the garden bed, their seeds were germinating with in a fortnight.
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03 Feb 18, james (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
tip when they are ready eat them
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05 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The older varieties use to start turning yellow and they would pull away from the vine easy when ripening. And you could smell the rocky smell. Called slipping. The new varieties in the super markets don't do this so it is a bit of a guessing game. They have green skin and the flesh is tough. I grew some of the newer ones and around ripening time we had 5
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17 Dec 17, Laurence Lim (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Planted about 20 rock melon plants. Plenty of male flowers. So far only two female flowers.. hand pollinate both.. not successful.. Why are there so few female flowers? Is there deficiency of certain element in the soil? Regards, L Lim
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19 Dec 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
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.
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29 Mar 17, Dianne James (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I live near goulburn nsw and was wondering if i could grow rockmelon if so when thank you
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15 Oct 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Probably after the last chance of frosts. Start seeds 3-4 weeks before the last frost.
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30 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Rock melons like it hot so should do well in Goulburn. Start the plants early in Toilet paper cylinders ready for planting after the last frost. Plant the cylinder and all as the cylinder will rot. Seeds are generally readily available or look online at companies like - Green Harvest, Eden Seeds, Diggers, New Gippsland Seeds, etc. There are a number of shorter season varieties listed if you are worried. All the best.
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10 Apr 17, Lizzy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I am growing the diggers rockmelon world variety in Queanbeyan on a northern bank The ones that came out were honeydew. They are small but very tasty. D'agen rockmelon also grow. Get them going early in a glasshouse or inside.
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07 Oct 17, Monique (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Lizzy, do you mind me asking where your melons came from? I'm in Queanbeyan myself and have just moved to a place with garden space so my daughter would love to grow some yummy things, but it's too late to start melon from seeds and I can't find rockmelon seedlings!
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Showing 41 - 50 of 217 comments
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You could let them grow - thin them out or separate them to 2-3' apart. I did this in Oct - the plants are just setting and growing fruit now. You may have to protect them later when they have fruit on from the sun. Better to plant them late August (away from frosts) or early Sept. The picking season is well under way in SE Qld now - probably finished by Xmas.

- Mike

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