80 days from setting out transplants; 95 days from direct sowing.
No more wasted cantaloupe slices with Lilliput! This personal-sized melon is just right for one person to devour at a single sitting. And because it grows quickly, finishes fast, and smells as good as it tastes, you will most likely gobble up the entire generous harvest in no time, and put Lilliput at the top of your list for next year's veggie garden!
Lilliput is high in sugars and very aromatic, with dark orange flesh and a very small seed cavity. It is well netted, reaching just 3½ to 5 inches in diameter and weighing 1 to 2 pounds when mature. Petite and packed with flavor!
Resistant to fusarium wilt races 0-2 as well as powdery mildew races 1-2, Lilliput is a good choice for hot and humid climes where other melons may suffer. But it is well adapted, thriving in a wide range of gardens. The slightly quicker finish means that you can grow Lilliput in short-season areas where full-size, slower melons may not ripen in time.
Sow seeds directly in the garden after the soil is thoroughly warm or, for an even earlier harvest, start them indoors in pots. Set out transplanted seedlings 18 inches apart with 4 feet between each row, or plant seeds in hills 4 feet apart, with 2 to 3 plants per hill. Lilliput is ready to harvest when the stem slips easily from the fruit with slight pressure and the rind turns from greenish to yellow-tan.
Pkt is 15 seeds.
When you think of melons, you probably think of summer. It's hard to beat the simple pleasure of eating a sweet, juicy slice of chilled honeydew or watermelon on a hot day. Well, the world of melons has far more to offer than that one nostalgia-inducing delight, and what a delicious world it is!
There's a wide variety to choose from, ranging in size from slightly larger than a softball to hefty 50-pound beauties, and they come in a range of colors, both inside and out. Melons are extremely versatile, proving wonderful freshly picked or cooled in the refrigerator, and they make a healthy dessert or snack as well as an ingredient in salads, salsas, entrees, side dishes, and drinks!
Choosing a Variety: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew
When choosing which variety of melon to grow, you will want to take into consideration the size of your growing area. Melons are vining plants and tend to require a lot of space, so be sure to grow only varieties you know you'll enjoy eating. Some gardeners have started growing melons vertically (on trellises, etc.) in order to conserve space. If you want to try this method, research which ones would be most appropriate.
Since melons come in such a wide variety of sizes, colors, and flavors, these characteristics will also play a role in what types you decide to plant in your garden.
When to Start Melon Seeds
If you live in an area with a long growing season, Melons do best if the seeds are sown outdoors when the soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed. You can sow them indoors 3 to 4 weeks before night temperatures remain above 55 degrees F.
How to Start Melon Seeds
Whether you are planting indoors or out, sow your Melons at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds. If you're planting inside, sow them in individual pots, as they don't like being transplanted. Seedless Watermelons should be started indoors.
When sowing outdoors, make a small hill of fertile, well-drained soil and plant 3 to 5 seeds about 2 inches apart. Water well.
Expect your Watermelons to germinate in 8 to 14 days. Other Melons will germinate within 7 to 10 days.
Transplanting Melon Seedlings
You need to harden off your young Melon plants for at least a week before planting them out. Set them outdoors in a lightly shaded area for an hour or two. The next day, give them a longer visit outside until they remain outdoors overnight, still in their pots. Naturally, if a cold spell hits, bring them indoors again to wait for the temperature to rise.
Watermelons:
You will want to transplant your Watermelon seedlings when they have at least two sets of true leaves. Be very careful with the roots -- they resent being disturbed. Space them about 2 feet apart in rows that are 6 to 8 feet apart, or plant them in threes on hills. Space the hills 6 to 8 feet apart. Plant in full sun, in a rich, sandy, well-drained soil. You will need to water well while the plants are growing, but once the fruit is ripening, keep the soil on the drier side, as this will improve the sweetness and flavor.
Other Melons:
Fertilize before you plant and then again every 4 weeks. You will want to transplant your Melon seedlings when they have at least two sets of true leaves. Space them about 18 inches apart in rows that are about 4 feet apart, or plant them in threes on hills. Space the hills 4 to 6 feet apart. Plant in full sun, in a rich, sandy, well-drained soil. You will need to water well while the plants are growing, but once the fruit is ripening, keep the soil on the drier side, as this will improve the sweetness and flavor.
Once your Melons have been transplanted, if cold weather should threaten, you can make a mini-greenhouse out of a one-gallon, plastic milk jug. Just cut the bottom off and set it over the plant, pushing it about ½ inch into the ground. During the day, it can be vented by removing the cap.
Special Considerations
Be sure not to start your Melons too early.
Watermelon:
Growing Tips for Melons
Pests and Problems to Watch For
This vine sprawls 8-10 feet along the ground and bears Muskmelon (what is incorrectly called Cantaloupe—a fruit that is not grown in the United States) and Honeydew Melon. Muskmelon (Reticulatus Group) is round or oval, the skin is ribbed and net-patterned, and the flesh is orange or musky. Honeydew (Inodorus Group) is round, smooth-skinned, and with a light green flesh. Harvest Muskmelon when the stem slips easily from the fruit with a slight pressure; harvest Honeydew when the skin turns pale yellow or tan (the stem may not slip easily)
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
80 days from setting out transplants; 95 days from direct sowing.
No more wasted cantaloupe slices with Lilliput! This personal-sized melon is just right for one person to devour at a single sitting. And because it grows quickly, finishes fast, and smells as good as it tastes, you will most likely gobble up the entire generous harvest in no time, and put Lilliput at the top of your list for next year's veggie garden!
Lilliput is high in sugars and very aromatic, with dark orange flesh and a very small seed cavity. It is well netted, reaching just 3½ to 5 inches in diameter and weighing 1 to 2 pounds when mature. Petite and packed with flavor!
Resistant to fusarium wilt races 0-2 as well as powdery mildew races 1-2, Lilliput is a good choice for hot and humid climes where other melons may suffer. But it is well adapted, thriving in a wide range of gardens. The slightly quicker finish means that you can grow Lilliput in short-season areas where full-size, slower melons may not ripen in time.
Sow seeds directly in the garden after the soil is thoroughly warm or, for an even earlier harvest, start them indoors in pots. Set out transplanted seedlings 18 inches apart with 4 feet between each row, or plant seeds in hills 4 feet apart, with 2 to 3 plants per hill. Lilliput is ready to harvest when the stem slips easily from the fruit with slight pressure and the rind turns from greenish to yellow-tan.
Pkt is 15 seeds.
When you think of melons, you probably think of summer. It's hard to beat the simple pleasure of eating a sweet, juicy slice of chilled honeydew or watermelon on a hot day. Well, the world of melons has far more to offer than that one nostalgia-inducing delight, and what a delicious world it is!
There's a wide variety to choose from, ranging in size from slightly larger than a softball to hefty 50-pound beauties, and they come in a range of colors, both inside and out. Melons are extremely versatile, proving wonderful freshly picked or cooled in the refrigerator, and they make a healthy dessert or snack as well as an ingredient in salads, salsas, entrees, side dishes, and drinks!
Choosing a Variety: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew
When choosing which variety of melon to grow, you will want to take into consideration the size of your growing area. Melons are vining plants and tend to require a lot of space, so be sure to grow only varieties you know you'll enjoy eating. Some gardeners have started growing melons vertically (on trellises, etc.) in order to conserve space. If you want to try this method, research which ones would be most appropriate.
Since melons come in such a wide variety of sizes, colors, and flavors, these characteristics will also play a role in what types you decide to plant in your garden.
When to Start Melon Seeds
If you live in an area with a long growing season, Melons do best if the seeds are sown outdoors when the soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed. You can sow them indoors 3 to 4 weeks before night temperatures remain above 55 degrees F.
How to Start Melon Seeds
Whether you are planting indoors or out, sow your Melons at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds. If you're planting inside, sow them in individual pots, as they don't like being transplanted. Seedless Watermelons should be started indoors.
When sowing outdoors, make a small hill of fertile, well-drained soil and plant 3 to 5 seeds about 2 inches apart. Water well.
Expect your Watermelons to germinate in 8 to 14 days. Other Melons will germinate within 7 to 10 days.
Transplanting Melon Seedlings
You need to harden off your young Melon plants for at least a week before planting them out. Set them outdoors in a lightly shaded area for an hour or two. The next day, give them a longer visit outside until they remain outdoors overnight, still in their pots. Naturally, if a cold spell hits, bring them indoors again to wait for the temperature to rise.
Watermelons:
You will want to transplant your Watermelon seedlings when they have at least two sets of true leaves. Be very careful with the roots -- they resent being disturbed. Space them about 2 feet apart in rows that are 6 to 8 feet apart, or plant them in threes on hills. Space the hills 6 to 8 feet apart. Plant in full sun, in a rich, sandy, well-drained soil. You will need to water well while the plants are growing, but once the fruit is ripening, keep the soil on the drier side, as this will improve the sweetness and flavor.
Other Melons:
Fertilize before you plant and then again every 4 weeks. You will want to transplant your Melon seedlings when they have at least two sets of true leaves. Space them about 18 inches apart in rows that are about 4 feet apart, or plant them in threes on hills. Space the hills 4 to 6 feet apart. Plant in full sun, in a rich, sandy, well-drained soil. You will need to water well while the plants are growing, but once the fruit is ripening, keep the soil on the drier side, as this will improve the sweetness and flavor.
Once your Melons have been transplanted, if cold weather should threaten, you can make a mini-greenhouse out of a one-gallon, plastic milk jug. Just cut the bottom off and set it over the plant, pushing it about ½ inch into the ground. During the day, it can be vented by removing the cap.
Special Considerations
Be sure not to start your Melons too early.
Watermelon:
Growing Tips for Melons
Pests and Problems to Watch For
This vine sprawls 8-10 feet along the ground and bears Muskmelon (what is incorrectly called Cantaloupe—a fruit that is not grown in the United States) and Honeydew Melon. Muskmelon (Reticulatus Group) is round or oval, the skin is ribbed and net-patterned, and the flesh is orange or musky. Honeydew (Inodorus Group) is round, smooth-skinned, and with a light green flesh. Harvest Muskmelon when the stem slips easily from the fruit with a slight pressure; harvest Honeydew when the skin turns pale yellow or tan (the stem may not slip easily)
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.