Canary Melons

The canary melon is a football sized melon with an extremely sweet flesh and bright yellow rind. The flavor notes of pineapple, banana, and papaya make it a tropical treat!  Normally the leaves have clean foliage with rust occurring the most during drought periods with irregular watering.  In our trials the rust did not hinder performance with ten to fifteen melons being produced per plant.  Canary melons will ripen off the vine making harvesting more flexible.  The dense rinds canary melons great keepers for longer term storage.  We still have melons going strong in the end of October from an August picking.  Our storage being similar to a regular garage environment with no refrigeration.  Refrigeration at 50° F with moderate humidity will enable longer term storage but will slow the ripening process.
Fruit Size: 4-10 lbs.
Spacing: 24" apart w/ rows 5'-6' apart, allow at least 50 square feet in small gardens
Days to Maturity: 90-100
Soil Type/pH: Well-draining sandy loam preferred, 6.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer: Apply an all-purpose fertilizer at planting and side dress again a month after planting.  We prefer organic formulations for better soil health.  Fertilize weekly with a liquid fertilizer, like fish emulsion, if growth is slow.
Water: Keep evenly moist but not overly wet for best performance.
Container Size: 4.5" Pot, 2 plants/pot