Melon
Cucumis melo
Also called Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Musk melon
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitSupport each fruit in a net once it swells, or its own weight snaps the stem days before it ripens.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Very hard
- Water
- Every 2 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun under glass
- Feed
- Every 10 days
- Humidity
- High
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 1.25 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- Africa and South Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsSafe for pets
PeopleNothing recorded against it
Safe to eat: fruit.
Checked against ASPCA, Johnny's Selected Seeds and Clemson HGIC on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A bloom of grey-white felt on the upper face of the oldest leaves nearest the crown, days before those leaves go papery and the fruit stops filling.Powdery mildew · disease
- A cloud of tiny white flies rising when a leaf is turned, and a sticky shine on the leaves beneath them.Glasshouse whitefly · pest
- Small fruits yellowing at the flower end and dropping at walnut size — the female flowers opened with no male flower out to pollinate them.Failed fruit set · disorder