Crops › Cantaloupe
How to grow Cantaloupe
in the US
Sow April to June, plant out July, harvest June to September. About 80 days from seed to plate.
Shown for zone 6. Zone table further down.
Cantaloupes are a proper treat, aren't they? There's nothing quite like the taste of a homegrown one, sweet and juicy right from your plot. They do take up a bit of room, but that lovely flavor makes it all worthwhile.
Sowing
When you sow your cantaloupes depends on your USDA zone, you know. For those in zones 3 and 4, you're looking at May or June, maybe July for zone 3. Zone 5 is May, June, and zones 6 and 7 can start in April. Warmer zones, 8, 9, and 10, can get going from February or March, even January in zone 10, all the way through summer. The main thing is to wait until all danger of last frost has passed and the soil is proper warm, about 70°F or more. You can sow directly outside, about an inch deep, two or three seeds together in a little mound, then thin to the strongest one. If you're starting them indoors, use small pots, then transplant when they're big enough and the weather's right.
Growing on
If you started your cantaloupes indoors, you'll need to harden them off for a week or two before planting them out. Just put them outside during the day, bring them in at night, you know, get them used to it. Once they're ready and the soil's warm enough, plant them out, giving them plenty of space, maybe 3 feet apart. They do like to ramble, so a trellis or some sort of support can work wonders, keeps the fruit off the ground and saves space.
Looking after it
Cantaloupes are thirsty plants, especially when the fruit is setting and growing. Water them deeply and consistently, particularly in dry spells, that’s key. A good mulch around the base of the plants will help keep the moisture in and suppress weeds, saving you a bit of work. Feed them a balanced fertilizer every couple of weeks once they start to flower, gives them a bit of a boost.
What goes wrong
Like a lot of the cucurbit family, cantaloupes can attract a few unwanted visitors. Keep an eye out for aphids, cucumber beetles, and squash bugs. Pick off what you can, or give them a good blast with the hose. Powdery mildew can also be a problem, especially in humid weather. Make sure there's good air circulation around your plants, and try not to water the leaves directly.
Harvest
You'll be harvesting your cantaloupes around 80 days after sowing, usually August or September. You know they're ready when the skin changes color, and you can smell that lovely sweet aroma. A proper ripe cantaloupe will also 'slip' easily from the vine with a gentle twist. Store them in a cool, dry place until you're ready to eat them, and once cut, pop them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
I always put a bit of old tile or a brick under each developing cantaloupe on my plot. Stops them getting wet underneath and keeps the slugs off, to be honest.
Dates for your plot
Type your zone and the plant-out advice shifts to your frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Hale's Best This is a real classic, a dependable choice for cracking cantaloupe. If you're after a reliable harvest with good flavor, this one's a winner. | No club votes yet |
| Ambrosia Ambrosia truly lives up to its name, offering incredibly sweet and juicy fruit. It's a great one for direct sowing outside, especially if you've got good warm soil. | No club votes yet |
| Athena Athena is known for producing consistently firm, sweet cantaloupes that keep well. It's a solid choice if you're wanting a good crop to enjoy over a few weeks. | No club votes yet |
| Charentais This French heirloom is famous for its intense aroma and sweet, orange flesh. It's a bit smaller than some, but the flavor is proper cracking when grown outdoors. | No club votes yet |
| Galia Galia melons are a bit different, with a pale green flesh that's incredibly aromatic and sweet. A good one if you fancy trying something a bit out of the ordinary, and it does well started indoors. | No club votes yet |
| Minnesota Midget Perfect for smaller spaces or even large containers, this one produces small, sweet fruits on compact vines. If you're short on room but still want cantaloupe, give this a go by direct sowing. | No club votes yet |
| Sarah's Choice A fantastic choice for sweetness and good yields, Sarah's Choice is a real crowd-pleaser. It’s well-suited for starting indoors to get a head start on the season. | No club votes yet |
| Hearts of Gold This heirloom variety lives up to its name with a deep orange, very sweet flesh. It's a robust plant that does well direct-sown in a sunny spot on your plot. | No club votes yet |
| Sugar Cube As the name suggests, this variety offers incredibly sweet, personal-sized cantaloupes. It's a cracking choice for a steady supply of small, flavorful fruit from indoor starts. | No club votes yet |
| Alvaro Alvaro is known for its excellent disease resistance and good yields of sweet, juicy melons. A good option if you want to direct sow and worry a bit less about common problems. | No club votes yet |
| Honey Rock This older variety is a reliable producer of sweet, firm-fleshed cantaloupes with a classic flavor. It's a solid, dependable choice that benefits from an indoor start. | No club votes yet |
| Edisto 47 Edisto 47 is a vigorous grower and produces good yields of firm, sweet melons. It's especially good for direct sowing in areas with a decent growing season. | No club votes yet |
| Topmark Topmark gives you consistent yields of medium-sized, highly flavorful cantaloupes. It's a real workhorse that responds well to starting off indoors. | No club votes yet |
| Arava Arava is a vigorous variety that produces excellent yields of very sweet, aromatic melons. If you've got the space and warm soil, direct sowing this one can bring a cracking harvest. | No club votes yet |
| Divergent This variety offers early maturity and excellent disease resistance, giving you sweet, uniform fruits. It's a great choice if you're keen on an early crop and prefer starting seeds indoors. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Cantaloupe seeds
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Sowing by USDA zone
| Zone | Sow / plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | June to July | August to September |
| Zone 4 | May to June | July to September |
| Zone 5 | May to June | July to September |
| Zone 6 | April to June | June to September |
| Zone 7 | April to June | June to September |
| Zone 8 | March to June | May to September |
| Zone 9 | February to July | April to October |
| Zone 10 | January to July | March to October |
Cook the harvest
The Italian classic of prosciutto e melone elevated into a proper salad with peppery arugula, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze. The pairing of sweet, fragrant cantaloupe with silky, salty prosciutto is one of the most perfect flavor combinations in existence — this recipe simply frames it with great accompaniments. Requires minimal cooking and delivers maximum elegance.
15 min · easyA simple, stunning cantaloupe salad with torn fresh mint, a lime-honey dressing, and a pinch of flaky salt. This is the dish to make when you have an extraordinarily ripe cantaloupe and want nothing to distract from it — just fruit, mint, and the bright acidity of lime. Ready in five minutes and always impressive.
10 min · easyA silky, intensely flavored cantaloupe sorbet that tastes like the most perfect ripe melon distilled into a frozen form. The simplicity of this recipe lets the cantaloupe itself be the star — just fruit, a little sugar syrup, and lemon. Make it at the height of summer cantaloupe season and it will be one of the most refreshing things you eat all year.
20 min · easyA chilled cantaloupe gazpacho with cucumber, sherry vinegar, and a hint of jalapeño — sweet and savory at the same time, and stunningly refreshing on a hot day. This is the unexpected summer soup that surprises everyone who tries it, bridging the gap between fruit and vegetable in the most satisfying way. Serve in small glasses as an amuse-bouche or in bowls as a starter.
15 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: corn, radishes, nasturtium, marigolds
Questions people ask
When do you sow Cantaloupe in the US?
Sow Cantaloupe from April to June in zone 6, earlier or later by zone. Plant out July, after the last frost.
How long does Cantaloupe take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 80 days, with the harvest June to September.
Which Cantaloupe varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Hale's Best, Ambrosia, Athena, Charentais and more.
Track your Cantaloupe from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.