How to Germinate Cantaloupe Seeds

Overview

Planting cantaloupes in your garden brings the promise of sweet melon on the summer table. Cantaloupe is a hot-weather plant, and the quickest-growing varieties require at least 70 days of frost-free temperatures to reach maturity. Cantaloupes grow best when directly seeded into the garden. The roots tolerate very little disturbance; only an experienced gardener should attempt to transplant seedlings. Cantaloupes grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 10, which include most of the United States, except extreme northern and mountainous areas.

Step 1

Prepare a well-drained, sunny garden bed in spring as soon as daytime temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Work compost into the soil to raise the planting bed 3 inches, which improves drainage and soil nutrition.

Step 2

Place a soaker hose along your planting rows. Cover the planting bed with a layer of plastic garden sheeting to preserve soil temperature in case of cool nights. Cut holes in the sheeting where you will be sowing each seed.

Step 3

Plant seeds in groups of three a half-inch deep into the soil. Space each group 18 inches apart in rows that are 5 feet apart.

Step 4

Keep the soil moist at all times until the seeds germinate and sprouts appear, in 7 to 4 days. Once seeds sprout, water deeply twice a week.

Step 5

Cultivate the soil with a hand-held cultivator tool between rows to keep weeds from seeding. Carefully weed near the cantaloupe seedlings after they appear.