The Vieille Old Melon is an old French variety that is easy to grow outdoors. It produces beautiful fruit, with a growing cycle short enough to be grown north of the Loire. Juicy and strongly flavored, it is ideal for gardeners looking for a traditional variety.

How to successfully sow melons

Sowing melons in pots

Melons need a lot of heat (between 24 and 35°C) and light to germinate. The temperature during the day should therefore be within this range and not drop below 15°C at night. Ideally, you should sow your melon seeds in a warm frame or heated greenhouse in March/April and replant them in the garden after the risk of frost has passed, i.e., in mid-May.
Sow 2 or 3 seeds (point down) per pot filled with fine seed compost at a depth of 1 cm. Water regularly to keep the compost moist (but not soggy) with a sprayer. Place next to a window or in full light. Once the seedlings have emerged, the need for light is even greater, so make sure to place them in a very sunny spot.
Remove the weakest plants and keep only the most vigorous ones.

Melon sowing in place

Another solution, more commonly used by people living in the south of France or in a Mediterranean climate, is to sow directly in the ground.
Space each future melon plant 80 cm to 1 m apart, place 2 to 3 seeds per pocket (1.5 cm deep) and cover with a mixture of sifted garden soil and mature compost. Protect the seedlings with a cloche or a frame at the beginning of the growing season. Keep only the best-looking plant.

Melon Plantation

Depending on the region, you can plant young melon plants in the garden between April and mid-June. We recommend keeping a plastic tunnel at the beginning of the growing season to provide more heat. If you don't live in the south, we strongly recommend using a heated greenhouse for growing melons and watermelons. Make sure to keep a spacing of 80 cm to 1 m between each plant.
Melons thrive in a warm, sunny location, and rich, deep soil rich in potash. Feel free to loosen the soil a little before planting and add a little compost.

Vegetable Garden Association

In the vegetable garden, melon will get along well with most vegetables, except cucumber and squash.

Melon Culture

It should be noted that the new varieties do not require pruning, except for topping (cutting the head). As soon as the plant has formed 4 or 6 leaves, the main stem is pruned: this allows for rapid branching and greater fruiting.
Watering should be regular but limited; flooding your crops would diminish their taste. Do not wet the foliage when watering, as this may cause powdery mildew to develop.
Weed in the weeks following planting to avoid competition, then mulch when the soil is warm, at the end of June or beginning of July.
Remove the leaves that hide the fruit, in fact, the fruit must receive maximum sunlight.
Place wooden boards or tiles under the fruit to protect it from soil moisture and to provide extra warmth.

Melon Harvest

Harvest the fruit about 2-3 months after transplanting it into the garden. Note its color, which generally fades, and its stalk, which should appear to begin to peel off effortlessly.
You will also smell its fragrance more pronounced.
Do not store it in the refrigerator, as this will destroy its delicious aroma. Fully ripe fruits can be identified by the small crack around the stem, a sign that the melon will soon detach.

Melon Diseases

Melons are very susceptible to cucurbit mildew, leaf spot, and powdery mildew. It is imperative to avoid watering the foliage at the end of the day, especially during hot, humid weather (during summer storms), as mildew contamination occurs on damp foliage. At the end of the season, you can install a tile or board under each melon to protect it from moisture.
The main pests are aphids and seed flies. To avoid fly infestations, plant when temperatures are high enough to allow rapid plant growth.