French heirloom melon variety Charentais (Cucumis melo)
This melon is a famous French heirloom variety that can be grown in a polytunnel or (preferably) a greenhouse in colder climates. If you have some extra space in your greenhouse we can highly recommend growing your own melons! They grow fast and are comparable to growing tomatoes. The plants will produce many flowers but if your summer is short it’s best to keep just a few. The more fruits a plant bears, the longer it will take to ripen.

Charentais is a type of cantaloupe. You do not often find them in supermarkets because they are more delicate. All the more reason to try this variety!

Sowing and harvesting

• Start seeds around mid-March to mid-April indoors.
• Germinate seeds in a smaller cell-size tray and transplant them to a larger pot
• Plant out after the frost has passed!
• When ripe, it slightly changes to a soft grey color. The flesh should be orange and sweet.

Advice and tips

• Provide support once plants are established or
• Plant the rootball on top of a nylon rope and string it up (don’t use natural material because it will decay after a few weeks)
• Space 50 cm apart
• Try to ripen 2 to 4 melons per plant
• The more fruits, the longer it takes to ripen
• Melons prefer a slightly moist soil

Seed characteristics

package contains: 30-40 seeds