how do u grow honeydew melons?

[Gman]

Thanx a bunch gar for responding to my 2 diffrent questions. I will have to try putting down the 7 layers of news paper. never heard of it. how much did u water ur canalopes? thanx a bunch
Greg

[Gar]

Gman,
Last year I planted three plants of cantalope, and got quite a few. There were some critters, that were passing thru, decided to help them selves to a snake of cantalope and eat the meat but left the seeds and rinds for me to clean up. All of it went into the compost but was not finished composting when I till it into the garden last fall. The seeds that did not break down came up this spring. I had about 10-12 plants that sprouted. When I planted the rest of the garden, I would upfold the paper, leave it folded one time, water it, so it doesn't blow away, then put a very generous helping of grass clippings on top, as mulch. Then I would water it real good. I would say about 1 inch of water. Then not water for at least another week. Once the tomatoes were established and growing real good, I cut back on the amount of watering. I would move part of thre mulch aside and check for moisture. If it felt dry I would once again water. You would be real supprised at how well the paper and mulch hold the moisture in, and also it cuts down on the amount of weeds in the garden. You will still have weeds, just pull them out and either deposit them in the compost or let leave them in the garden to decompose and become fertilizer.
This is the second year for a garden which started out as hard black clay. Keep adding compost and mulch and over time yur soil will become very crumbly with lots of earthworms. Alos don't forget to foliar feed with compost tea. Your plants will thank you for the delicious snack. I hope this helps and good luck with your garden. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Thats what this forum is about. Sharing ideas, experiences and questions.