Welcome back for Part 2 of my mini series on How to Grow Mini Melons.

Mini Melons are melons that grow smaller than normal melons thus they grow quicker and are easy to handle in the greenhouse.

If you missed Part 1 📕- Varieties and what you need to grow Melons, check it out here.

How To Sow Mini Melon Seeds

You will need:

• A packet of Mini Melon Seeds (see Part 1 for ideas on varieties),
• 9cm diameter pots,
• Peat free compost,
• A clear plastic cover or clear plastic bag.
• Watering can and water.

Sow: Late April to May,

Harvest: Late July – August.

I’ll be sowing:

🍈 Minnesota Midget from Real Seeds.

This variety is from Minnesota hence the name and was invented at the University of Minnesota around 1958.

It is a cantaloupe style melon with a green skin and orange flesh. It has a high sugar content and is sweet, juicy and they have thin rinds.

The mini melons grow on vines which can be grown in pots or containers in the unheated greenhouse. They reach a maximum height of 1.5 m. You are likely to get 4 – 6 mini melons on each vine.

Melons need regular watering and good soil nutrients to grow. In 60-70 days from sowing, the mini melons are ready. I can’t wait to see what they taste like!

Step by Step – Sowing Mini Melons

• 1. Fill your 9cm pots with compost.
• 2. Make a hole with a pencil of one inch deep.
• 3. Open your Mini Melon seed packet and put a seed in the hole. Put 1 seed in one pot.
• 4. Cover the seed with soil.
• 5. Water well to activate the seed.
• 6. Put a clear lid or clear plastic bag over the pot/s until the seed has germinated. The seed needs at least 21 degrees centigrade to germinate.
• 7. Place the pot/s in an unheated greenhouse.
• 8. Your Mini Melon seeds should germinate in 5-10 days. Check the soil and if it feels dry, water it a little bit more.
• 9. Once your seeds have germinated, remove the clear bag or lid so that your seedling can get light, warmth and the sun to continue growing.

What’s Next

Once your seedlings are big enough, it will be time to pot them on to a bigger pot, this will be their final pot, as they don’t like being moved or potted on too many times.

I’ll be doing a video of potting on my mini melons into their final pots in 4 weeks time.