The Best Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon Varieties to Grow

Are you looking to add some sweet and juicy melons to your home garden this season? Cantaloupe and honeydew are popular choices for those wanting a tasty treat straight from the vine. Growing your own heirloom melons from seed will give you the best and most flavorful varieties available. Learn more about the different types of melons and pick your favorite to grow.

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Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Muskmelon

All melons belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and gourds. Melons are typically divided into watermelons and muskmelons, with cantaloupe and honeydew falling into the cucumis category. Despite being in the same family, melons are separated into different genera. Watermelons are part of the Citrullus genus, while other melons like cantaloupe and honeydew are part of the Cucumis genus. In total, four main genera encompass different types of melons, such as wax gourd and bitter melon.

Honeydew and Cantaloupe melons have a long history of cultivation, and it's no secret why. These sweet fruits are bursting with flavor. Even after thousands of years, there is nothing like a home-grown cantaloupe. The flavor and sweetness of these melons are unmatched. With their soft yet firm flesh and delicious taste, they will surely be a favorite among melon lovers. So why not give them a try?

Heirloom Melon Varieties to Grow From Seed

The question that really matters when growing cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew is what does it taste like? Different types of melons will have their own distinct color and texture. Knowing the various types of cantaloupe and melons will help you pick your favorites to grow.

What we call cantaloupe and sometimes muskmelon, are the melons that have a netting texture on the rind. Honeydew and canary melons have a smooth rind. When ripe, all cucumis melons should have a soft but firm texture. Melons in the Cucumis category are juicy with a smoother, more dense texture than watermelon. The interior colors will vary depending on the melon type. The color can range from creamy green to bright orange. And each variety of melon will have its own distinct flavor. The variety of colors and flavors is what makes homegrown melons so appealing.

These are some of our favorite heirloom cantaloupe and honeydew melon varieties to grow.

Hale’s Best Melon

Hale's Best Melon is an heirloom favorite from the s. It is also called a muskmelon and has a thin rind with heavy netting. If you’re looking for a traditional cantaloupe with a silky texture and super sweet orange flesh, Hale’s Best is the melon variety for you. It thrives in hot weather and is somewhat drought tolerant, although you want to ensure consistent water for best growth. Mature melons of this variety can weigh 3 to 5 pounds.

Honey Rock Melon

Honey Rock Melon is a vigorous cantaloupe that produces 5-7 melons per vine in about 80 days. Mature melons are six inches in diameter. The thick outer rind has a coarse netting and is like a rock covering the sweet and tender interior. Honey Rock melons are resistant to fusarium wilt and are an AAS winner. The sweet and subtle flavor pairs well with prosciutto. These melons typically weigh 3 to 4 pounds.

Honeydew Melon

We say it a lot at Sow Right Seeds because it is so true —There is nothing like the flavor of homegrown! Honeydew from the store is usually disappointing. The flesh is too firm, often crunchy, and the flavor is hardly detectable. A perfectly ripe honeydew melon has the most exquisite taste. The light green flesh is succulent and firm with a subtle honey-like flavor. There is no comparison! Honeydew is cool and refreshing when eaten alone and can also be added to fruit salads or smoothies. If you only plant one melon in your garden, grow honeydew.

Juane Canary Melon

A delicious summer treat, Juane Canary melons are a winner. They grow fast and can be ready for harvesting in about 80 days. Each melon typically weighs 4-5 lbs. The outer rind is bright yellow and protects the juicy cream-colored flesh within. This prized heirloom canary melon grows 10' long vines that reach 2' tall. The sugary flavor is sweet but won’t raise your blood sugar.

Growing your own heirloom melons from seed will give you the best and most flavorful varieties available, from the silky, sweet orange flesh of Hale’s Best Melon to the honey-like taste of homegrown Honeydew. Each variety, including the vigorous Honey Rock Melon and the fast-growing Juane Canary Melon, promises a unique and exquisite taste. Experience the unparalleled flavor of fresh, homegrown melons. Don’t miss out – buy your melon seeds today and enjoy the sweetness of the season straight from your garden!

There's no feeling quite as good as cracking open a perfect melon. There's also no feeling quite as bad as cracking open a bad melon. One is like winning the lottery, the other is like losing a bet: Either you get to enjoy some of the freshest, juiciest fruit you've ever had, or you're stuck with a whole lot of lackluster melon that no one wants to eat—and you're out $5.

Picking a good melon isn't as easy or straightforward as it is with other fruits. You can't just give a melon a squeeze and know that it's ready to eat like you might with a peach or an avocado. However, there are plenty of subtle signs that can point you in the right direction, Katy Green, a produce field inspector at Whole Foods Market, tells SELF. According to Green, this is all the information you'll need to pick the best melon every time.

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Forget everything you've been told about knocking on melons.

I don't know about you, but my mom always told me the best melons would sound hollow when you knocked on them. Much to my chagrin, Green says this is an unreliable method and there's no evidence to suggest that it's anything more than legend (sorry, Mom). Instead, she says there are lots of reliable visual indicators that will be easy to spot once you know what you're looking for.

Melons don't ripen as they age like other fruit.

"In general, melons will not change significantly once they're harvested from the vine," Green explains. She says that cantaloupes, honeydew, and watermelon are all non-climacteric fruits, which means that once they're harvested, they won't continue to become tastier or sweeter like peaches or bananas will.

Fortunately bad melons are easy to spot.

Since melons don't ripen, an under- or overripe or bad one will never become good the way a green banana eventually becomes yellow. "A bad melon could be one that was harvested too early or too late, held for too long post-harvest, or improperly handled," Green explains. Soft rinds, brownish colors, or excessive spotting or scarring can all indicate bad cantaloupes, honeydew, and watermelons.

All melons are in season during the summer months, so you'll find the best ones then. You can usually buy any common melon variety year-round, but odds are it's just not going to be very tasty.

Good watermelons will have a shiny rind and a gold spot.

Green says a surefire way to find the best watermelon for your summer BBQ is to look for one with a large deep gold, yellow, or straw-colored spot on the outside. These are called ground spots and they're where the melon rested on the soil. During the growing process, these spots start out white and gradually change color as the sugar content increases. When they're gold, that means they've fully matured and are ready to be harvested.

Green says that a good watermelon will also have a firm and shiny rind and and that it will feel heavy for its size. And in case you didn't know, watermelons have stems. They're hard and curly and they'll be green if the watermelon is good. Avoid watermelons with brown stems, as that can be a sign of aging.

Combine your perfect watermelon with almonds and mint for a light, refreshing snack.

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There are two main varieties of cantaloupe and each has its own indicator of how good it'll be.

From July to September, Green says the type of cantaloupe you'll find at most grocery stores will be from the Western Shipper family. "These cantaloupes are straw or golden in color with an even and thick netting," she explains. Look for ones with green indentations about the size of a nickel towards the top or bottom of the melon—this is known as the stem end because it's where the fruit has fallen from the vine. The opposite end (known as the blossom end) should give slightly when you press it. It should also have a strong golden color and an aroma you can smell without having to cut it open.

The rest of the year, cantaloupes from the Harper family are in season. Green says they're easy to recognize because they have a short, clipped stem from where they were cut on the vine, unlike the Western Shippers, which fall off the vine when they're ripe. They also have a netting that can vary from tight and full to very loose and thin. The best ones will have a netting that covers the stem.

Turn your cantaloupe into the most delicious bowl for yogurt.

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The best honeydew will have a white or creamy color.

It should also be free of microhairs and feel tacky, kind of like a basketball. Green adds that slight scarring around the stem can indicate sweetness, as can a strong melon scent in the same spot.

Combine honeydew with cottage cheese and pecans to make the most of it.

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And if all these tricks fail you, there's one foolproof way to find a good melon, no matter the variety.

Green says that if syrupy juice is leaking out of the stem end of the melon, then it's definitely a good, sweet melon. This is true for all the different varieties. Now that you know, get out there and enjoy summer melons while you can.

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