Hearts of Gold Melon

The Hearts of Gold cantaloupe is a delicious and easy-to-grow heirloom variety of muskmelon with orange flesh and tan, netted skin. Producing 5–7″ round fruit that weigh 3–5 pounds each, this cantaloupe is valued for its early ripening, high productivity, and blight resistance. Hearts of Gold love it hot and sunny, so time your plantings for mid to late summer harvests. A single cantaloupe vine has both male flowers as well as "perfect" flowers composed of both male and female parts. Like other types of cantaloupe, Hearts of Gold plants must be pollinated in order to properly produce and develop fruit. The window for cantaloupe pollination is short, however, as it lasts only one day. According to the Burpee website, the fruit of the Hearts of Gold cantaloupe takes anywhere between 80 and 90 days, from planting to harvest, to reach maturity.

• Plant melons when the soil has warmed to 70° to 80°F. 
• Start cantaloupe seed indoors 6 weeks before transplanting seedlings into the garden. Start seed indoors in biodegradable peat or paper pots that can be set directly into the garden.
• Sow cantaloupe seed in the garden or set out transplants 3 to 4 weeks after the last average frost date in spring.
• Cantaloupes require 70 to 100 frost-free days to reach harvest; cantaloupes will tolerate no frost.

Melons grow best in soil that has a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Melons grown in soil that is more acidic than this may not produce fruit. Before planting Hearts of Gold or any other type of cantaloupe, amend the soil with compost and applying an all-purpose fertilizer with a 10-10-10 formula. Cantaloupe plants also need full sun for best flowering and fruit production.

Plant cantaloupe melon seeds at a depth of 1 to 2 inches. You can also start the seeds indoors in pots and transplant them into the garden bed once soil temperatures have warmed up to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Reducing water when the fruit of cantaloupe is ripening will help improve the flavor of the melon. It is also essential to avoid overwatering during the last two weeks of ripening, as excess moisture during this time can cause the fruit to split. Hearts of Gold cantaloupe also can be trained up a trellis to save space.