Good enough to eat

●Melons MELONS like to be warm and wellwatered, so do better in greenhouses here as they’re extremely sensitive to cold and wet.

Sow seeds individually in 8cm pots in a heated propagator at 16-18°C or on a warm windowsill indoors in April, pot on as necessary, staking with a cane and tying the plants in with soft twine.

Keep the plants at 16°C until the weather warms up and in mid to late spring plant them into large pots, soil borders or a grow bag in the greenhouse.

If you’re growing them outdoors, move them outside in early summer in a warm, sunny, sheltered spot in well-drained, humus-rich soil and cover them with a cloche or cold frame.

You need to pollinate those growing undercover by taking a soft artist’s brush and dabbing it into the centre of all the wide open flowers in turn, to transfer pollen from the male flowers to the females.

When fruits are gooseberry size, select the best four on each stem and remove all other flowers, fruit and leaves. If you are growing melon on a strong trellis, provide some support for the swelling fruit – a string bag or an old pair of tights supported from above will work. If you’re letting the plant sprawl on the ground, place a tile or a piece of glass under each fruit to prevent rotting.

You’ll know when they are ready because of their sweet smell.