Melon, 'Alvaro', F1 Hybrid

Germination

Sow indoors. Sow 10mm deep into an 8cm pot of moist, well-drained seed compost. Keep moist at all times. Place in a propagator or seal in a plastic bag to maintain moisture and temperature. Keep at +20°C. Germination takes 7-10 days. When large enough to handle transplant to a grow bag. Grow on at 20°C. Move outdoors once soil has warmed to +18°C and all danger of frost has passed. Can be planted directly in single rows 90cm apart with 200cm between rows. Please refer to our website for further growing instructions.

Growing

Prefers well-drained rich soil which is warm and continually moist, not wet. A glasshouse or poly tunnel is ideal but can also be grown outdoors in the UK. Melons will require a support on which to grow. Top dress with compost when white roots are visible. If leaves start to yellow use a liquid tomato fertiliser. Feed weekly once fruits start to form. Train Melons up a single line of string, tied vertically, tie the strongest shoot to the support and pinch off side shoots. As the plant grows pinch out each stem a couple of leaves beyond the female flowers. When the plant reaches the top of the support pinch out leading stem. The flowers will need manual pollination, use a small paintbrush and brush and brush each flower in turn. Remove male flowers from the plant after 2-3 days. Lay straw down to protect fruit.

Cultivation

Reduce watering about 3 weeks prior to harvest to give sweet fruit. The fruit should have a good fragrance and should make a hollow sound when tapped. There may be cracking around the stem. The melon, if ripe should easily come away from the stem.