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There are so many more textures and flavors than
the average American grocery store offers.
Additionally, what is typically sold as "cantaloupe" are usually muskmelons so
there is confusion caused by marketing.
 There are eight distinct groups (some refer to
them as subspecies) of Cucumis melo (melons). Although they are
useful in sorting melons for descriptive purposes, all groups will cross with
each other.
Click Here for melon
growing information.
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 Banana
Melon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
It is a very old variety pre-dating 1880. Its fruit are an
interesting, elongated shaped, pinched at the ends, with a yellow
skin that is mostly smooth with very little netting. It
resembles a giant (18 to 24 inch long) banana, hence its name.
Fruits weigh about five pounds.
When looking through old seed catalogs prior to about 1900, nearly
everyone listed the Banana melon. The 1885
James, J. H. Gregory seed annual stated, "None of
the 170 varieties of vegetables exhibited by me at the Essex
Agricultural Society in the fall of 1883 created a greater
interest than the Banana melon." |
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 Burrell's
Jumbo Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
82 days
—
Selected from
'Hale's Best' by D. V.
Burrell. Large fruits are well suited for both home and
market gardeners. The netted melons weigh up to five pounds and
have thick, sweet salmon-colored flesh. |
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Crenshaw
(Inodorus Group)
115 days
—
The vines are vigorous and productive. The fruits are
pear-shaped, six to eight pounds, with skin that is green to
yellow in color and salmon-pink flesh. Grows best in warmer
climates. |
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Eden
Gem (Rocky Ford, Green Fleshed) Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
Introduced in 1881. The fruits are
two to
three pounds, heavily netted, slightly ribbed and prolific. The
flesh is green. Very sweet and tasty. |
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Edisto
Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
Oval fruits that are finely netted, with light
ribs and weigh about four pounds. They have orange flesh
with a small seed cavity. Does well in hot, humid
conditions.
Released in 1957 by
the Clemson Agricultural Experimental Station. |
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 Hale's Best Jumbo Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
85 days
—
Large, early. Thick, salmon-orange flesh.
Oval shaped fruit, heavy netting. 3½ to five pounds each.
Introduced about 1924.1 |
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 Hearts
of Gold (Hoodoo)
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
The
fruits are nearly round and weigh two to three pounds with
deep-orange, sweet, fragrant flesh. The rinds are heavily
netted, medium ribbed, on vines that are vigorous and productive.
'Hearts of Gold' is a very old commercial variety. It was
released in about 1895 by Roland Morrill of Benton Harbor,
Michigan.5
It remained one of the most popular commercial melons throughout
the Midwest into the 1930s. Mr. Morrill also release 'Osage'. |
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 Honey
Rock Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
80 days
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The fruits are up to six inches in diameter
with a tough, coarsely netted skin and sweet, flavorful salmon
colored flesh. The plants are vigorous, produce five to
seven
fruits per plant and are fusarium wilt resistant.'Honey Rock' is said to have
been a result of a cross between 'Champlain', 'Irondequoit' and
'Honey Dew' and was introduced by Watt Richardson of Ohio in
about 1920.1
An "All-American Selection®"
winner in 1933. |
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Honeydew,
Green Flesh
(Inodorus Group)
115 days
—
The fruits have a smooth, creamy white skin with lime-green flesh
that is incredibly sweet with a small seed cavity. They are
typically seven to nine inches long and five to six inches in
diameter weighing three to six pounds. They store and ship
well.
Although known as 'Honeydew' melons here in the United States,
they are called 'White Antibes Winter' melons in Europe3
and 'Bailan' or 'Wallace' melons in China.4
Prior to their import into the United States in about 1911, they
had been grown in France and Algieria for decades. |
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Honeydew,
Orange Flesh
(Inodorus Group)
110 days
—
Very similar to the green-fleshed variety (see above) except that
the flesh is a nice light orange color.
There
is conflicting information about the history of this variety.
Some point out that "red-fleshed" (orange being a shade of red in
the old texts) varieties existed in Europe prior to its arrival in
the U.S.3
Others site a 1929 introduction by the Aggeler & Musser Seed
Company stating that it was a cross of the green-fleshed honeydew
with Livingston's 'Tip Top' melon. |
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 Minnesota
Midget
(Reticulatus
Group)
70 days
- Very early maturing. The plants are compact and some folks
report that this variety does well growing in tubs. The fruits are small, five to
six
inches in diameter, weighing thirteen ounces to one and a half
pounds, delicious flavor. Fruit slips from vine when ripe.
Developed at the
University of Minnesota and introduced by Farmer Seed in about 1948. |
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 Osage
Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days —
Oval or egg shaped, with slight to moderate ribbing and slight netting. The outside rind is dark green when immature, ripening to a mottled orange green. Has a small seed cavity. Flesh is thick and salmon colored with a sweet spicy flavor. Weighs between
three to
five pounds.The origin of 'Osage' was a
selection of a natural cross between 'Orange Christiana' and a
"small black melon obtained from a Swedish gardener on the Osage
River in Missouri" by Roland Morrill of Benton Harbor, Michigan
in about 1880. It was released commercially by Vaughn's
Seed Store in 1887.1
Mr. Morrill also
release 'Hearts of Gold'. |
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 Planter's
Jumbo Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
88 days
—
The vines are vigorous, are mildew resistant, and do well in drought
or high rainfall. The fruits have a firm rind with light
ribs and thick, orange flesh, weighing four or five pounds on
average. Selected in 1954 by the USDA and Clemson, South
Carolina
Agricultural Experimental Station. |
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 Plum Granny
(Dudaim Group)
75 days
—
Also
known as 'Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon', 'Vine Pomegranate' and
'Perfume Melon'. A very fragrant heirloom. According
to Amy Goldman in her book, "Melons
for the Passionate Grower," this variety has been know
for at least 1000 years. Used in the Victorian-era as a
perfume to mask body odor by carrying in pockets and purses.
The skin of the apple-sized fruit are yellow with deep orange-red
stripes and white flesh. They are edible and some folks like
the flavor. They are kind of like a cucumber without the
crunch. One or two melons fill a room with their perfume.
Our stock comes from David Pendergrass, whose grandmother raised
these melons for years. |
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 Schoon's
Hardshell Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
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The fruits have a very hard shell and are
almost round, weighing up to eight pounds. The flesh is
apricot-colored, sweet and very tasty. Unlike other
varieties, they maintain their taste and texture days after being
harvested. Said to possess better eating qualities than 'Bender's Surprise' and is a
good shipper. Reportedly a cross between 'Bender's Surprise' and
'Honey
Rock'. Introduced by F. H. Woodruff & Sons of Milford,
Connecticut in about 1947. |
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 Small
Persian Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
115 days
—
The plants have a deep root system and
require less moisture. Ideal for
California. The fruit
can weigh up to seven pounds, are globe-shaped with no ribbing,
have fine netting, and bright orange
flesh with a small seed cavity. |
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Top Mark Muskmelon
 (Reticulatus Group)
90 days — A fine shipping variety with a tough rind to protect fruit from
bruising. May be picked at full slip stage of maturity. the oval fruits are 3 to
3½ pounds and measure 5 x 5½ inches. The flesh is sweet, deep
salmon colored with a small seed cavity. [Approximately 35 seeds / gram] |
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