Melon Ogen - Cucumis melo

Soil preparation: Melons need a nutrient-rich soil and plenty of warmth for successful fruiting. Choose a location that is both sunny and sheltered. Melon plants prefer cool and well-drained soils. Loosen the soil to a depth of about 10cm (4in) without turning it over. Apply well-decomposed organic compost. If the soil is not well-drained, you can create small mounds for each plant.

Sowing under glass: In regions with less sunlight, it is preferable to sow melon seeds on a heated bed under a greenhouse before transplanting them outdoors. Starting from the end of March, fill small pots (at least 8cm (3in) in diameter) with special seed compost and plant 2 or 3 melon seeds per pot, pointed downwards to facilitate root development. Moisten the soil, which should remain moderately damp. The seeds usually germinate in about a week. When the seedlings have three true leaves, thin them out to keep only one plant per pot. Depending on the sowing date, you can either transplant them outdoors if the soil is warm enough and the risk of frost has passed, or keep one plant in each pot until the soil warms up. When transplanting outdoors, leave a spacing of 1m (3ft) between the rows and between plants within each row.

Sowing in open ground: In southern regions or on the Atlantic coast, melon seeds can be sown directly in open ground. Make sure the soil is sufficiently warm beforehand. Sow two to three seeds per hole, with the pointed end facing downwards, and maintain a spacing of 1m (3ft) between rows and between plants within each row. Moisten the soil, which should remain moderately damp. When the seedlings have three true leaves, keep the strongest one. This sowing can be done in May, once the risk of frost has passed. Use cloches or mini-tunnels if necessary.

Melon cultivation requires regular watering (about twice a week in summer, depending on the climate). Be careful to water only the base of the plant and not the leaves to prevent the onset of mildew and powdery mildew. Regular weeding and hoeing are also recommended.

Melons are quite demanding, so you can follow them with peas or broad beans.