Best time to plant rockmelon in Australia
Cucumis melo var. cantalupo
Also called Cantaloupe, Cantaloup, Muskmelon, Spanspek
Rockmelon is the Australian name for the netted melon North Americans know as cantaloupe, prized for sweet, fragrant, usually orange flesh, and weighing from half a kilogram to 5 kilograms. Seed lines filed here can also include smooth or mottled relatives from the same species, such as honeydew, whose flesh is green or pale.
On a shared plot: needs a lot of room
Vines wander, so train them back into your plot or up a frame.
When to sow
| Zone | Months | How well checked |
|---|---|---|
| Cool | Oct to Dec | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
| Temperate | Sep to Dec | Matches local guides |
| Subtropical | Jul to Jan | Matches local guides |
| Tropical | All year | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
| Arid | Aug to Jan | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Growing details
- How to start
- Raise seedlings, then transplant
- Sowing depth
- 2.5cm
- Plant spacing
- 40-60cm
- Row spacing
- 120cm
- Height
- 40cm
- Germination
- 3-14 days, in soil of at least 15°C
- Time to harvest
- 85 days
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- annual
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.