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Cucurbitaceae
CUCUMIS melo 'Gold Rush'
Cantaloupe, Gold Rush Cantaloupe
Fragrant and delicious canteloupe is a sweet summer treat. The flesh of the hybrid 'Gold Rush' is very sweet and bright orange. This early-producing variety has fragrant, perfectly round fruit with a golden tan, netted skin (making it a truly a muskmelon). Each weighs about 3.5-4.5 pounds (1.5-2 kilograms) when ready to harvest.
Melons are tropical annual vines with long, spreading stems that cling via springy tendrils. Their big lobed leaves are coarse, fuzzy and medium to deep green. Bright yellow, funnel-shaped flowers are produced when the vines reach maturity. The flowers are monoecious, meaning separate male and female yellow flowers appear on each vine. The pollen producing male flowers open first, followed by the female flowers, which have distinctive bulbous ovaries at their bases. Only the female flowers produce melons and each must be pollinated by bees for fruit set, so be sure to encourage these productive garden insects.
Melons require full sun and friable, fertile, deep soil with good drainage. A neutral pH is best. Vines should be planted after the danger of frost has passed. It is common practice to create mounds of soil to grow melons in. The seed can be directly sown in ground, and plants take an average of 80 to 85 days to produce harvestable fruit. Summer warmth must also last at least 10 weeks. Melons need space and should be surrounded by a layer of straw to protect the fruits from rot and keep weeds at bay. If space is limited, they can be grown on a trellis and fruits supported with cloth slings. Heavy rains can cause ripe fruits on the vine to split and lose sweetness.
Cantaloupes are best harvested when the skin becomes fragrant and the melon can be easily removed from the vine. Mature fruits also become yellower at the base and emit a hollow sound if knocked.
12 - 4
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Fruit
Full Sun
8"-14" / 20.3cm - 35.6cm
5'-7' / 1.5m - 2.1m
Indeterminate
Hybrid Origin
Neutral
Well Drained
Loam
Fast
Average Water
Vining/Climbing
Summer, Fall
Showy
Yellow
Orange, Gold, Tan
Green
Dark Green
No
Yes
Single
Coarse
Matte
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
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