Cantaloupe

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Muskmelon, also known as cantaloupe, is a tender, heat-loving vegetable. Most varieties of the muskmelon have a musk smell; thus the name muskmelon. Muskmelon originated in India and were cultivated by settlers in the 1600's.

The name cantaloupe applies to two types of muskmelons, but most often North Americans use "cantaloupe" refering to the reticulated muskmelon, known for its bright orange flesh and distinctive smell. Cucumis melo cantalupensis is the European or true

cantaloupe, known by its pale green outer skin. This article pertains to Cucumis melo reticulatus, which is much more common in the Americas. The muskmelon is a long trailing annual vine that belongs to the cucumber family. The netted melon, or muskmelon, is usually called a cantaloupe. Real cantaloupe (the European variety) is not often grown in home gardens.

Varieties

All varieties are hybrids unless designated OP (for open-pollinated).

Orange-Fleshed:

Ambrosia (86 days to harvest, very sweet flesh)
Burpee Hybrid (85 days, standard eastern sutured melon)
Bush Star (88 days; 2 pounds; bush-type plant for limited space)
Earlisweet (68 days; very early; 2 to 3 pounds, good sweet flavor, firm flesh)
Gold Star (87 days, resistant to fusarium wilt)
Harper Hybrid (86 days, resistant to alternaria blight, fusarium wilt, mosaic)
Harvest Queen (OP-90 days, resistant to fusarium wilt)
Iroquois (OP-85 days, resistant to fusarium, very tasty)
Pulsar (80 days; heavily netted; tolerant to powdery mildew, fusarium)
Rising Star (84 days, resistant to fusarium race 2)
Saticoy (86 days; resistant to fusarium wilt, powdery mildew)
Supermarket (88 days; resistant to fusarium wilt, powdery mildew)
Superstar (86 days; resistant to fusarium race 2; large; fine flavor)

Green-Fleshed:

Jenny Lind (OP-75 days, heirloom; medium to small, flat melons, with protruding section at blossom end; sweet flesh)
Passport (73 days, luscious green flesh)
Rocky Sweet (80 days; thick, green, sweet flesh)
Sweet Dream (79 days; delicious, sweet, flavorful)

Hybrid Honeydew-Type:

Early Dew (85 days, creamy yellow rind, good flavor)
Honey Brew (90 days; high yield; strong, disease-resistant vines)
Limelight (96 days; 7 to 8 pounds; thick, juicy, sweet flesh)
Morning Dew (96 days; largest honeydew-type; 10 to 12 pounds; thick, sweet flesh)
Morning Ice (84 days; resistant to powdery mildew, fusarium race 2)
Venus (88 days; light netting over smooth, golden rind; thick, juicy, aromatic flesh)

Other Specialty Melons:

Casaba Golden Beauty (OP-110 days; 7 to 8 pounds; white, spicy-sweet flesh)
Early Crenshaw (90 days)
Honeyshaw (85 days, salmon pink flesh, delicious)
Marygold (92 days; casaba type; yellow, wrinkled skin with white flesh)