(Best months for planting Rockmelon in USA - Zone 5a regions)

S = Plant undercover in seed trays. P = Plant direct in garden where they are to grow.

Your comments and tips

20 Mar 11, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

We used soil from our compost bin when we repotted some celery, strawbs and chilli. Within a couple of weeks some vines had started growing in most of the pots. We watched and waited to see what they would grow into. We've just now had our first rockmelon (yummo!) and there's about 6 or so coming along nicely. Whilst these are growing in hot houses, there's still plenty of bees that find their way in and do the rounds of all the blooms.

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05 Feb 11, Kate (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I'm about to try growing some RM in a garden bed. I've noted from a few websites to make sure they're well drained. I'm not too sure how this will go as the soil is quite heavy in clay. I've been preparing the soil for months now with lawn clippings, organic compost and mulch and claybreaker. Currently I have a crop of Jap pumpkin in there from which I've harvested four good sized pumpkins. My biggest problem is when about the size of an apricot, they rot and fall off the vine. I only water when the vine is wilting. If they grow larger I raise them by placing a terracotta saucer underneath them (have found this works well) but I lose so many before they are large enough to raise. Will the same happen with RM? BTW, my pumpkin self seeded and grew out the side of my compost bin. Nothing else has done this. Just pumpkin.

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06 Feb 11, Randy (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Kate, Your problem is lack of pollination, so the fruit wither and die. Worldwide, bees are disappearing and while there are theories, nobody knows for sure why it is happening. Pollinate them yourself with a small paint brush or cotton bud, wipe some pollen from the male flowers (these are just a flower on the vine) and wipe it onto the stamen in the middle of the female flowers (these have the small fruit behind them). Good luck. - Randy

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11 Feb 11, Cheryl (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have a rockmelon vine, I picked a rockmelon thinking it was ripe, the flesh was white, when is the right time to pick, I have 5 rockmelons on the vine that are mixed sizes, I dont want to waste anymore by picking to early, this is the first time I have grown them. I live on the mid north coast of NSW

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22 Feb 11, Helen (Australia - temperate climate)

Just wait until the stem starts to break down where it joins the fruit - a ripe rocky will almost fall off when you touch it.

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15 Mar 11, RIchard Wellsmore (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hello, I have some rockies growing in the southern highlands. They are quite small but now the plant appears to be dieing so this may be the largest they get? Also should they be grown on a trellis or left on the ground?

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16 Mar 11, adam (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Richard. if you're in the southern Highlands of NSW, then it's cool/mountain, not sub tropical. It doesn't matter if they're on the ground or trellis, the bugs might get 'em on the ground, or they might rot if it gets too wet. In the cool zones, the rockies often don't ripen, it's a touch and go thing every year. I don't think they'll get much bigger, and the vines tend to start dying off this time of year. I get ripe ones about every four years, it's just too short a season. I got some smaller short season ones a few years ago, and on a normal year, they're okay. This year it was just too cold, not enough sunshine for them. If you're below 1100 metres, you should get some growing to maturity, but they'll probably be smaller than normal. Hope this helps.

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27 Mar 11, Peter Harris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I have been given some rockmelon plants by a friend. Have just replanted them in some good potting mix with a slow release fertiliser. They are looking a bit sad after a few days. Will thet pick up ? Peter

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03 Oct 11, Shelly (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I was told that if I plant rockmelons and watermelons in the same paddock that the watermelons will be distaughted and small due to cross pollination from the bees, is this so? If so, what is the desired distance to plant from each other?

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13 Nov 11, Tracey in Melbourne (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Shelly, They won't cross. Both are in the family Cucurbitaceae but they are each in a different genus - rockmelons are genus Cucumis and watermelons are genus Citrullus. For future reference, with plants that *can* cross-pollinate (eg. different varieties within the same species), you would not see any effect in the fruit you pick - you would have to collect the seeds and grow them out and pick the fruit they produced. So unless you are saving seeds for future use, cross-pollination isn't an issue. Hope this helps.

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