Blacktail Mountain melon

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant African MarigoldExcellent, French MarigoldExcellent and French TarragonExcellent nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Blacktail Mountain melon indoors about 3 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 90 cm apart. It is frost-tender, so don't plant out early. Expect to harvest in roughly 70 days.

Blacktail Mountain melon seed rarely stays viable beyond 5 years — track what's still worth sowing.

Companion Planting

• 
  African Marigold
  

  African MarigoldExcellent pair

  • ❧African Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Blacktail Mountain melon
  • ❧African Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Blacktail Mountain melon
  • ❧African Marigold draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
• 
  French Marigold
  

  French MarigoldExcellent pair

  • ❧French Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Blacktail Mountain melon
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Blacktail Mountain melon
  • ❧French Marigold draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Buckwheat
  

  BuckwheatExcellent pair

  • ❧Buckwheat attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Blacktail Mountain melon
  • ❧Buckwheat draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Blacktail Mountain melon roots deep while Buckwheat feeds near the surface — no competition

How to grow Blacktail Mountain melon

1. Sow3 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space90 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~70 days

Water: Medium · Height: 30 cm · Soil: Well-draining soil, prefers warm conditions