Crenshaw melon

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

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

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

.

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 MarigoldGreat, French MarigoldGreat and French TarragonGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Crenshaw 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 60 cm apart. It is frost-tender, so don't plant out early. Expect to harvest in roughly 80 days.

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

Companion Planting

• 
  African Marigold
  

  African MarigoldGreat pair

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

  French MarigoldGreat pair

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

  BuckwheatGreat pair

  • ❧Buckwheat attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Crenshaw melon
  • ❧Buckwheat draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Crenshaw melon acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Buckwheat

How to grow Crenshaw melon

1. Sow3 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space60 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~80 days

Water: Medium · Height: 30 cm · Soil: Well-draining soil rich in organic matter; prefers slightly acidic to neutral pH