Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Pick a Cantaloupe
How to Pick a Cantaloupe. Picking cantaloupe is a simple gardening task. Whether picking garden cantaloupes or choosing them in the supermarket, there are a few simple tricks to selecting the right melon. Having a good eye and a keen sense of smell helps greatly in cantaloupe selection.
Picking cantaloupe is a simple gardening task. Whether picking garden cantaloupes or choosing them in the supermarket, there are a few simple tricks to selecting the right melon. Having a good eye and a keen sense of smell helps greatly in cantaloupe selection.
Choose a supermarket cantaloupe by holding close and smelling the melon. The cantaloupe should have a distinctive fresh, melon odor.
Give the cantaloupe a gentle push with the thumb on the blossom end of the melon. This should yield slightly to the pressure. This determines just how long the melon has been sitting or how long it has been stored.
Look at the cantaloupe. If the melon was ripened directly on the vine, there will be a smooth depression where the stem was attached.
Notice that when picking cantaloupes from the garden the melon will have a bleached appearance on one side, yet should not be lopsided or flattened.
Tips & Warnings
Cantaloupes can be left at room temperature for 2 to 4 days. This allows the flesh to soften slightly and the melon become juicier.
Store any uneaten cantaloupe in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
Cantaloupes are oftentimes referred to as muskmelons. Both are the same melon that ripens in the late spring and early summer.
Allow the melon to ripen to a golden color on the vine. Cantaloupes do not ripen any further once removed from the garden.
Ensure that all refrigerated portions of the cantaloupe are stored in airtight containers as ripe melons can exude a strong odor that may permeate surrounding foods.
