Questions for melon heads

[SteveB]

I live on a sand dune, basically. Fine sand, lava, and caliche. But lots of piled red sand in Southern Utah. Just like beach sand, only red.

I want to grow melons. Watermelons, cantaloupe, and any other melon that will grow.

I have two acres, and my irrigation water is expensive at $8 per month for unlimited quantity.

When planting melon hills on such terrain, what should I do? Should I take a couple bags of garden soil they sell at the nurseries and mix it in where I plant the seeds? Maybe a little fertilizer? I will be doing this repeatedly over the years I last, so will making the soil better each year help the yield, or is this a crop that needs to be alternated or rested? Or planted in a new place each year? The nutrients in the soil are very poor, and plant matter would be 2% on the high guess. I would like to get some good melons the first year, and after that if the beds are prepared right.

Can anyone give me some good advice?

[bullthistle]

Don't buy potting soil, buy cow manure. Use one bag per mound and make certain you also purchase bone meal and spread that in with the seeds. You've got a problem. Low moisture and no help from the soil. Start a compost pile. I grind up my kitchen scraps in a blender and pour it over the compost pile after turning. You might want to get some bags of pine bark mulch and cover the mounds after the seeds germinate and then in the fall turn the mulch under. Get the nuggets. Also because the mulch will rob what nitrogen you have make certain you fertilize, but at night. You are going to have too much evaporation. I lived in Denver and I know about the heat and you are worse off. Is there a way you can create some shade? Garden centers have shade houses to protect plants from being burned. Hey it is not going to be easy and actually could be a losing battle unless you put some sweat equity into it.

[Billy]

If it doesn't go to snow in the winter, plant a cover crop (green manure, pulses that put organic material and available nitrogen into your soil ) your local nursery should know what to give you.

If it snows, you may be able to put in a cover crop after you harvest in the fall or before you plant in the spring. Again, check with local nursery.

[Bill]

We used to use annual rye and occasionally clover to build up our soil.

in many loads of chicken and horse manure too.

Bill

[MajorOz]

Good advice from all. Also, contact the local extension folks (and talk to the rez folks. They have been growing melons for centuries)

cheers

oz, cursing at the ice storms

[Dale P]

Mulch around each hill with wood chips, bark, grass clippings, or any organic mulch. As each year goes by, turn the mulch into the soil and mulch the top with new mulch. This will build up organic matter in your soil.

I do not consider $8 a month as expensive water at all!!

Good luck,

DP

[SteveB]

It's not good for humans to drink, but the plants like it. It's part of the local rural farm irrigation system. $100 a year flat rate. You can only hook up a 4" line, though.

Steve

[Dale P]

In our area (Colorado) that is cheap for water. I had a two acre site many years ago with a well. The well did not put out much water, and it was not potable, and the electric charge was more than $8 per month. Of course, I did not have a bill in the winter months as no usage. Anyway, sounds good to me for a product delivered to your land.

I worked for a produce farmer in the early 1970's. The one thing I remember was that he said that cantaloupe (and maybe other melons) had to have bees to pollinate. He would call a local bee keeper and request some hives be set near the melon fields when they came into bloom. Something to keep in mind.

Good luck with you project.

DP