Melon Hills

[Mike]

I started a garden this year and have had a fair amount of success though there is still room for improvement. The melon varieties I planted were cantaloupe, honeydew, and pumpkins.

I recall reading that melons grow better on small hills. Why would this work better than simply planting on a level surface?

[vert20]

The reasons I recall are, drainage and the cascading look of the vines flowing off the hills. The large growers of those products just plant them in the ground (flat). The hill look maybe attained by heaping the dirt around the bases after the growth becomes large and before the flowers bloom, in order to keep the vine boorers at bay. Myself, I dig a shallow hole 3ft square about 10 in deep, mulch around the hole. This is so that when I water I just fill the hole with water instead of watering the areas where the plant roots are not.

[Mike]

I took a 10 Gallon plastic planter and filled it with a mixture of dirt and garden soil/ compost then turned it upside down leaving a melon hill that resembled a smaller version of the "devils tower"

The dimensions are roughly 17.5" tall 14.5" across at the base and 12.5" across at the top. Fact is the vines are growing slowly and the some leaves are brown and sunburned so I assume the water is evaporating too quickly.

I also planted a group of pumpkins on flat patch and the leaves are growing big green and lush. Next time I will make these melon hills more wide and squat .

Thanks for info!

[Dave]

I visualized 1/3 or 1/4 part of sphere, made the mound as such with my hands. 12" across at the base. Worked with watermelon and cantaloupe. Dave