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Growing cantaloupe #878993

Asked July 27, 2024, 10:23 AM EDT

Hello, I am growing a cantaloupe vine in a large container with a trellis. The variety is called Minnesota midget. I have about six cantaloupes that range between 4 to 5 inches in length at this time they all look healthy. There are some new babies coming on that are yellow I’m wondering if I should snip those off or if they will develop into normal fruits? There is also one fruit about 3 inches wide that has a shriveled appearance. Should I remove that? Thanks so much for your help. The photos below include one healthy Large fruit, the other two pictures are of the yellow baby and the shriveled growing one.

Dakota County Minnesota

Expert Response

Good Morning Carol,

Thank you for contacting the U of M Extension Service.

Yes, you can pick the shriveled and unshapen fruit off the vine. They are fruit that was not pollinated, so they shrivel up.

Here is a link about container gardening from the U of M Extension Yard and Garden website:

https://extension.umn.edu/managing-soil-and-nutrients/fertilizing-and-watering-container-plants

It is important to water your containers as your fruit expands!

Here is another link about growing melons: https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-melons-home-garden

Good Luck!

Maureen Graber Replied July 28, 2024, 9:06 AM EDT

Thank you!

On Sun, Jul 28, 2024 at 8:06 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

The Question Asker Replied July 28, 2024, 10:19 AM EDT

You are welcome!

Maureen Graber Replied July 29, 2024, 7:54 AM EDT

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This work is supported in part by New Technologies for Ag Extension grant no. 2020-41595-30123 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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