It. Has. Happened. Last year I planted cantaloupe and honey dew from @burpeegardening a little too close. They produced a strange hybrid that was white outside (turning yellowish when ripening) with an orange interior. The texture was that of a honeydew while the flavor was mostly cantaloupe. The best part? It was EXTRA sweet. One of the sweetest melons I’ve tasted. I saved seeds from that hybrid and planted them this year. To be honest, I didn’t think the seeds would be viable, or if they were, I figured that the fruits would turn out nasty. I. Was. Wrong. I just picked the first hybrid and it tastes AMAZING - even better than the year before. I have lovingly dubbed this a Frankenmelon after Frankenstein. The outer rind is extra tough, protecting it from even the most determined predators (aka my chickens that peck at melons when they turn ripe!). And other than my local poultry, I haven’t noticed anything trying to eat the plants or melons. The melons are about twice the size of your average cantaloupe. They start green, turn bright white, then begin to yellow. You know they are truly ripe when you can actually smell the melon flavor. The inside is a light orange like a cantaloupe, but it has some white too. It’s got a nice crispness to it. It has hints of honeydew but really boasts the sweetness of cantaloupe. I have it planted in full sun in a mix of compost and clay soil (and it’s more clay than compost, to be honest!). I have not fertilized the plants at all. Other than some sunburn on the leaves, I haven’t noticed any issues with the plants. The only downside is that it takes these melons about twice the time to mature versus your average melon, but they are WORTH the wait. #cantaloupe #honeydew #melon #newvariety #burpeegardening #frankenmelon #garden #fruit https://www.instagram.com/p/CTR661jLdgE/?utm_medium=tumblr
