Cantaloupe, also called muskmelon (Cucumis melo reticulatus); casaba, Crenshaw, Persian and honeydew melons (C. melo inodorus); watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris). Though melons are thought of as fruits, they are treated like vegetables in the garden. They grow on vines that creep along the ground for 6 to 10 feet or more and are usually planted in clumps on mounds, or hills, of soil.
The flowers quickly develop into slender pointed seed pods that become 7 to 9 inches long when fully mature, but are most flavorful and tender if picked when only 2 to 3 inches long. Good varieties are Clemson Spineless. Dwarf Green Long Pod, Emerald and Louisiana Green Velvet. An 8-foot row yields about 5 pounds of pods every two weeks until frost if the pods are picked daily.
Okra grows best in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0. In most of the U.S. and southern Canada, where frost is expected in winter, sow seeds indoors or in a hotbed about a month before night temperatures are expected to stay above 50′. Sow the seeds in peat pots, two seeds per pot.
When the seedlings are 1 inch tall, cut off the weaker one in each pot. When night temperatures no longer fall below 50, set the plants, pots and all, into the garden, spacing them 18 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. In frost-free regions, sow seeds directly in the garden when night temperatures are expected to stay above 50. Group three or four seeds in a spot, setting each group 1/2 inch deep and 18 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.
When the seedlings become 1 inch tall, cut off all but the strongest in each group. Fertilize twice-when the plants are 8 to 12 inches tall and again just as they begin to blossom; scatter a 12-inch band of 5-10-5 fertilizer around each plant at the rate of 5 ounces to every 10 feet of row. Okra begins to produce pods about 60 days after seeds are sown.
The pods develop very rapidly and should be picked daily within a few days after the flower petals have fallen, whether the pods are to be used or not. If pods are allowed to ripen, the plants cease to produce.