Norann Oleson, Editorial Director of Food Gardening Network

Welcome to the juicy, flavorful world of melons!

Melons are a sure sign of summer, full of refreshing taste and packed with vitamins! Which melons should you grow? While melon growers work to develop new and interesting varieties to please your palate, there are already some 800 cultivars available. It all depends on the type of melon you prefer—light and sweet, or with that characteristic slightly musky overtone. You will not find yourself lacking choices, that’s for sure.

You can grow melons in open land, in raised beds, and even in containers. Even though these plants like to spread out, there are varieties you can grow in a small space so you can enjoy a delicious slice of summer. If you’d like to join the ranks of home melon growers, this is the time to start!

First is the collection’s Introduction, where you’ll learn some of the basics about melons and how to choose the right variety to grow. You’ll also get the history of this juicy fruit!

Next, in the Feature Articles, you’ll get specifics about melon growing—from the three categories of melon plants to the best way to start growing (seed? seedling?) to watering, fertilizing, harvesting, and storing your delicious crop.

There’s a lot to know about melon growing, so even if you’re a veteran, you might learn something new. We aim to gather everything there is to know about melon growing into this single collection!

We have six luscious Plant Profiles with popular varieties listed, plus options for gardeners who want to grow their melon plants in containers.

While there are hundreds of varieties of melons throughout the world, we’ve chosen these six melon plant profiles because they are excellent representatives of the three main categories of melons. We also include some specific suggestions for container-grown melon varieties for gardeners working with limited space. If you’d like us to include another melon variety that appeals to you, please let me know by commenting below.

After all, this is Food Gardening Network, and we want to include the knowledge of all our gardening readers in everything we do. Your input is just as important to us as anything we come up with on our own!

We do think you’ll love the melon Recipes we’ve compiled for enjoying the fruits of your labor. They cover many traditional uses of melons, plus some variations on traditional melon recipes you might want to try.

After that, you’ll be interested to learn how melons can benefit your health in Nutrition Facts about Melons. Melons are packed with vitamins! Give your breakfast a nutritious boost with a slice of melon—or a customized melon smoothie!

Then there are the Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Melons where you’ll learn how melons are thought to help heart health, contribute to better digestive health, and offer a nutritious boost to your skin.

Because we want you to have everything there is to know about melons at your fingertips, we’ve included a Resources section that’s complementary to this collection. Learn more about tools specific to melon growing, and kitchen tools that will come in handy after you’ve harvested your melons.

As always, we’ve included a brief Glossary in case you need a deeper explanation of any key terms. Be sure to let us know if there’s something else you need explained!

I’m off to make some Mouthwatering Melon Sorbet right now, but I hope you’re ready to dive in and become a master melon grower!