The Charentais melon will transport you to the French countryside. This heirloom variety is considered to be the ultimate French melon, with exquisite taste. The Charentais has a high sugar content, smooth flesh, and an enticing fragrance. It’s not a big melon—just about 2 pounds—so nothing will ever go to waste. The melon ripens to a gray color with slight ribbing, with salmon-orange flesh inside. The Charentais has high resistance to Fusarium wilt; intermediate resistance to powdery mildew.

Essentials:

Sun Exposure

• full sun (six to eight hours)

Soil pH

• 7.0

Hardiness Zones

• 4 to 10

Spacing

• thin to three or four seedlings in a 12-inch mound
• space mounds 4 to 6 feet apart all around

Moisture

• 1 to 2 inches per week

Notes

• prefers well-drained, sandy loam soil with lots of direct sunlight
• for best flavor, eat at room temperature
• allow melons to ripen on the vine

Have you ever grown a Charentais melon? Please tell us about your experiences with the Charentais melon.