Cantaloup Charentais
Cantaloup Charentais is a heirloom melon. Germination takes 4-10 days and fruit ripens from about day 80-90. Skin runs to gray-green exterior with orange flesh. Water need is 1-2 inches per week, reduce before harvest. Suits zones 2-11.
Sowing
Direct sow after soil reaches 65°F or start indoors 2-3 weeks before last frost. Handle transplants carefully.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- 1-2 inches per week, reduce before harvest
- Soil
- Well-drained, fertile sandy loam with good organic matter
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
- Spacing
- 36-48 inches
- Height
- 6-9 feet
- Season
- Warm season
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Gray-green exterior with orange flesh
- Size
- 2-3 pounds
- Shape
- Round to slightly oval with prominent suture lines
- Flavour
- Intensely sweet and aromatic with complex musky notes
In the kitchen
Fresh eating, fruit salads, desserts, pairs excellently with prosciutto
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Cucumber beetles, aphids, spider mites, squash bugs
- Diseases
- Powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt, fusarium wilt
- Resistance
- Moderate resistance to powdery mildew, susceptible to bacterial wilt
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | May – June | July | July – August | October – September |
| 3 | May | June – July | June – August | September – October |
| 4 | April – May | June | June – July | September – October |
| 5 | April | May – June | May – July | September – October |
| 6 | April | May – June | May – July | August – October |
| 7 | March – April | May | May – June | August – September |
| 8 | March | April – May | April – June | July – September |
| 9 | February | March – April | March – May | June – August |
| 10 | January – February | March | March – April | June – July |
| 11 | January | February | February – March | May – June |
| 12 | January | February | February – March | May – June |
| 13 | January | February | February – March | May – June |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 3 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 30
- Protein (g)
- 0.61
- Fat (g)
- 0.15
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 7.55
- Fibre (g)
- 0.4
- Sugars (g)
- 6.2
- Vitamin A (µg)
- 28
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 8.1
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.05
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 0.1
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.045
- Folate (µg)
- 3
- Calcium (mg)
- 7
- Iron (mg)
- 0.24
- Magnesium (mg)
- 10
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 11
- Potassium (mg)
- 112
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.1
- Selenium (µg)
- 0.4
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Cantaloup Charentais?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other melons with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Cantaloup Charentais suits these too.
- Collective Farm Woman Melon 80 days
- Burpee Hybrid Cantaloupe 80 days
- Cantaloupe Burpee Hybrid 80 days
- Watermelon Crimson Sweet 80 days
- Cantaloupe Athena 80 days
- Honey Rock Cantaloupe 80 days