Cantaloupe Athena
Cantaloupe Athena is a hybrid melon. Germination takes 5-10 days and fruit ripens from about day 80-85. Skin runs to tan netted exterior with bright orange interior flesh. Water need is 1-2 inches per week, deep watering at soil level. Suits zones 2-11. As a hybrid it will not breed true; saving seed from it is not worth the space.
Sowing
Start indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost or direct sow when soil reaches 70°F. Plant in hills or raised beds for better drainage.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- 1-2 inches per week, deep watering at soil level
- Soil
- Well-drained, fertile sandy loam with good organic content
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
- Spacing
- 36-48 inches
- Height
- 6-9 feet
- Season
- Warm season
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Tan netted exterior with bright orange interior flesh
- Size
- 3-4 pounds
- Shape
- Round to slightly oval with pronounced netting
- Flavour
- Intensely sweet and aromatic with classic cantaloupe flavor
In the kitchen
Fresh eating, fruit salads, smoothies, prosciutto wraps, desserts, breakfast bowls
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Cucumber beetles, aphids, squash bugs, spider mites
- Diseases
- Bacterial wilt, downy mildew, anthracnose, alternaria leaf spot
- Resistance
- Excellent resistance to fusarium wilt races 0 and 2, powdery mildew, and aphid-transmitted viruses
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)
- 34
- Protein (g)
- 0.84
- Fat (g)
- 0.19
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 8.16
- Fibre (g)
- 0.9
- Sugars (g)
- 7.86
- Vitamin A (µg)
- 169
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 36.7
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.05
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 2.5
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.072
- Folate (µg)
- 21
- Calcium (mg)
- 9
- Iron (mg)
- 0.21
- Magnesium (mg)
- 12
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 15
- Potassium (mg)
- 267
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.18
- 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 Cantaloupe Athena?
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 Cantaloupe Athena suits these too.
- Watermelon Crimson Sweet 80 days
- Honey Rock Cantaloupe 80 days
- Burpee Hybrid Cantaloupe 80 days
- Cantaloup Charentais 80 days
- Collective Farm Woman Melon 80 days
- Cantaloupe Burpee Hybrid 80 days