How can you tell a melon is ripe

Instead of allowing them to self-pick, they are cut from the plant. For winter-grown melons, the stem attachment is still evident on the fruit—no dimple Photo 3. As the fruit matures, you will be able to see the abscission zone form as a slight crack that gets larger over time and will eventually form a circle around the stem Photo 3. When selecting a winter cantaloupe, look for one where the remaining stem has started to crack and break away from the melon.

When you can see that crack starting to form, that means the fruit was harvested mature enough that the ripening process will continue. It probably still needs to sit at room temperature for a few days as it continues to mature. Be patient and let that happen. It will not attain the golden color of a summer-grown melon, so do not expect it to be quite the same, but neither is the weather outside.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. How to determine a ripe melon. Photo 2. CC0 Public Domain. Photo 3. Winter cantaloupe with the stem still attached. Look for cantaloupe where the stem end has begun to crack arrow , thus indicating the melon is approaching maturity but will improve in flavor if allowed to sit at room temperature for a few days.

Did you find this article useful? Please tell us why Submit. But when melons are ripe, they will reverberate noise, resulting in a dull or hollow sound in the form of an echo. One of the best ways to help train your ear is by knocking on a few unripe melons as they grow in your garden and get used to the sound and feel. Then, as your crop matures, keep that practice up every week. It is amazing how as they near maturity, the sound and feel of that slight knock will change. As the old saying goes, nothing beats experience!

For more on growing and harvesting melons, be sure to check out our How To Grow Watermelons article on the site. Here is to knowing when to pick your melons — and enjoying the amazing flavor of a delicious and perfectly ripe treat from the garden! This Is My Garden is a website dedicated to spreading the love and knowledge of gardening around the world.

We publish two new garden articles each week. This article may contain affiliate links. When the field patch on the bottom of the melon turns to cream or yellow, the melon is ready to pick! Looking for creamy, dark field patches can help you select ripe melons in the store or farmers market as well. When the tendril turns to brown, the melon is done ripening from the vine. Many times the melon may detach from the vine on its own.

As with cantaloupe, color is your first sign of ripeness. If the color is right, gently push on the end of the melon opposite from the stem. If there is a slight give, the melon is probably ripe. Watermelons may be the trickiest of the three to determine if a melon is ripe. First, check the tendril that grows on the opposite side of the stem from the melon. This curly tendril will dry up as the melon ripens.

If it is perfectly dry, the melon may be ripe. This area is usually white because it is not exposed to sun. However, as the melon gets ripe, the belly changes from white to a yellow tint. The approximate time for harvesting your melons is indicated on the seed packages, too. That is, the package will say how many days to harvest.