Melon, 'Saba' F1

The earliest cantaloupe to ripen in our trials with the first fruit ready to pick in Early February even though the summer was cool. Productive cropper with excellent flavour. As well as being early it will ripen quite late in autumn from an early summer sowing.

When to sow: October to mid-November

Where to sow: In pots or direct sow

Depth to sow: 1cm

Aspect: Full sun or as sunny a spot as possible.

Soil: Prepared, well drained, fertilised soil. Add lime if soil is too acid.

Spacing: Between plants: 60 to 80 cm Between rows: 180cm

Directions: At Lambley we grow melons in two ways. 1) Plant one seed per 7.5cm pot in the first two weeks of October and put onto a heated bed. Grow on in a poly house until mid-November and plant out in a the garden protecting the seedlings for a few weeks with a plastic tree guard. A spacing of 60-80cm between plants and 180cm between rows will suit. The first melons will be ripe in early to mid-February. 2. Mid November plant two seeds per station in the open garden and thin to one when the first true leaves appear. These will ripen in March.