Best Melon Varieties

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March 24, 2021March 16, 2021 by Kristina Hicks-Hamblin
Embrace the taste of summer with sweet, juicy melons, from spice-flavored cantaloupes to crisp honeydews, there’s a variety to suit everyone’s taste. Discover 33 of the best melon varieties to grow at home in this guide.
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When you grow your own melons at home, you get to choose from a delicious array of options.
If you think you don’t have the right conditions to grow these fruits, or have been underwhelmed by melons in the past, maybe it’s time to consider some new varieties.
I’m going to provide you with a selection of sweet and delicious melons that will please many different palates, including cultivars adapted to a variety of climates.
Maybe you’re looking for a melon that will tolerate cool nights – or one for hot and humid weather? Perhaps you’re looking for a small-fruited cultivar to grow on a trellis – or maybe you want to take advantage of your long growing season to grow larger fruits?
Whether you prefer tropical flavors or notes of warming spice, and a crisp or meltingly soft texture, I bet you’ll find a variety or two among this selection that will not only work in your garden but also tempt your tastebuds.
If you’re not yet convinced, let me divulge something here: I come from the other side.
I spent half my life avoiding melon because every time I tasted a chunk of honeydew or cantaloupe, it was always dull and bland – all texture, and no taste.
It wasn’t until a return flight from a vacation in Hawaii that I learned that melons could actually be delectable. What a surprise – and it came in the most unexpected form – airplane food.
This realization changed my perspective on these fruits, and ever since I’ve been on a quest for melon bliss. The good news is you don’t have to wait for that once-in-a-lifetime Hawaiian vacation to taste amazing melons.
Since that revelatory moment at 30,000 feet, I have been growing my own, and have harvested fruits that were just as tasty, if not more so.
So it is with unbounded joy and abandon that every year now, I select a fantastic assortment of delicious melon cultivars to sow in my own garden.
No more tasteless cantaloupes or honeydews in my life! And you don’t have to settle for them in your life either.
The selections I’ve included here are all varieties of the Cucumis melo species, and they are all sweet. Here’s a sneak peek:
You’ll notice that I’ve organized my selection of cucurbit delicacies into three ripening seasons.
I’ve arranged them in this manner because it’s incredibly frustrating to sow a melon plant from seed and take care of it for months, only to have the vine be killed back by frost before the fruit is anywhere close to being ripe.
To prevent you from experiencing that kind of disappointment, you’ll find these varieties organized by the number of days until they reach peak ripeness:
Now all you have to do is check the length of your growing season and choose from the cultivars that will reach maturity well within that period of time.
Not sure how long your growing season is? It’s the number of estimated frost-free days between your average last spring frost and your average first fall frost.
In my USDA Hardiness Zone 5b location, I have an average of about 115 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow a late variety only if I’m lucky.
Since that number is only an average, the actual growing season can be much shorter in a given year. So my best bet for producing ripe melons is to choose early and mid-season varieties.
Some of you long-season gardeners might want to choose an early variety for another reason – to harvest your fruit before garden pests take over your melon patch.
In addition to the number of days until harvest, I’ll also describe the flavor, texture, and color of the flesh of each cultivar, what it looks like when ripe, and where you can find seeds.
And whenever possible, I’ll also share the Brix rating for each cultivar.
Taking a Brix measurement is a method that may be used to judge the amount of sugar in a fruit or vegetable – the higher the Brix rating, the sweeter it is. Cultivars in this selection rate between 9 and 18 degrees Brix.
First, let’s have a look at the short season cultivars. These early varieties will provide you with ripe fruit in less than 85 days.
Our first variety, ‘Amy,’ is a high-yielding, early canary melon cultivar.
Canary melons are also known as “winter” melons. They tend to ripen late in the season, and have excellent storage properties, serving as a welcome source of fresh fruit in winter.
These fruits are usually large, oval shaped, and have bright yellow rinds. Their flesh tends to be cream-colored, fragrant, and sweet.
‘Amy’ is a hybrid canary cultivar that is on the smaller side for canaries. When ready to harvest, it has golden skin, and weighs two to four pounds.
Inside you’ll find fragrant white flesh, and a small seed cavity. ‘Amy’ canary melons are sweet with a firm texture.
‘Amy’ won the All-America Selections award in the “edibles” category in 2004.
The vines of this cultivar spread to six feet, grow prolifically, and can be trained to grow on a trellis.
Many canary varieties are late to mature, so ‘Amy’ is a real find, with fruits ripening in just 70-80 days.
You’ll find ‘Amy’ seeds available for purchase in packets of various sizes from Mountain Valley Seed Company at True Leaf Market.
‘Bodacious’ is a hybrid honeydew that will give you an early harvest of exquisitely flavorful fruit.
Usually late to mature, honeydews should need little introduction. They are known for their crisp green flesh that lacks the musky flavor of cantaloupe.
‘Bodacious’ fruits weigh between five and eight pounds, and have a smooth rind. A slice of these large melons will reveal creamy green flesh that is very sweet, juicy, and soft.
‘Bodacious’ vines can reach seven feet in length, and fruits will be ready to harvest at around 82 days after sowing.
You’ll find ‘Bodacious’ available for purchase in packs of 25 seeds at Burpee.
‘Creme de la Creme’ defies classification. This hybrid melon produces six-pound fruits that grow to be seven to eight inches wide.
When ripe, the finely netted rind turns a yellowish-orange color. Cut ‘Creme de la Creme’ open and you’ll find pale orange flesh that is sweet and spicy, with notes of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Extremely prolific plants can spread up to 72 inches and grow 15 to 18 inches in height.
A great choice for short season gardeners, ‘Creme de la Creme’ fruit can reach maturity in just 75 days. And harvesting is easy because fruits will slip from the vine when ripe.
You’ll find ‘Creme de la Creme’ available for purchase in packs of 30 seeds at Burpee.
If you are a northern gardener who thought your growing season was too short to grow honeydews, here’s a solution for you: ‘Earli-Dew.’
Introduced in 1978, ‘Earli-Dew’ is an early maturing hybrid honeydew that produces round fruits weighing two to three pounds.
This variety’s smooth green skin turns greenish gold when mature, and its flesh is thick, pale green, and very sweet.
‘Earli-Dew’ plants are vigorous and resistant to fusarium wilt.
Early maturing, as its name suggests, these honeydews will be ready to harvest in around 80 days.
Purchase ‘Earli-Dew’ in packs of ten, one hundred, or five hundred seeds from Mountain Valley Seed Company at True Leaf Market.
‘Gallo’ is a type of mini Galia melon.
Galia melons originated in Israel, developed by plant breeder Dr. Zvi Karchi. The first ‘Galia’ was a cross between the true cantaloupe ‘Ha Ogen’ and a netted Russian melon called ‘Krymka.’
Dr. Karchi named this cross after his daughter.
While it started as a specific cultivar, galia has now become a type of melon, much like there are many types of lacinato kale or Roma tomatoes.
From the outside, a galia melon looks like a larger than average muskmelon, but cut one open and you will discover juicy, yellowish-green flesh.
‘Gallo,’ one such type of galia melon, bears fruits that weigh in at around two pounds.
The rind of ‘Gallo’ is dark green and netted, turning golden when it’s ready to harvest.
The pale green flesh of this cultivar is fine-grained, tasty, and very sweet with a 15-degree Brix rating.
Prolific vines grow up to eight feet in length and bear smaller fruits, making this variety great for trellising.
One of the earliest ripening melons you’ll find, ‘Gallo’ reaches maturity in just 70 days.
You’ll find ‘Gallo’ seeds available for purchase in packs of various sizes from Mountain Valley Seed Company at True Leaf Market.
As far as melons go, ‘Kajari’ may be the fairest of them all – its skin is deep orange or maroon in color with green veins bordered in cream.
‘Kajari’ is a member of the khandalak cultivar group believed to hail from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
Inside its beautifully patterned skin you’ll find green flesh that has a creamy texture, and is musky and sweet, with sugar content of 11 degrees Brix.
These open-pollinated fruits are on the small side, averaging about two pounds each.
Plants are resistant to powdery mildew and are very prolific, maturing in approximately 70 days.
‘Kajari’ melons have a short shelf life, so don’t put these away for later, enjoy them soon after harvest.
You’ll find ‘Kajari’ available for purchase in packs of ten seeds from SVI via Amazon.
‘Mango’ is a melon that doesn’t fit neatly into a cultivar group – it’s a hybrid that has been bred for early maturity, cool weather tolerance, and sweetness.
This cultivar bears fruits that weigh four to five pounds and have yellow skin.
Please note, this ‘Mango’ is not the same “mango melon” that is also known as “vine peach.”
Unlike that mango melon in the chito cultivar group, which is primarily used for pickling or baking due to its lower sugar content, the orange flesh of this ‘Mango’ is very sweet with tropical undertones.
‘Mango’ plants can spread up to ten feet. Their tolerance of cooler weather makes them a good option for those of us with hot days, cool nights, and early fall weather.
This variety slips from the vine when ripe, providing mature fruit in just 80 days.
You’ll find ‘Mango’ available for purchase in packs of 20 seeds at Burpee.
‘Minnesota Midget’ is our first muskmelon in this selection, and it is a personal favorite in my household, thanks to its early maturity and delicious sweetness.
Muskmelons are what we call “cantaloupes” in America, though they are not true cantaloupes. Along with the term “muskmelons,” these cultivars are also referred to as “American cantaloupes.”
To make matters a bit confusing, “muskmelon” is sometimes used very broadly, to include true cantaloupes, American cantaloupes, honeydews, and other types of melons.
However, I’m following the Encyclopedia Britannica’s example, using the term only for members of the reticulatus cultivar group.
And that brings us to our cultivar selection, ‘Minnesota Midget,’ an open-pollinated heirloom bred at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in St. Paul, Minnesota, and introduced in 1948.
Adapted to northern climates as their name suggests, ‘Minnesota Midget’ muskmelons weigh about twelve ounces at maturity, and measure roughly three and a half to four inches across – just the right size for two people to share as dessert.
The rind of ‘Minnesota Midget’ is covered with fine netting, and is lightly furrowed.
Once you slice open a ‘Minnesota Midget’ you’ll find orange flesh that is juicy and sweet, with an 11-degree Brix rating.
Plants are resistant to fusarium wilt and produce short vines measuring three feet in length, making them great for container gardening.
This cultivar is early to mature, and therefore great for gardeners with shorter growing seasons. Fruits are ready to pick in just 60 to 75 days.
You’ll find certified organic ‘Minnesota Midget’ seeds available for purchase in one-gram packets at Botanical Interests.
Another diminutive melon, ‘Muskateer’ is a honeydew hybrid that bears numerous single serving fruits, each weighing one to two pounds at maturity.
Ripe fruits have smooth, cream-colored rinds, and contain white to pale green colored flesh with a honey sweet flavor.
Prolific plants spread up to 60 inches, bearing small fruits, which makes ‘Muskateer’ an excellent honeydew variety for trellising.
This hybrid honeydew is great for gardeners with short growing seasons, ripening in 75-80 days.
You’ll find ‘Muskateer’ seeds available for purchase in packs of 30 seeds at Burpee.
‘Noir des Carmes’ is a very old French variety of true cantaloupe that was chosen to be included in the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity’s Ark of Taste.
Unlike American cantaloupes, “true cantaloupes” are part of the cantalupensis cultivar group. These cantaloupes usually lack netting and also tend to feature deep furrows or lobes.
And while many true cantaloupes have smooth as opposed to netted skin, some varieties have very warty rinds, reminiscent of heirloom pumpkins. These also tend to be smaller fruit than their American counterparts.
True cantaloupes also tend to lack the characteristic musky taste of American cantaloupes. So if you thought you didn’t like cantaloupe because of its strong taste, you might want to try a true cantaloupe and see what you think.
As for ‘Noir des Carmes,’ this true cantaloupe was named after Carmelite monks who grew them in France, and dates back to at least 1787.
On the scale, the fruits of ‘Noir des Carmes’ come in at about two pounds, and they measure four inches tall and six inches wide.
This open pollinated cantaloupe has a bumpy rind, deep furrows, and looks very much like a pumpkin.
In the US, this variety is also known as ‘Black Rock.’ Unripe fruit have dark green to black skin, turning orange or orange mottled with green when ripe.
The fruits of ‘Noir des Carmes’ smell heavenly and are sweet, with an 11-degree Brix rating.
An early variety, ‘Noir des Carmes’ grows prolifically and only needs 75 to 80 days to reach maturity. These aren’t long keepers and should be eaten rapidly after harvest for best flavor.
You’ll find ‘Noir des Carmes’ seeds available for purchase in several package sizes via Amazon.
Do you hear the early melon chirping? That would be ‘Tweety.’
‘Tweety’ is an early ripening hybrid canary melon with excellent disease resistance.
The fruit of this cultivar weighs four to six pounds and has smooth, bright yellow skin.
Its flesh is pale green to white, with salmon coloring at the seed cavity. It is crisp and fragrant with a sweet flavor reminiscent of tropical fruit.
‘Tweety’ will grow vines that reach four to five feet in length and are resistant to Alternaria, fusarium wilt, and gummy stem blight.
If you have struggled with bringing melons to maturity in the past, put ‘Tweety’ on your list – the fruit of this cultivar ripens in just 60 to 70 days.
You’ll find ’Tweety’ seeds available for purchase in packs of ten seeds at Botanical Interests.
If you have a bit more wiggle room in your growing season, you might want to choose a mid-season cultivar. These varieties will produce ripe melons in 85-95 days.
‘Ananas’ is a Middle Eastern heirloom that dates back to the 1800s.
And like the galia type described above, ‘Ananas’ is not only a cultivar, but also a type of melon in the ameri cultivar group, and the parent of other descendent cultivars.
These melons have orange rinds with light netting. Their flesh is usually white, but some varieties are orange fleshed.
Ananas-type melons take their name from the French word for “pineapple,” which is a good way to describe their fragrant aroma.
‘Ananas’ produces oblong fruits that mature to an orange hue overlaid with fine beige netting.
These weigh five to seven pounds, and grow to be seven and a half inches long by six and a half inches wide.
Inside, the fragrant flesh is creamy white and juicy, with a texture similar to that of a pear. Flavorful and sweet, ‘Ananas’ has a Brix rating of 10.5 degrees.
This open-pollinated cultivar is adapted to dryland conditions, where a cool and wet season is followed by a warm and dry season, and brings fruit to maturity in 90 days or less.
You’ll find ‘Ananas’ seeds available for purchase in an array of package sizes at Eden Brothers.
‘Banana’ is a testament to the fact that not all melons need to be round!
Also known as ‘American Banana,’ ‘Banana Citron,’ ‘Cuban Banana,’ and ‘Mexican Banana,’ this open-pollinated cultivar produces long, banana-shaped fruits that can weigh up to nine pounds and measure 18 inches in length.
‘Banana’ has pale, yellowish green skin and soft orange flesh that transitions to firm green towards the rind.
There is some variation in this cultivar and the skin may or may not be netted. Lobes and furrows appear in some fruits, but not all.
Although it looks like a banana, unless you really use your imagination, it still tastes like cantaloupe. This ‘Banana’ is nonetheless sweet, with an 11-degree Brix rating.
‘Banana’ is a mid-season melon, with fruits maturing in 90 days.
You’ll find ‘Banana’ seeds available for purchase in packs of several different sizes at Eden Brothers.
‘Bidwell Casaba’ is the reigning melon champion in my household – if forced to grow only one type of melon every year, my husband and I both agree that this heirloom is the one we would choose.
Like canary melons, casabas are winter melons with excellent storage properties, members of the inodorus cultivar group. They most likely originate in Kasaba, a village in Turkey.
They are large, with yellow rinds and sweet orange or white flesh.
The ‘Bidwell Casaba’ cultivar is also known as ‘Bidwell,’ ‘Bidwell Cassaba,’ and ‘California Casaba.’
It was developed in the 1800s by John Bidwell, a fan of casabas, who was also a US Senator, a general in the American Civil War, and founder of the city of Chico, California.
The fruits of ‘Bidwell Casaba’ can grow to be twelve to sixteen pounds when ripe, and are about fourteen inches long and seven and a half inches wide on average.
These open-pollinated, football-shaped fruits have deep grooves, and turn orange or yellow at maturity, though often retaining green stripes.
They have soft skin, and creamy orange flesh that is sugary and juicy.
‘Bidwell Casaba’ is a mid-season melon, requiring 90-95 days to reach maturity.
You’ll find ‘Bidwell Casaba’ seeds available for purchase in packs weighing one gram, one ounce, or four ounces from the Sustainable Seed Company Store via Amazon.
‘Collective Farm Woman’ wins a close second place to ‘Bidwell Casaba’ in my household’s personal melon vote-off.
This member of the inodorus cultivar group presents somewhat of a mystery as to how it is related to the other melons here.
It’s not a honeydew, and as far as I have been able to tell, it doesn’t fit nicely into one
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