Minnesota midget is a small, heirloom muskmelon that was developed for Northern gardeners (short growing seasons) at the University of Minnesota in 1948. It produces 4" diameter melons with sweet orange flesh in about 70 days.
I purchased two Minnesota Midget plants on impulse while visiting my local garden center earlier this year. When I arrived home, I found I really didn't have a good place for them and so I just stuck them between a lemon tree and a cucumber trellis. There, with little sun-light, they took forever to grow and bloom.
Out-of-sight, meant out-of-mind and I totally forgot about the plants. By the time I re-discovered them, the few melons I had on the vine were over-ripe and tasteless. Purely by chance, I left the vines in the ground. After harvesting the last of my cucumbers early this summer, I removed the trellis and this allowed more sunlight to shine on the melons and allowed a lone melon to mature very late in the season.
I harvested this small melon this weekend and got a real surprise. It was juicy, sweet and firm fleshed. What a pity, I hadn't grown these properly!
I saved some of the seeds and will do it right next Spring.
Growing Minnesota Midget Melons
For those interested, the right way to plant melons like this is to directly sow the seeds into the garden once the soil temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant melon seeds about 1/4 inch into the soil and two feet apart. Melons are heavy feeders, so make sure they are planted in soil that has been well composted and gets lots of sunlight.
Minnesota Midget grow on compact vines that are about 3 feet long and are good candidates for trellising. Planted properly, you should get melons in about 70 days.
By the way, plant in full sun.
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