How to grow cantaloupe
Cucumis melo
Get your exact dates
The windows below are relative to your frost dates. Enter your ZIP for the calendar dates.
Open the planting calendarWhen to plant cantaloupe
Transplant outdoorsat your last spring frost to 2 weeks after your last spring frost
Direct sowat your last spring frost to 2 weeks after your last spring frost
Growing conditions
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart, rows 72 in
- Planting depth
- 0.5 in
- Sun
- Full sun
Common problems
- poor pollination
- blossom end rot
- striped cucumber beetle
- spotted cucumber beetle
- aphids
- gummy stem blight
- alternaria leaf blight
- downy mildew
- root knot nematodes
Cantaloupe by hardiness zone
Planting dates for a typical location in each zone:
Sources
Last updated 2026-06-11.