Honeydew melon is a fruit that belongs to the family of Cucurbits and comes under the species of Cucumis melo. The fruit has its characteristics compared to other melons. Their round soft flesh and their sweetness come along with the nutritional value. Let’s see some of the facts and how to grow a Honeydew melon from seed.
Plantation:
A half sliced melon
Honeydew Melon fruits require sufficient space for them to grow. They are likely to grow in sunny places and they need warm and drained soils for their growth. So cultivators plan them by choosing a well sunny spot and soil. Then to ready the surface bed for growing the plant we need to add compost or manure to the soil. The plants are vine in nature and they do need strong support for further growth. So to that, we need to construct a trellis system or mound with necessary intervals in space for plant growth. After building strong support we can start sowing the seeds under the ground. The seeds should be planted under half-inch from the top surface.
After planting the seeds we need to start to irrigate them because they need more water. By doing these we can expect the seeds to germinate and seedlings to grow. After the growth of the plant increases, pruning is done to fasten its growth. To maintain the growth and increase nutrients to the plant Mulching can be done. And by doing that we can prevent evaporation of moisture and weed prevention can be done. So by good irrigation, maintaining the temperature, protecting the fruit from frost, and encouraging pollination we can harvest the sweet and juicy fruit. Honeydew Melon matures in 60-100 days depending on the maintenance of the plant. We can harvest the fruit when the vine of the fruit becomes brown.
Honeydew Melon Facts:
Flesh of Honeydew Melon
Honeydew Melon has a sweet taste and has many nutritional values like fibre, carbs, folate, Vitamin K, C, B6, potassium, magnesium, etc.
The main cause of blood pressure increase is sodium in food and free radicals building. For this people take potassium instead of sodium. The presence of potassium and low sodium content in the fruit may help in maintaining blood pressure.
With its nutritional content of Magnesium, calcium, folate, and Vitamin K, Honeydew melon plays a vital role in the functioning and increase in bone health
As the fruit is made up of 90% water and the electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, etc can make the body well hydrated.
Honeydew melon’s Vitamin C content is useful for the production of collagen which plays a vital role in skin healing and maintenance. Intaking, necessary Vitamin C from the fruit gives the nutrition as well as a sweet treat for our mouth.
The green-coloured Honeydew melon is the third-best popular fruit in the melon category. The first and second are Watermelon and Cantaloupe.
Sliced melons
In China, the melon is called Bailon melon and Wallace melon. The reason behind this is that former USA president Henry Wallace visited China and gave the seeds to the farmers of China. So for this reason they named the fruit after him.
The honeydew melon is considered the sweetest melon of all in the category of melons.
Adding fruits, barley and vegetables is a power-packed meal that will help us through the day with energy. Honeydew melon’s nutritional content is a good addition to breakfast.
Overeating Melons may increase the blood glucose level. So people with diabetes must be careful while taking honeydew melon. They are advised to have the fruit in fewer amounts.
When drinking more water than the required amount can cause discomfort in the stomach and may lead to vomiting. The fruit consists of 90% of water so overeating is not advisable for anyone
Honeydew melons are separated into two types : white and yellow. They both differ in colours but they taste the same.
Overconsumption of melons is not good because their sugar and sorbitol content in them affects digestion and causes diarrhoea.
The fruit is considered the sacred fruit for Egypt in ancient times. Famous people like Cleopatra, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Pope Paul II are the people who loved eating Honeydew melon.
In making smoothies melons are majorly used because their water and sugar content make the smoothie tastier.
These are some of the facts about honeydew melon and its merits and demerits.
Mukesh Kumar U M
17/03/2022
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