I have a small cantaloupe quite low, close to the surface of the soil. It is now 5 cm in size. Please see photo. I found that if I lift up the branches that attach to the main stem it is not high enough to keep the cantaloupe from the surface of the soil when it grow bigger (8-10 inchn size). Will the branches grow longer I can lean the cantaloupe outside the pot in 2 weeks time?
Well, that is always possible, “ possible” is the key word here. Of course it is possible if you live in a wet country, like where I live. I do not expect our fruits and veg to rot on the vine here actually...but every year, we protect our fruit and veg, just in case. We use, nets, bricks stones and so forth. We protect everything except courgettes. They get picked frequently for the Food Bank. Like Mart was saying though...if you think about it— when plants were invented, they didn’t come with things to keep them off the ground. They were designed to form and mature lying on the ground. Be that “ natural condition” as it may, i keep them off the soil just to be sure I get a crop.
If you are concerned about rot,, just a layer of straw or dead grass or even newspaper will help ! Its pretty rare that they rot here but wet climates may be different ! Just add a good layer of straw or dead grass under them ! That will also allow air to circulate !
