Melon, Lofthouse Landrace Muskmelon

Quick Facts

• Soft and tasty melons resembling cantaloupe, but with much more flavor
• Quickly maturing landrace bred to ripen in short seasons

Cucumis melo

55-70 days.  Muskmelons are a fragrant and flavorful type of melon, hence the name musk.  Classification of melons can get a little confusing.  What exactly makes a melon a "muskmelon" instead of a cantaloupe or other type of melon? The class of "muskmelons" technically include cantaloupe and honeydew, but culturally what we see is that when a recipe refers to "muskmelon", it is typically referring to more old-fashioned, softer, and fragrant varieties of melon- not cantaloupe.  In India where muskmelon is arguably most popular, it is used in super flavorful smoothies and drink and cantaloupe would not be a suitable substitute.

This muskmelon landrace originally came to us from our favorite plant breeder- Joseph Lofthouse.  Joseph just has an eye for spotting gaps in the current home garden seed market. Bright orange flesh and early to ripen, these muskmelon were created for home gardeners.  They have a pretty wide harvest window and their softness means they are delectable to dip a spoon into, but like many delectable heirlooms- they wouldn't ship well.  You've gotta grow them to enjoy them!  

Joseph Lofthouse creates all of his landraces to mature in short seasons and thrive in low-fertility and organic conditions and Lofthouse Landrace Muskmelon is no exception.

Muskmelons originally come from Iran and surrounding countries.  Today melons are grown and eaten all over the world, but muskmelon specifically is perhaps most well known in India, where it is commonly eaten in smoothies.  We love to freeze extra fruit and eat it in smoothies year-round.

How to grow it:

Seed specs:  Packet size 30 seeds