picking extra blooms from cantaloupe

[hikerbev]

I have read you should thin out the blooms of cantaloupe if you have an abundance.  It will make sweeter melons and encourage full growth.  What do you think?

[mjb8743]

I think, with my luck, the blossoms I pick are the ones that would have been melons 

Seriously, I think in a field of plants where pollination is pretty much assured, that might work, although labor-intensive. In a couple of EBs, who knows?

Mickie

[LaurainFL]

I've never thinned - never saw the need. The plants seem to do some thinning on their own - small fruits drop off pretty often. Then the bugs and critters will "help" you thin whether you want them to or not. And I have seen a single cantaloupe vine bring quite a few fruit to full-size at the same time. I don't eat cantaloupes, but the kids said they were all sweet.

But the biggest reason I wouldn't thin blossoms is that pollination can be erratic. You might take off half the blooms and then have no fruit set at all. Safer to wait and thin young fruit if you think it's needed.

[hikerbev]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I have many blooms but was concerned about selecting which ones and how many to remove.  I'm not going to bother them.  It is so nice to communicate with others who own Earthboxes and learn from their experiences.