An added bonus experienced by some smart vegetable gardeners is the pleasure of eating homegrown melons. Melons are fruit, but they are easily grown in home vegetable gardens.

A number of varieties of cantaloupe have a short- enough growing period to be successfully grown in Butler County. Examples of these are "Early Sweet," 68 days; "Burpee Hybrid," 72 days; and "Park's Whopper," 77 days. For earliest yield and acceptable sugar content, try "Scoop," which matures in 61 days.

Melon vines require more space than most other crops, but several vines can be planted at 4- foot intervals.

A new melon, "Amy," which was a 2004 All-American Selections Winner, can be spaced at 2-foot intervals. This white-flesh melon matures in 70 days.

If you believe you do not have sufficient room in your garden to grow cantaloupes, another way to grow them is like cucumber - on a trellis or a fence. The melons are much heavier than cucumbers, however, and will need support.

One way is to make a sling by slipping cloth under the fruit and tying each end to the trellis. Another way is by using onion bags. Place the bag over each melon, tying the ends to the trellis.

By the way, contrary to what many gardeners believe, the flavor of cantaloupes is not affected when grown with cucumbers. Poor flavor is the result of cool, wet weather occurring when the fruit is ripening.

Melons of all types need warm temperatures - preferably not lower than 55 at night and 80 during the day. These are the same temperatures preferred by tomatoes.

Early June is the ideal time to sow seeds of cantaloupe or plant seedlings purchased from a greenhouse. By this time, the ground is warm enough to promote growth. To insure that the soil is sufficiently warm, cover the soil a few days before planting with black, clear or red plastic.

Seeds or seedlings should be spaced 4 or 5 feet apart. Plant three or four seeds in each spot. If the seedlings come in peat pots, plant the whole pot. Be sure the rims of the pots are set below the ground surface so that the pot will remain moist and decompose.

After planting the seedlings, cover each one with a half-gallon milk carton with the top cut off. This plant protector will help retain warmth in the soil and shield the seedlings from wind and insects. Remove the coverings in a few days when the plants have become established.

Thin each area to not more than two plants before they begin to vine. Overcrowding will inhibit rather than increase yields.

When the melon vine runners are about a foot long, feed the plants with a 5-10-5 fertilizer. Fertilize again after the first fruits appear. In dry weather, be sure to keep the soil moist. A mulch of straw will help do that if plastic mulch is not used.

Striped cucumber beetles can attack melon stems, leaves and fruit and can spread bacterial wilt, a disease that causes plants to wilt and die. Protect young plants with the milk cartons. The pests can be eradicated by spraying with Sevin or methoxylchlor.

The major disease of melons is powdery mildew, which weakens the plant. Spray the plants with Daconil 2787 if a white powder develops on the foliage and repeat at 10-day intervals.

A cantaloupe variety that grows well in our area and matures in 86 days is "Ambrosia." It has superior flavor and has the added advantage of being resistant to mildew.

Cantaloupes are picked at what is called the "slip" stage, when a slight pressure at the point where the stem joins the melon causes the melon to slip off the vine.

Fruits that start to grow after midsummer will not have time to mature and should be removed. This thinning will direct nourishment towards fruits that have developed enough to mature.