Question
I garden in north Texas where we had abnormally high rain in
April and May which I think caused splitting of most of my
cantalopes. However after the rain stopped the cantalopes
grew like wild. Unfortunately the vast majority of melons go soft and rot before fully ripe.This continues into September. I use only organic fertilize and compost and water only as needed. Your thoughts?


Answer
Dear Russell,
I would agree that the excess rainfall caused or contributed to much vegetation rotting on the vine as it grew.  I had many queries to that effect, this year.  I found that my cantaloupes have finally improved when I simply allowed them to grow without watering at all.  I don't usually water my gardens unless July and August are continuously and excessively hot and dry.  Try backing up on the watering and see what happens.  Perhaps they don't need even as much water as you might think.
Kind Regards,
Kindred
www.eingedi.us