I am starting my first vegetable garden. I love melons and want to grow several kinds.
A long time ago, someone told me that you shouldn’t plant different species of melons close together because they will cross-pollinate, and you will end up with weird fruit that is like neither one. This doesn’t sound right to me, but stranger things have turned out to be true.
Can someone please give me the facts about planting, say, a watermelon and a canteloupe in close proximity? Will it ruin the fruit?
It is not true that planting melons close together results in hybrid fruit in the current year if cross-pollination occurs. However planting the seed from these fruits could result in hybrids next year. That said, i am not sure if different melon species can cross or if we are only talking about different varieties crossing. But either way there is no problem for melons if using pure seed, only potential trouble if saving seed. Corn is a different story however.
This is explained well at this link if you are trying to save seed: