Delicious 51 | Garden-Fresh Premium Heirloom Cantaloupe/Muskmelon Seeds

Bred by Cornell University’s Dr. Henry Munger and released around 1951, Delicious 51 is an open-pollinated heirloom cantaloupe/muskmelon prized for exceptional flavor and reliability in cool, northern, short-season climates. This thin-skinned Eastern-type cantaloupe has light netting and shallow grooves. Round-to-oval fruits average 2–3 pounds or 4–5 inches across. Juicy, creamy, deep salmon-orange flesh has rich, sweet, aromatic muskmelon flavor. It offers high Fusarium wilt resistance and powdery mildew resistance/tolerance (PMR strains available). Harvest at “full slip,” when light pressure releases the stem; rest briefly for best flavor.

Germination: 3–10 days

Maturity: 70–85 days from transplanting

Genus: Cucumis melo

Quantity: 25 Premium Heirloom Seeds

Appearance: Round-to-oval, 2–3 pound melons have lightly netted, shallow-grooved, thin skin and deep salmon-orange flesh.

Flavor & Uses: Rich, sweet, aromatic flesh is juicy and creamy—ideal for fresh slices and fruit salads.

Growth Habit: Sprawling vines need room to spread and produce early melons well suited to northern, short-season gardens.

Growing Notes: Start indoors 3–4 weeks before transplanting, .25 inch deep. Gradually acclimate seedlings outdoors; transplant after frost in warm, settled weather without disturbing roots. Space plants 2–3 ft. apart in rows 6 ft. apart, in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Keep moisture even; harvest at full slip, when a light tug releases the fruit from the vine.

Note: Avoid overwatering during the final week of ripening to help preserve the melons’ sweetness.

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