We bought our initial seeds from the farmers’ store. We planted melons during the heavy rains and during the short rains. During the short rains, we supplemented rainwater with irrigation through controlled plastic pipes; overhead sprinklers and water cans with nozzles especially in the evenings when the ground needed cooling down after very hot days.
We did not plant the seeds in the seedbed because we did not want to interfere with the delicate tendrils of the plant so we planted the seeds straight in the allocated area.
They seeds germinated well and progressed well.
It was never wise to irrigate in the mornings or during the day because evaporation would not let water stay on the ground due to extreme heat from sunrise. We had both the long lime green ones and the round dark green ones at the farm. The round ones seemed to do better than the long ones because of some worm infection.
Some worm simply targeted the half or midsize melons racing to bigger sizes by infesting the long ones more. We would go to bed after checking them and certifying that all was well. In the morning we would find several of them had been attacked during the night right in the middle of the fruit.
We resorted to applying a solution of ashes from the tripod stone cooker or charcoal burner mixed with red chilies. Alternatively, we applied a solution of Neem tree leaves, seeds or bark boiled in water and cooled before spraying. Both treatments gave us some good degree of response and the rest we left to ecosystem.
What we could not eat or sell, we gave cattle and poultry that loved them too. We never bought seeds again because we kept some after eating the fruits for the next planting season.