Whole Melon Cantaloup Charentais with netted skin and green ribs, with a small pile of seeds placed in front

Charentais cantaloupe melon ripe fruit – sweet French heirloom variety for hydroponic harvest

Whole cantaloupe melon with grey-green skin, a half and a slice showing the orange flesh and seeds

Charentais Cantaloupe melon seeds

Name: Charentais Cantaloupe melon seeds
Brand: Kokopelli
Price: 3.9 EUR
Availability: InStock

3,90 €

An old variety originating from Charente, the Cantaloup Charentais produces round melons with smooth, pale green skin and juicy, sweet orange flesh, weighing 500 g to 1 kg.

The packet contains 25 organic seeds from which you can save your own. Sowing is done under heated cover from March to May, harvesting runs from July to October, and each plant needs 1 m in every direction.

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The summary

What you receive: 25 organic, open-pollinated Cantaloup Charentais melon seeds.
Sowing: in a heated shelter from March to May, in a pot, at 2 to 3 cm, at 20 to 25 °C.
Germination: 7 to 10 days, provided the growing medium stays warm day and night.
Space needed: 1 m in every direction between plants, for a trailing plant.
Harvest: from July to October, when the cracking rings the stalk and the fruit is fragrant.
In aquaponics: a large grow bed filled with clay pebbles, with a net under each fruit.

Full-sun Charentais melon, 25 heirloom seeds, one plant per square metre

Cantaloup Charentais melon seeds, from the Kokopelli association, produce a traditional Charente melon, round, with sweet orange flesh, weighing 500 g to 1 kg. The packet contains 25 organic, open-pollinated seeds. A trailing, full-sun plant, it needs 1 m in every direction between two plants, with sowing under heated cover from March to May.

The Cantaloup Charentais is an heirloom variety originating from Charente, which produces round melons with smooth pale green skin and juicy, sweet orange flesh. Each fruit weighs from 500 g to 1 kg and measures 15 to 20 cm across. It is a plant that loves full sun and heat, which starts slowly and then speeds up once nights stay above 15 °C. It also needs room, which you should consider before sowing.

☀️ A start under heated cover

Sow in pots under cover from March to May, at a temperature between 20 and 25 °C, about 6 weeks before planting out. Lay the seed flat and cover it with 2 to 3 cm of compost; germination then takes 7 to 10 days. You then transplant the whole root ball, without breaking it up, after the last frosts, into a planting hole enriched with compost. Direct sowing in open ground remains possible in April and May, but only when the soil has warmed up well and temperatures no longer drop below 15 °C.

Sow

Lay the seeds flat in a pot, at between 20 and 25 °C, 6 weeks before planting.

Transplant

Plant the whole root ball after the last frosts, in a hole enriched with compost.

Train

Pinch out the main stem after a few leaves to make the plant branch.

📏 Floor space

Allow 1 m in every direction between plants, because the melon is a trailing plant whose stems creep along the ground and spread widely. If your space is limited, sow fewer plants rather than crowding them: two well-lit, well-fed melons yield more than six that shade one another. Its water needs remain high until harvest, and a thick mulch at the base limits evaporation.

Melon in a water-based system

Melon is possible in aquaponics, but it is one of the most demanding crops you can set up: it needs a system that has already cycled, a deep grow bed and a support to hold the fruit. Give it a large grow bed filled with clay pebbles, provide a net to support each melon, and keep the floating rafts for leafy greens and herbs. The guide to plants to grow in aquaponics explains why a melon placed in a system that is too young stagnates.

Plant only when night temperatures stay above 15 °C

A melon planted out too early, in soil that is still cold, stops growing and takes several weeks to get going again, so it fruits no earlier than a plant set out later. Wait until nights stay above 15 °C before taking the pots outside, and harden the plants off outdoors for a few hours a day during the preceding week.

🍈 The sign of ripeness

A melon that has been picked gains no more sugar, which is why the harvest date is read from the fruit itself. You are looking for two signs that appear together: a crack running all the way round where the stalk attaches, and a distinct fragrance a few centimetres from the fruit. The melon then comes away almost by itself in your hand. Picked a few days too early, it stays firm and not very sweet; left too long, its flesh turns mealy. The harvest runs from July to October depending on the sowing date and the summer.

✂️ The fruit load

Once the first fruits have set, limit the load to 4 to 6 fruits per plant and remove the later ones, then in September remove the melons that have just set, as they will no longer have time to ripen before the cold nights. Slip a small board, a tile or a handful of straw under each fruit resting on the ground, so that its underside does not rot, and reduce watering in the week before harvest, which avoids a waterlogged, bland melon.

Technical specifications

The sachet

Number of seeds: 25Enough to plant around ten specimens, including germination losses.
Seed origin: Kokopelli associationOrganic seeds, royalty-free.
Seed type: Open-pollinated, non-hybridReproducible: seed from your own harvest will give the same variety.
Seed storage: Approximately 5 yearsStore in a dry, cool, dark place.

The plant

Botanical name: Cucumis melo var. cantalupensisThe cantaloupe group, to which the Charentais belongs.
Shipping: RunnerThe stems trail along the ground, spreading 1 m in every direction.
Fruit: Round, 500 g to 1 kgSmooth pale green skin, sweet orange flesh.
Harvest: July to OctoberWhen the cracking runs all the way round the stalk.

Sowing and planting

Seedlings under cover: March to May, in pots6 weeks before planting out.
Seedling depth: 2 to 3 cmSeed laid flat, then covered.
Germination temperature: 20 to 25 °COn a heat mat or in a warm room.
Germination time: 7 to 10 days
Installation: After the frostsNights above 15 °C, root ball intact.
Spacing: 1 m in every directionIn a hole enriched with compost.

To budget for separately

Start-up heat: 1 heated seedling mat
Growing medium: Clay pebbles or coco fibre

8 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

1 paper sachet of 25 Cantaloup Charentais melon seeds, harvested from organic farming
1 variety label: botanical name, sowing period, and year of seed harvest

Contents, sowing calendar and spacings checked on 11/10/2026 on the seed supplier's sheet. Depths, temperatures and germination times checked on 20/09/2026 on two growing calendars. Heights and storage periods are approximate figures for mainland France.

Manufacturer and product safety

Manufacturer: Association Kokopelli (SIREN 433481124, TVA FR80433481124)
Postal address: 7 route de Sabarat, Forêt de Castagnès, 09290 Le Mas-d'Azil, France
Contact: Formulaire de contact : https://kokopelli-semences.fr/fr/faq/ (aucune adresse e-mail publique) ; téléphone 05 61 67 69 87
Website: kokopelli-semences.fr

Information provided under Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety.

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delivery time

A packet of seeds ships as a small parcel. It can be grouped at no extra cost with the rest of your order, and the exact amount is calculated at checkout.

Frequently asked questions

6 questions

6 key questions

How much space should you allow for one melon plant?

How do you know when a Cantaloup Charentais melon is ripe?

Does melon really grow in aquaponics?

Yes, but it is among the hardest crops to succeed with there.

Three constraints add up. The spread of the plant takes up about 1 m² of grow bed. The fruit weighs 500 g to 1 kg and must be supported by a net or a small board. Finally, melon has a high demand for water and nutrients: it needs a system that has been cycled for several weeks and a sufficient stocking of fish.

If your system is young or compact, start with leaves and herbs. The nitrogen cycle explains what is meant by a mature system.

Should melon plants be pruned?

Can you train a melon to climb to save space?

Training method	Ground space	What it requires
On the ground	About 1 m² per plant	A small board under each fruit
Trained on supports	Considerably smaller	A sturdy trellis and a net for each melon

Training on supports works, provided that each fruit rests in a net, otherwise it will drop off by itself when ripe.

Can you save and resow your own melon seeds?

Growing calendar

Guidelines for mainland France, to be shifted by about 2 weeks depending on your region.

Stage
Seedlings under heated cover3 months	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover in March	Seedlings under heated cover in April	Seedlings under heated cover in May	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no	Seedlings under heated cover: no
Installation2 months	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation in May	Installation in June	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation: no	Installation: no
Pruning and training2 months	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training in June	Pruning and training in July	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no	Pruning and training: no
Harvest4 months	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest: no	Harvest in July	Harvest in August	Harvest in September	Harvest in October	Harvest: no	Harvest: no

KeySeedlings under heated coverInstallationPruning and trainingHarvest

This month October

Growing guidance

Seedling depth: 2 to 3 cmSeed laid flat, then covered over
Germination temperature: 20 to 25 °CBelow this, germination becomes uneven
Germination time: 7 to 10 days
Spacing: 1 m in every directionIn a hole enriched with compost
Shipping: RunnerThe stems creep along the ground
Harvest period: July to OctoberDepending on the sowing date and aspect
Fruits per plant: 4 to 6Beyond that, the last ones don't have time to ripen
Aspect: Full sunPlenty of light and warmth until harvest
pH in aquaponics: 6.5 to 7.5The usual balance between fish, bacteria and plants
Seed storage: Around 5 yearsCommon reference point for melon, kept dry and away from light

What you need to know

Sow the seed lying flat, not upright. Set on its edge, it more often emerges with its seed coat stuck to the cotyledons, and the seedling exhausts itself trying to shed it.
Melons dislike being transplanted bare-root. Sow directly in pots and transplant the whole root ball, because a broken root delays establishment by several weeks.
Slip a small board, a tile or a handful of straw under each fruit lying on the ground. The underside of a melon in direct contact with damp soil rots before it is ripe.
Reduce watering in the week before harvesting a fruit. A melon swollen with water at the end of ripening is often bland despite looking good.
In aquaponics, give it a deep grow bed and a support net for each melon. Deep water culture can carry neither the spread of the plant nor the weight of the fruit.
Keep 4 to 6 fruits per plant. A plant carrying more ripens them all only halfway, whereas six melons reach maturity with the same leaf area.