To get the highest sugar content possible, allow melons to ripen completely on the vine. Color is a common indicator of ripeness for cantaloupes, watermelons and honeydews. Other signs vary among the varieties.
Cantaloupes will easily separate from the vine when it’s time to harvest. If you have to twist to get the melon to detach from the vine it is not fully ripe. The skin should begin to yellow in contrast to the solid green of immature fruit. There should be a musky fragrance and the end of the fruit opposite where the vine attaches should be soft.
Watermelons change from green-white to yellow and the glossy coat turns dull when
they are ripe. The tendril where the fruit attaches to the vine will turn black. Cut the fruit
from the vine leaving about two inches of the tendril attached to the fruit.
Honeydews do not easily separate from the vine when ripe. When the fruit changes
from pale green to light yellow and the end of the fruit opposite the vine attachment is
soft it is time to harvest. There will also be a sweet aroma from a ripe honeydew.
After harvest, cantaloupe can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks. Watermelons
can be stored at room temperature for one week or in 50-60 degrees F for two to three
weeks. Honeydews can be stored for two weeks at 50 degrees F.
