About This Variety
Minnesota Midget is a tiny cantaloupe developed at the University of Minnesota, bred specifically for short-season northern gardens. The fruits are only about 4 inches across — perfect single-serving melons that pack a surprisingly sweet, musky flavor into a small package. At just 60-75 days to maturity, they're one of the earliest cantaloupes you can grow.
This is a true open-pollinated heirloom, which means seeds saved from it should grow true to type — but only if you can prevent cross-pollination with other Cucumis melo varieties in your garden. And that's the catch.
How to Save Seeds
- Let the melon ripen fully on the vine — past prime eating stage, until the stem slips easily or the skin softens noticeably.
- Cut the melon open and scoop all the seeds into a bowl of water.
- Swish the seeds around — viable seeds will sink to the bottom, while pulp and duds float to the top.
- Pour off the floating pulp and empty seeds.
- Rinse the remaining good seeds in a fine strainer under running water.
- Spread seeds in a single layer on a plate or screen to dry for 1-2 weeks in a well-ventilated area.
- Store in a labeled envelope in a cool, dry place. Include variety name and year.
Tip: Melon seeds don't need fermentation like tomato seeds. The water-float method is all you need to separate good seeds from bad.
Cross-Pollination Warning
WARNING — Your garden has a cross-pollination problem.
You are growing Minnesota Midget, Honey Rock, Sweet Delight, Noir des Carmes, G1 saved seed, Edisto 47, Hale's Best, Ambrosia, and Charentais — all in the same garden. Every single one of these is Cucumis melo. They WILL freely cross-pollinate via bees and other insects.
What this means:
- The melons you eat this year are perfectly fine — cross-pollination does not affect the fruit of the parent plant.
- But seeds saved from any of these melons will carry genetics from whatever pollinated the flower. That could be any of your other 8 melon varieties.
- Plants grown from those seeds will produce unpredictable crosses — not true Minnesota Midget.
For pure Minnesota Midget seed, you need one of:
- Hand-pollination + bagging: Tape female flowers shut the evening before they open. In the morning, hand-pollinate with male flowers from the same variety, then re-bag. Most reliable method.
- Grow only one variety: If you want pure seed from Minnesota Midget, it needs to be the only Cucumis melo in the garden that year.
- Isolation distance: Minimum half mile separation from other Cucumis melo varieties if not bagging flowers.
Bottom line: Unless you hand-pollinate and bag, any seed you save from this melon this year will be a garden cross, not true Minnesota Midget.
