Potting mix for melons

[Steve A]

I have read that cantaloupe and watermelon like sandy soil. For a container, is mixing some quantity of sand with the regular potting mix appropriate or helpful at all?

 

[Chuck]

I have read that cantaloupe and watermelon like sandy soil. For a container, is mixing some quantity of sand with the regular potting mix appropriate or helpful at all?

Adding sand will not hurt anything in growing melons. The main thing about melons is that they demand a well draining soil and adding sand helps in this. The bad thing about sand is that it drains so quickly you must water and fertilize more often and it is more difficult to keep the correct moisture level. Personally, I don't add any sand to my garden soil, I just add a lot of leaf mold/compost. Sand doesn't add very much in the way of nutrients and compost does. Also, compost drains rapidly but retains moisture, leaving me a little wiggle room as when to water.