Some observations growing cucurbites

I live in zone 5b and have some interesting personal experience growing cucurbites.

Cantaloupes appear to be the toughest cucurbit in my garden. Nearly all transplants survive with little to no transplant shock. Their seeds also overwinter surprisingly well. This year, volunteer cantaloupes emerged in April, survived many nights of high 30s to low 40s, and now have approximately eight true leaves. In comparison, cantaloupes direct-sown in late May have only about four true leaves. My transplanted cantaloupes are already sending out vines.

Cucumbers are much less tolerant of transplanting. Only about 50% of my transplants survive, and direct-sown plants usually outgrow the transplants. Once established, cucumbers are extremely productive. So it's better to direct sow than start in door.

Luffa is not particularly well suited to my location. The plants establish slowly and start vigorous growth relatively late in the season. Starting seeds indoors helps somewhat, but transplant survival is again only around 50%. Direct-sown plants generally produce only a few luffas per plant. By the time the vines begin growing aggressively, much of the season has already passed. The plants produce abundant flowers in fall, but many fruits do not have enough time to reach a useful size before frost ends the season.

This year I am experimenting with watermelons and thin-walled oriental melons. It will be interesting to compare their performance with cantaloupes and determine whether they are better adapted to my growing conditions.