Uno, I think most melon varieties are capable of strong, healthy, vigorous growth. It's just that they are fussy about conditions. Melons like lots of rich, rich soil but at the same time like well-drained soil. Go heavy on the compost. Pour it on. What Gary says about starting indoors is spot on, especially in the more northerly locations.
They like heat and full sun. Start with warm soil. Mound it up so it warms faster and use a plastic mulch. I use a black plastic mulch for the melon bed. You would think the plants would fry to a crisp on the black plastic with the heat and sun we have here, but they love it. When I tried not using the black plastic mulch I got way too many weeds (grasses, mostly) that competed with the melons, to the melons disadvantage. Once the vines get some size, moving them around to weed is both impractical and not good for the vines, as Jungseed mentioned.
I think it makes sense to snip off small melons that won't have a chance to mature by the end of the season, but I don't usually go out of my way to do that, either. In my experience, the plant's energy isn't evenly distributed amongst the melons on a plant--the melons that set earlier get the lion's share. I will snip off the growing tips if they get too far out of the bed (or mow over them with the lawnmower
).
This year I grew Orangeglo, Ali Baba, and Blacktail Mountain. Blacktail Mountain was the first one with ripe melons, but not by a lot. With the warm fall we've had, the Blacktail Mtn. put out a second flush of melons and I have several sitting in the garage right now. Maybe we'll eat it tomorrow--the traditional Thanksgiving watermelon.
