Noir des Carmes Melon Seeds (Cucumis melo cv.)

Harvested from the gardens at Monticello.
Noir des Carmes Melon is a beautiful and rare French heirloom variety with dark green, deeply ribbed skin and flavorful orange flesh named for the Carmelite monks who preserved them.  This true European cantaloupe was mentioned in The Universal Gardener and Botanist by Thomas Mawe and John Abercrombie in 1778.

Direct sow seeds in hills or rows after the last spring frost; for hills, sow 6-8 seeds per 18"-wide hill, then thin to the best 3 plants per hill.  Melons prefer soil on the dry side.  Harvest when the melon slips easily off of the vine.  Approximately 20 seeds per packet.