Plan your cantaloupe planting around local frost risk and soil temperature, then work backward from the harvest week your buyers need. The calendar below is a starting point, not a field-level weather forecast.
Minneapolis, Duluth, central WI, northern VT/NH. Average last spring frost May 15, first fall frost September 22 — a 130-day frost-free season.
Windows are calculated from your zone's average frost dates. Adjust ±1 week for microclimates, elevation, and your own frost records.
Harvest at full slip — fruit separates from vine with light thumb pressure. Fruit will not sweeten off the vine.
Plant near: corn, radish
Keep away from: potatoes
BAU Farm Intelligence turns these windows into per-field tasks — indoor seed-start reminders, transplant dates, harvest projections — using your farm's actual frost history.