FruitMelon
Eindor Melon
Eindor Melon is a heat-loving heirloom melon that brings the exotic flavors of Israel to your garden. This open-pollinated variety produces small, heavily netted fruits weighing 2 to 4 pounds with pale green flesh and an intoxicating floral, tropical, banana-like flavor that's unlike any supermarket melon. Growing in 80 to 89 days, it thrives in warm zones 2 through 13 and adapts beautifully to containers, raised beds, and garden plots. The plant's compact vining habit and disease resistance make it reliable for both greenhouse and outdoor cultivation.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
15 in
Height
TypeVining
Spacing
48
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-13
Size
15in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The flavor alone justifies growing Eindor: a distinctive blend of banana, tropical fruit, and delicate floral notes that lingers on your palate long after the last bite. Its heavily netted golden skin creates beautiful visual contrast with the pale green flesh inside, and each small melon is perfectly sized for a family meal. The variety's proven resistance to anthracnose, bacterial wilt, downy mildew, fusarium wilt, and powdery mildew means you're far more likely to actually harvest ripe fruit than with disease-prone melons. Heat tolerance is baked into this variety's DNA, making it thrive in hot summers when other melons might struggle.
Common Uses
Eindor melons are eaten fresh, chilled, and often served simply in halves with a spoon or cubed in fruit salads where their distinctive banana and floral notes shine. The small size makes them ideal for sharing at the table or for gardeners with limited storage space. Some growers serve them as an elegant dessert or breakfast fruit, letting the melon's unique flavor profile take center stage rather than pairing it with other ingredients that might mask its character.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 3 to 4 weeks before your last frost date in trays or pots filled with seed-starting mix. Keep soil temperature between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit for best germination. Transplant seedlings outdoors only after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transplant Outdoors
Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Transplant into warm soil after your last frost date, spacing plants 48 inches apart along rows spaced 72 inches apart. Plant at the same depth they were growing in their containers.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds 1 inch deep into warm soil after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperature reaches at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow in groups of 2 to 3 seeds spaced 48 inches apart, then thin to the strongest seedling per hill once plants have emerged and developed their first true leaves.
Harvesting
Melons typically mature 80 to 89 days from planting. Harvest when the skin develops a golden background with clear netted pattern, and the melon yields slightly to thumb pressure at the blossom end. A ripe Eindor melon will slip easily from the vine when gently twisted; if it resists, it needs a few more days. The small size (2 to 4 pounds) and compact growth habit make them easy to spot and harvest by hand. Cut melons with a small knife if they don't slip freely, leaving a short stem attached.
Pruning
As a vining annual, Eindor benefits from light pruning to manage growth and direct energy toward fruit production. Pinch or remove the growing tip once the main vine has reached 6 to 8 feet long to encourage branching and secondary fruiting. Remove any yellowing leaves or diseased growth promptly. If trellising, gently train vines upward and tie them loosely to supports using soft twine, removing any tendrils that grip supports too aggressively.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucumis melo var. reticulatus
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Growth Habit
Vining
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“Also known as Ha'Ogen or Ein Dor melon, this variety originates from Israel, where it has been cultivated and refined over generations. The name reflects its Israeli heritage and the melon's importance in the region's agricultural tradition. As an heirloom, open-pollinated variety that has been preserved through seed saving rather than commercial breeding, Eindor carries forward decades of adaptation to hot, dry growing conditions. Its journey to gardens worldwide represents the broader movement to preserve diverse, regionally-adapted crop varieties before they disappear from commercial agriculture.”