Overview

The combination of fresh strawberries and cantaloupe is popular in fruit smoothies, summer soups, chilled treats or even as an addition to green tea. Cantaloupe has a mildly sweet taste that complements strawberries well. There's nothing quite like seeing fresh strawberries and cantaloupe in a garden together, as well. Both plants create runners, and can eventually take over an area. Plant this combination together in your garden so you can create your own healthful treats throughout the summer.

Step 1

Select a sunny location for your garden that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Begin planting after the last frost in spring.

Step 2

Loosen the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Remove any weeds and their roots from the area.

Step 3

Use your shovel to mix about 4 inches of composted organic matter and 10-10-10 fertilizer through the top 6 inches of soil. Both strawberries and cantaloupe prefer well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter.

Step 4

Begin planting your garden on a cloudy late afternoon, which is best for strawberries. Transplant your strawberry plants so that they are at least 18 inches apart by setting each plant in a hole large enough to just cover the roots.

Step 5

Form mounds of soil for your cantaloupe plants. Space each mound about 4 feet from your strawberries and the other mounds.

Step 6

Press four cantaloupe seeds into each mound at a depth of 1 inch.

Step 7

Water your garden immediately. Repeat watering once a week. Make sure your strawberries get 1 inch of water a week and your cantaloupe up to 2 inches per week.

Step 8

Add about 1 inch of hay or straw mulch around your seedlings when they form their second set of leaves to help maintain moisture in the soil. Thin your cantaloupe seedling so that there are only two plants per mound.

Step 9

Give your cantaloupe plants a tablespoon side-dressing of 4-0-0 fertilizer when runners begin to appear. Remove blossoms from June-bearing strawberries the entire first season and from everbearing and day-neutral species for the first six weeks to promote the development of runners and stronger future harvests.