Cucumis melo is a sprawling annual climber native to Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and Australasia, and it has been in cultivation for so long that most of its familiar forms exist nowhere in the wild. The cantaloupes, honeydews, muskmelons, and Armenian cucumbers grown in gardens today are all cultigens, products of thousands of years of selection for sweetness, fragrance, texture, and flesh color. That musky perfume released when a ripe muskmelon is cut open comes from volatile compounds that vary in intensity by cultivar and gave rise to one of the plant's oldest common names.

In the garden, cantaloupe is straightforward in its requirements and generous when they are met. It needs full sun, neutral to slightly acidic soil with good drainage, and adequate organic matter to fuel its vigorous growth. Plant seed outdoors after the last frost or start indoors four to six weeks before the expected frost date. Cages or a trellis can support the six-to-nine-foot vines and save ground space, though in a large kitchen garden the plants can simply be allowed to trail. Harvest fruits young, as older melons toughen quickly. Bees are essential pollinators, and cucumber beetles, powdery mildew, and downy mildew are the main threats to manage through good cultural practice and timely attention.