Days to Maturity: 86

Chances are that if your grandparents kept a vegetable garden, Hale's Best was the Cantaloupe they grew (Did they sprinkle their melons with salt before eating? My folks always did!). They loved its big oval shape, reliable garden performance, and juicy, succulent flavor. Well, some good things actually come back, and this heirloom melon is one of them. Available now from Certified Organic seed, Hale's Best is the best melon I know for sweet, juicy goodness.

The fruit weighs 5 to 6 pounds, and it's mostly flesh -- the seed cavity is small and the rind reasonably thin, with heavy netting and a slight ribbed shape. The melons reach 7 inches long and about 6 inches in diameter. The flesh is simply delicious -- strongly scented, very juicy, yet with a solid melon "bite" that fills you up nicely.

Hale's Best arises on strong, vining plants that can spread 5 feet wide and reach about a foot tall. The fruit matures in the hottest summer weather, just when a chilled melon is about the next thing to heaven.

Pkt of 20 seeds