Kırkağaç 589 Melon "Cassaba" (Cucumis melo) Seeds – Legendary Traditional Turkish Variety, Ribbed Golden Fruit, Dark Green Mottling, Long-Storing

Minimum: 10+ Seeds

The Legendary Turkish Winter Melon That Stores for Months

Some melons are best eaten the day they're picked. Kırkağaç is meant to be saved. Named for the Aegean town in western Turkey whose melons have a reputation across the country, this casaba-type variety grows ribbed, golden fruit mottled with dark green and builds sweetness and aroma in storage, keeping well long after summer melons have gone. It's a legendary traditional Turkish variety for gardeners who want a melon that tastes like fall and winter, not just August.

Who Grows Kırkağaç 589 Melon?
The melon enthusiast wanting a legendary Turkish variety with a real reputation.
The homesteader wanting a melon that stores for weeks or months after harvest.
The heirloom gardener preserving an authentic traditional Turkish variety.
The hot-summer gardener with the long, warm season a winter-type melon needs.

What This Traditional Turkish Casaba Melon Actually Is
Cucumis melo 'Kırkağaç 589' is a traditional Turkish winter melon of the casaba type, from the Kırkağaç area of Turkey's Aegean region. Vines produce ribbed fruit that ripens to a golden-yellow rind with dark green mottling, with sweet, juicy, aromatic flesh. Unlike muskmelons and cantaloupes, which slip from the vine at ripeness, casaba types are picked by cutting the stem and then keep for a long time in storage, often sweetening as they rest. It needs a long, hot growing season to ripen fully. Grown as a warm-season annual, not frost-hardy.

In the Garden & Kitchen

• Fresh eating: Slice chilled fruit for a sweet, juicy dessert or breakfast melon.
• Winter storage: Store whole, uncut fruit in a cool, dry, ventilated place for weeks or months.
• Late-season harvest: Grow for ripe melons well into fall, after other melons are finished.
• Heirloom growing project: Grow to experience an authentic Turkish variety with real regional fame.
• Sharing and gifts: Give long-keeping melons as seasonal gifts to friends and family.
• Market sales: Offer a rare, distinctive winter melon at farmers markets.

Growing Kırkağaç 589 Melon Seeds

• Start method: Start indoors 3 to 4 weeks before last frost, or direct sow after soil has warmed.
• Germination: Sprouts in 7 to 10 days in warm soil.
• Soil temperature: Germinates best between 70 and 90°F.
• Transplanting: Move outdoors after all frost danger has passed and soil is consistently warm.
• Spacing: Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart, allowing room for vigorous, sprawling vines.
• Sunlight: Full sun.
• Soil: Rich, well-drained soil with good fertility supports the strongest fruit.
• Watering: Consistent deep watering; reduce as fruit ripens for the best flavor.
• Days to maturity: Typically ready in roughly 100 to 120 days, a long season.
• Harvest: Cut the stem when the rind turns golden; casaba melons do not slip from the vine.
• Storing: Keep whole fruit in a cool, dry, airy spot and check for soft spots regularly.
• Hardiness: Grown as a warm-season annual; killed by frost.

Before You Close This Page
This is the melon with a reputation, ribbed, golden, and dark-green-mottled fruit from a Turkish variety that keeps its sweetness through storage. Kırkağaç 589 asks for a long, hot season and rewards it with melons you can enjoy well after summer has ended. Start the seed early, give the vines room and sun, and cut the fruit when the rind turns golden. Grow the melon that's worth the wait and worth saving.