Melons (Cucumis melo)

We will limit ourselves to the sweet varieties typically found in US gardens here, but other types are widely grown abroad.
All melons in the C. Melo will cross with one another, but not with the watermelons / citron, nor the squash pumpkin varieties.

There are 7 recognized sub-species within the C. Melo species

Cantalupensis group (true cantaloupe) These have hard , rough rinds (not netted skins)The mature fruits do not slip from the vine, these are rarely seen in the US, but are common in Europe. The netted musk melon is what we in the US call a cantaloupe.

Chito group all Asian pickling melons

Conomon group also mainly Asian pickling melons

Flexuosus group "Armenian cucumbers"

Dudaim group Queen Anne's pocket melon aka vine pomegranate

Inodorus group includes Christmas melons, honeydew, crenshaw, and casaba melons

Reticulatus group includes musk melons and persian melons.

Melons are a great frustration to the seed saver. Being out breeding they naturally rely on insect pollination. Approximately 80% of the flowers pollinated will abort, and never make a fruit. Hand pollinating is effective in producing a fruit only 10% of the time, with no know reason why. 1/2 mile isolation is recommended for seed purity no matter the method of pollination chosen.

Just like watermelons, the seeds are mature and viable when the fruit is ready to eat. place seeds in a bowl, cover with water, pour off floaters, and debris, repeat until only clean seeds remain. dump cleaned seeds on to a plate or cookie sheet to dry.

Melon seeds will remain viable for 5 years when stored in a dark, cool, dry place.

I am trying melon and watermelon again this summer. In the past I have tried them with pathetic results and so gave up on them for many years. So far, so good this time, but no melons yet.

I know that melons can be very successfully grown around these parts, because other people seem to do it easily.

How about some recommendations... PLEASE!

well the only tips I have are the usual. It takes a lot of room to grow watermelons, up to a 6' x 6' plot for each plant, they need a well drained rich soil. Watermelons are very heavy feeders. Too much nitrogen will grow too much leaves and vines, and not support the fruits. Potash and phosphorus support root and fruit growth, so all three must be available in abundance. Also the melons will need plenty of water.

here's a link titled how to grow watermelons, that offers more info than I have
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2856/how-to-grow-watermelons/page/all

and a good discussion of fertilizer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizer

hmm, just realized you were posting under the other melons, not watermelons. The above still applies to growing the musk and dew melons, but here is a group specific link (sorry about being confused, had to get more coffee to clear a few cobwebs)

http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-cantaloupe-and-honeydew-melons/