I've tried a few cantaloupe cultivars, and none of them were good, were tasteless. May have to do with northern growing conditions, IDK.

Similar to cantaloupe but by far better IMO -- charantais melons. I grow "Alvaro".

I think it's pretty clearly established that brix in canteloupe is higher with higher growing temperatures, and sun exposure as well. Sweet canteloupe up north is going to be hard.

I have tried a charantais type twice before, it is sweet but a bit too crispy for me, although I may have not gotten the hang of picking them at the right moment. Ambrosia turns orange over night, add one more night to ripen and it "slips", it'll melt in your mouth. Dan do you grow loupes or a favorite? I may use my idle veggie plot to grow Ambrosia transplants and 2 other seed types, it depends upon what will be offered at the local seed stands/displays. Maybe try a Chrenshaw or Honeydew again, its been years.

I grow both cantaloupes and honeydews. Sierra Gold has been a mainstay for the former. But I've heard a lot about Ambrosia and might try it this year instead. Have also grown Charentais, but they are trickier, for several reasons, splitting being one. Honeydews are a lot easier than cantaloupes for several reasons. Firstly, they can sit directly on the ground. Don't need propping up off the soil. Secondly, my pest problem is much more severe with cantaloupes. I know when they're ripe, and can look for slip because then they usually have a big bite taken out of them. The problem is that ripe cantaloupes SMELL ripe. Honeydews don't. Late in the season last year I first tried putting buckets over them to protect them. That worked OK, and this year I will start earlier.

My garden plots are surrounded by solar ele fences which help deter most critters pretty good. The only critters that have taken a bite out of my loupes are Box Turtles. I had to catch one in the act to fiqure it out. I'll be heading out to Lowe's today to check if any seed stands are up and see if Sierra Gold is available. Dan if you try Ambrosia you should be happy with the flavor, texture, and sweetness.

Melon growing is pretty tricky here in upstate NY (z5b), but I've been pleasantly surprised with both PMR Delicious 51 and Sugar Cube cantaloupes in recent years (both of which are advertised as melons for short-season/northern growers). The flavor has been excellent on both, and the disease resistances that were touted for each have mostly lived up to the hype, although no melons will ever be truly "disease-resistant" in my no-spray, backyard raised bed regime.

I know several local farms around here that grow excellent Charentais and Gris-de-Rennes-type melons, but they're using high tunnels and much more "controlled" conditions.