I can't comment on growing charentais since in my climate melons really need a greenhouse and I don't have one. But I've eaten an awful lot of them. They are delicious. What have you got to lose giving them a try, other than the price of a packet of seeds?

I've seen them growing in fields and obviously the fruit aren't going to be supported there. You could dot plants about your garden and see which conditions suit them best.

I tried growing them just once several years ago but returned to Ambrosia. I found them to be too crispy in texture, easy to split/crack in heavy rains, harder to determine when ripe, and not as sweet as Ambrosia. They did seem to hold up better when resting on the ground, no bottom rot. If you have pine trees nearby I place a hand full of pine needles under my Ambrosias and it really helps prevent bottom rot quite well.

I'm surprised about your comment on sweetness. They are often described as the sweetest melons. They're supposed to brix out at 13-15, compared with Ambrosias which are more like 10. But that's true, they allegedly don't "slip" very well, so determination of ripeness can be an issue, and I hear cracking can be an issue when ripe.

Their sweetness may depend heavily upon growing conditions. If they ripen under dry condtions they may be sweet but my local wetter conditions made mine split/crack before they were fully ripe. As I recall they weren't all that productive either, at least not when compared to Ambrosia.

Yes, re productivity I have a bumper crop of Ambrosia this year. I've harvested 25 lbs of melons from an 8x8 foot bed. Somewhat exasperatingly, they all mature about the same time. Giving cantaloupe to everyone.

Speaking only as a purchaser of Charentais rather than a grower, I test for ripeness by sniffing. Easy in a shop. Not so easy crawling around the garden.

I find that when the raccoons start eating the melons then they are ripe. I quit growing melons several years ago due to the raccoons.

In the past, I've had possums, raccoons, and squirrels eating my melons. Yes, you know when they're ripe when there is a bite taken out of them. Regular cantaloupes also smell when they're ripe. I put up a 3-foot chicken wire fence around the whole bed, but that didn't stop them. This year, I've draped lengths of chicken wire OVER the bed. Success. Not a single bite. I've also been trapping diligently, getting mostly squirrels this year. I'm considering Charentais because I think I finally have melons figured out. Yes, smell is not a convenient test.