I will move one of my dungheaps to a spare bed of soil and plant the melons in that - a row with a timber A frame at either end and poles between them ( lengths at ground level and maybe 5 feet up. I can then wire this up with vertical wire for the melon plants to climb.
I think 5 feet will be high enough.
Oh - I have a dip in the veg plot that is fed, by an underground pipe, rain water from the barn roof and the water outlet from our septic tank. This is the damp part of the garden in high summer so will reduce the need for frequent watering.
I'll post the outcome.