Melon Harvest

This is yesterday's melon harvest. There are probably this many more out there today. I planted the melons to cover the ground and so the lady bugs would have something to eat (aphids love melons) and the lizards would have cover. We eat melon every day. Fortunately we love it. We're going to Minnesota this week and I'll have lots of melons to take with us. The sweet potatoes are for Bud's daughter who loves them. I harvested those yesterday too.

The melons in the picture are: Ananas, Galia, Honey Pearl, Heart of Gold, Canary and Sugar Bowl, Sugar Baby and Jubilee watermelons. I have Moon and Stars melons ripe too, I just didn't pick them yesterday. I'm hoping a crenshaw melon gets ripe before we leave.

That is a great collection of melons. I have 5 small canteloupe melon vines, planted late out in garden as very cold weather earlier. One has a melon about 2" and only blooms on the others.

Here is my todays gather of Orient Express cukes from 3 single vines. i am taking them to Seniors , they will enjoy.

Donna

Calalily - I have a problem knowing when to pick melons. Last year they burst open before I could get to them. Could you give me some guidance as to what to look for?

Thanks.

Let's see if I can explain. I just had to make a list for my neighbor (she's watching the garden while we vacation).
Honeydew: watch for color change from green to cream or white, blossom end feels a bit soft. These do not slip, or at least not any I've grown. I have to cut them from the vine.
Cantaloupe: most are full slip and will come loose from the vine with light pressure. Don't water for a few days before harvest to keep fruit from splitting.
Galia: full slip, changes from green to gold when ripe and comes from vine with very little pressure. Sometimes just moving the melon a bit causes it to let go of the vine.
Crenshaw: changes from green to white to yellow and is full slip. Very little pressure needed to pluck from vine. Sometimes the weight of the melon will pull it from the vine when ripe.
Canary: half slip, needs firm pressure to let go of the vine. Changes from green to yellow to deep yellow/gold when ripe and blossom end feels a little soft.
Ananas: full slip, just moving the melon causes it to let go of the vine when ripe. Changes from dark green to light yellow gold when ripe. You can also smell them a long way off when they're ripe!
Watermelon: check the little curly Q thingie where the stem attaches to the vine. It needs to be brown all the way to the stem. Check bottom of melon (this works better with solid dark green melons) for yellow or creamy color. Melons get a duller appearance when ripe due to the sugar/wax coating on the rind.
Hope this helps.

Good information, Calalily! I, like Honeybee, have a tough time telling when they're ripe.

Thanks - Kelly

Sweet!! We harvested our first watermelon on July 4th!

Stephanie that is great. What kind are you growing?
We'll be passing thru Ft Worth on Saturday (at night, hoping to miss the traffic).

The one we harvested was a Sugar Baby. We have 3 more that are just about ripe. We're also growing Moon & Stars, but we've had no babies on them. I think they're not in a great location.

I love Sugar Baby. I have Moon and Stars too. There are a couple in the garden that are ripe. I should go pick them this evening.

Wow Calalily! Those are some nice melons. Great job....I'm jealous. I recently harvested 4 Bush Stars(all about 1.5 pounders). Pretty good tasting, but not full sized flavored like Ambrosia. I also have Arava, Ambrosia, Sugar Baby and Crimson Sweet plants that have fruit forming. Can't wait!!



This message was edited Jul 10, 2009 8:56 PM

I am so jealous! I have been able to grow cantaloupe but have not gotten a watermelon more than a couple inches long.

Calalily - I picked our first melons this morning - had one for breakfast, it tasted great! Thanks for your tips - I gently pulled the vine, and it came away with no problem. I'm going melon-hunting again this evening when I get home from work.

Honeybee, that is great!
I'm in Minnesota right now freezing to death. Everyone loved the melons I brought. I was surprised to see how expensive they were in the stores.

Calalily - Here they sell the huge "Athena" melons buy-one-get-one free for around $5.00. I usually share them with my daughter or neighbor.

I checked the melons in the garden, but no more were ripe as of this morning. They look great though, and no squash borers in sight! We have lots of bats in the neighborhood and I think they must eat the moths that fly around at night.

Shivering here and looking in vain for fuzzies on the melon vines.

sweet haul you got
i am growing Moon and Start too . I would love to see yours. :)
but i m no where near a golf ball size melon yet . :(

I picked a couple of Moon and Stars that could have ripened a day or two longer. I've also discovered they aren't dark pink/red when ripe. They're much lighter than crimson sweet, but very good.

good to know Calalily
i am excited if we get one . Maybe the racoons will let us have some this year. ?