Debbie --- The scooter holds up to 400lbs and as of today, I weigh 290lbs.
This area I devoted to the watermelon "Carolina Cross" supposedly some have grown to 200lbs according to the package. Of course I'm not expecting anything that size. I'll be happy with a 25 pounder as I've never grown watermelon seriously before. I'll clear out all the paraphenia when the melon gets serious and starts producing.
In the EBs -- on the left against the fence is a "Honeymoon Honeydew" and to the right of it is "Venus Hybrid Honeydew".The"Honeymoon" I'm growing on a trellis to conserve space. I will support the melons when they form with panty hose or something.
The "Amy Hybrid" can also be grown the same way on a trellis. Gonna need a lot of panty hose!
Good going TPlant! By the way I got a mater message for you on the tomato forum. Well, they may look at you a little funny when you go into Walgreen's! LOL Looking good there and good use of that fence...by the way, curousity killing me here...what's in the little oblong rectangle pot? Some trade sectret companion plant for bountiful and beautiful melons? :)
Debbie
Tplant - way to be!! You're on the road to melon madness. I hope to join you there this weekend.
Flip
me three! My problem is all you wonderful folks have got me needing to invest in more "real estate"! So many choices...my heads a spinnin'!
Debbie
The one with the tag is a "Georgia Rattlesnake". This is a 25 pounder and supposed to be very sweet. On the right are two Okra for my DIL but I will move them as I will need the space. In front are "Midnite Phlox" a very fragrant flower. I like to mix flowers in with my plantings.
Does phlox do good for you in summer? I've been hesitant on summer phlox here with the humidity; but if it works for you, should work for me, right?
Debbie
This EB contains "Sweet Barcelona" A spanish melon. I always buy one when they are in season at my supermarket. They cost about $8 ea so I thought I'd try growing my own? As far as the Phlox is concerned this is my first season for it.
This is my set-up. The tent is 10'x10' and highly portable as it opens like an accordian and folds for storage. It fits into a bag a little bit bigger than a golf bag. We bought it at Wal-Mart ,on sale, marked down from $119 to $65. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. I even have a fan under the tent and in 90deg heat I hardly break a sweat. It really is cool under there.
Cool--and that's a Plumeria growing in an EB to the right?....oh, if it is, I may just have to get one!
Debbie
dirt girl who spys a Plumeria in an earthbox? My heart is a flutterin'
My plumaria is blooming ...kind of out of season. I have just taken it outside...getting big to heft around.
And it's in an EB? What's your cultural practices for it in an EB?
Debbie, If you are asking me and not TPlant, I have mine in about a 18 inch pot. I just water and feed and bring in in freezing weather. I started it from a cutting my daughter brought back from Hawaii in about 1998-9.
It normally blooms carmine, but this out of season bloom is yellow with carmine fringe.
It won't grow as big as it would in the ground but I will transplant it later. It was given to me by Dutchlady and it is a "MiamiRose". Most anything can be grown in an earthbox. If I leave it there it will be a dwarf size but very healthy and full.
Indy--TPlant has what sure looks like on on the right side of the pic. Sorry--we had been posting somewhat continuously there and I thought you were him! I'm sorry, must need some sleep here! LOL I usually do mine in big pots too for the fertilizer requirements of the plant...I'm not "pouring" that stuff into my garden beds!
Debbie
Plumeria's I just love....another favorite of mine! My problem is I seem to love anything that's a challenge!
Debbie
Okay - finished the cleanout and weeding of the strip garden today and planted the first two: Rockford Honeydew and Iroquois Canteloupe. More to come as space comes available.
Flip
Flip ---- Glad you got started with your melons. This is a fairly new experience for me. I planted all my melons yesterday. I planted three in each box and three seeds per space which I will thin to one plant in each mound thus giving me three to the box.
Still "mulling" over varieties here. I just need to make a decision! I want one good watermelon and one other type of melon.
Debbie
Ok Melon Guru's- I need your advice. This is my first year for a veggie garden and I am planning on Watermelon, Cantelope and Pumpkins. I've got what I believe are some varieties that will do well here, Sweet Granite Cantelope and Little Baby Flower Watermelon. I think I start from seed on May 15- here in MN and out they go on June 1. I have a brand new raised bed- which was amended last fall with chicken coop stuff (pine bedding and poo) - but what do they LIKE? I assume lots of water- I'll use soaker hose on timer- but do they need fertilizer? What kinds? Any hints would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Hill
Hill, I'm no expert, but if you can, I'd just direct sow the seeds into the ground. I've had better luck that way than from transplants. Maybe you could try some of each and see which method works best.
Actually, melons are not big on being watered once they're going. I think that most of the experts would tell you to let mama nature take care of their water requirements. (I mean, if you're in a drought you probably ought to water them but otherwise...)
Flip
Yep. Water melons were born in the sub sahara. Very drought resistant plant. They don't care for a lot of nitrogen either. Get hard white hearts. They will transplant from cups or the like as long as you don't disturb the root and you do it before they get true leaves. Direct seeding works much better for me, but in your climate you probably do need an edge.
FD - on the melon watering subject - how do you keep your honeydews and cantaloupes, etc happy? Thanks!
Flip
Cantaloupes, Galias, Honeydews and Crenshaw, I plant a back up patch where I can water during a drought. Most years they do ok in traditional field planting. How ever if the vines wilt badly, the melons will sunburn and become useless. My watering guide, add water when the vines began to wilt and expose the melons to direct sunlight.
Can you believe this? The melon seeds I planted Friday have sprouted ? That's actually three days. The packets say 7-14 days ! I guess they like the EBs I planted them in. I consider this a good omen and will take pictures tomorrow to show you.
Yes, I can believe that. I have cantaloupes that start coming up in 2½ days and watermeloms in 3½ days. This is because I have them at 88°.
Yours must be warm too down in Florida.
That and the nice "toasty" temps we're having TPlant. Now that one I don't think the EB has a thing to do with but I love ya anyway!
;)
Debbie
You are probably correct Debbie! Production will decide the outcome...
Melons came up after 5 days. Trying to plant watermelons this weekend but with Mother's Day it could be a challenge.
Flip
Do watermelons transplant well? i have some in my cups about 6 inches high and are ready to go out.
am i going to early for a zone 5b? i m making raised beds this weekend i hope . I will add sand to the ones for watermelon.
my soil ph is 7.2 i think i don't have it right infront of me .
I have sugar baby and black tail mt
i wish i got Oragnelo i think it is called Farmer you had mentiond this one in the past i believe
thanks
sue
taynors -- What I have studied about melons is the fact that they do not like to be transplanted. If I were you I would plant two per mound so if one dies you will still have the other or cut out the bottom of the cup, assuming it is paper and plant the whole thing. The roots will find their way and take hold. Seems the roots do not like to be disturbed. It amazes me that growers for stores like Lowes and Home Depot grow seedlings and sell them at these outlets knowing there is a very small chance that they will survive.
I have had really good luck transplanting all sorts of things that don't like to be transplanted. I use peat pots and rip the rim off. The whole root system is left intact and undisturbed. I have heard many people say they don't have good luck doing this, but i've never had a problem. Before i plant them i get the pots soaking wet so the rim practically falls off, usually by the time they need to go into the ground they are falling apart anyway.
Good luck!
I have transplanted melons for several years. My dad did it in the '40s to get the desirable jump on things here in the midwest. I used 4 inch square plastic pots for my first bunch and 3 inch for the second. The 4 inch gives some leeway at planting time...like right now we are in the third day of cool/cold weather with rain or mist for hours at a time so I'm glad for the extra root area. I like to set out ones that are rooted enough that they slide out intact...only one plant to a pot ,....absolutely.
I also plant in raised beds or hills.....imagine them being wet for days. Sometimes this happens up here in May...maybe a lot! So good drainage is paramount with me.
Also I use a 3x4 foot IRT plastic mulch [reuseable oftentimes] slipped over the plant after setting the plant. I cut a small hole in the center and work it over the leaves carefully....SO glad it is shunning some of this rain on the few I have already set out. This mulch is not a solid row cover and will let rain in much of the area which cuts down on watering.
hmm thanks sound good, Tomback i was think ing of the peats ,and when i went ot my HD they were sold out. gosh oh mighty what a bummer. so they are in plastic beer 16 oz cups , i think i can get it done with out disturbing the root . Slip them out carfully.
I m going to get raised beds for some of my veg's. to mcuh mud to walk on and kids are just tramping all over everything, Son ran over my strawberries with his dump truck. I had to sacrafice my other transplants that i had on order, some peppers , to get the wood. Oh well .
I had some watermelons last yr but i let them go cuz i thought i was doing it all wrong and we had a really dry summer i never watered them and they were the last thing to die, finally, i though i would have to physically have to kill them myself . huh go figure.
I have good soil, but was wondering aoubt sand, ?
thanks
sue
As long as it is not clay, not to worry.
Definitely...as Farmerdill said, clay soil could use some augmentation for melons (they're kinda picky, ya know!) :>)
As for transplanting, I've tranplanted melons ('lopes, watermelon) for several decades now and have never had any trouble. As in any plant/transplant, just treat it with repect in your handling. (Heck, I've even transplanted corn and beans with great success, quite a few times!)
Ahhh yes..this week I hope to get some Sugar Baby's, some Carolina Cross, and some Tigger melon sets in the ground! Looking forward to some yummy melons this year! (I didn't grow ANY last year...I'm hurtin' here folks! Gotta have 'em!)
Shoe.
Most soil in my area is clay loam. Some places have silty loam. In either case, a sand addition for cantaloupes and a sand peat addition for watermelons helps so much. In SW and northern Indiana they have some sandy soil and amending is less important.
thanks you'r one in a melon :))))
i do believe we have clay , so that would make cement ? our front yard has sand added or it is like tiny pebbles really, previous owner did it . I
ok well until this rain stops uuhhg which it looks like i might have to build an Ark. IT is to be rainy until tuesday cant do anything until it dries.
I hope to get my beds made thiough
thanks
sue
Ok, I gave up reading all of this thread, way to long, but I will through in my two-cents worth. I have been raising melons here for many years & selling tons of them.
Here's what works in southern MN.
#1 plant seeds in 1½" sq. cells around April 25 to 30.
#2 lay out rows of clear plastic mulch mid May.
#3 transplant in the ground May 29. (Rows are 6 foot on center, 1 plant every 27")
Planting, I have a tank on a wagon, a hose is attached to the tank, a special wand on the end. It has a probe that I stick where the plant is going, make a hole, it fills with water, my son sticks the plant in. This is the only watering we ever do. It says wet under plastic for a long time & we usually get timely rains here. (This is God's Country, you know.)
#4 watch them grow!
#5 cultivate between rows just before runners come off plastic. Spray for grass if neccesary. We use Poast.
#6 August 14, check for ripe watermelons! 5 years out of last 6 that is date first were picked.
#7 Stand in middle of patch & cut melon in half. Filet out the center, between seeds & eat! This is heaven on earth!
We have tried different melons over the years. Sangria remains our main crop. This year are only variety. For muskmelon, Super Star can't be beat here. It matures along with the Sangria watermelon. They get big, tops is 18#, and are a customer favorite.
I am wondering about your EB's, as melons have such a big root system.
Good luck to all the melon growers for 2006!
Bernie
