Let's talk melons!

Just checked the melon. It is still a beautiful golden-yellow and is quite large but the stem is still fresh and green? When am I supposed to pick this melon? The Spanish Sweet Barcelona are also getting bigger. Also my rattlesnake watermelon seem to double in size everytime I see them. Wow!! I can't detect any aroma from any of them and I know when they give off their aroma they are ripe. Am I correct? Jeez! Raising tomatos is so much easier? Farmerdill, I wish you were my next door neighbor....

TPlant,
Don't expect much aroma from the hard shelled Spainish types. ....before cutting open that is !! These are kind of like watermelons....not likely to slip. The picture of Sweet Barcelona in the Burpee catalog shows a gray green melon on the rind. The St. Nicks started getting yellow streaks when it was ripe... I would guesstamate that after a melon [like these hard shelled types] stops growing that in 10 to 14 days they could be dead ripe.

This message was edited Jul 9, 2006 6:32 PM

Okay, I finally have a few melon pics that I can post, all grown in the dirt! Here's a few of the Sugar Baby watermelons.

And here's a few of the ten or so Rockford honeydews
Flip

And a few more - these are the Rockford twins

Alright Flip! Those Sugar Babys look real nice. The supermarkets are getting $3.99 ea for those beauties. I cut back on some of my Amy hybrids as one box seemed to be getting a virus and the rest of my plants are healthy. The melons are getting huge! Hope when I pick them that they will be sweet and ripe? Still can't tell. They have beautiful color but hard as a rock.
Stick to a 7-10 day spraying period as they are subject to virus and mold after all this rain. This is probably why I lost a few of my Amy honeydew, but no big deal as they were all in the same EB and I have others.

With all the rain we had this week two of my melons cracked open. The Honeymoon honeydew was almost ripe but it had about three cracks and was loaded with black beetles that I've never seen before? I picked my large Amy hybrid as the stem turned from green to a whitesh color and I'm glad I did. When I shook it I heard the seeds rattle. I will probably have some tomorrow and of course I will show pictures.
I found another Honeymoon under the leaves and it just started to crack so I cut it open then and there and tasted it. It wasn't fully ripe yet but it was juicy. I'll be spraying tomorrow and keep a close eye on all my melons.
The Sweet Barcelona is getting huge and heavy but still hard as a rock. The blossom end is still green and not brown so I guess it needs more time. I think it thinks that it really is a watermelon?

I picked this Amie Honeydew hybrid yesterday. Parks spells it as Amy but Farmerdill corrected it so from here on it is spelled AMIE. I was very nervous picking it because it is difficult to tell when it is ripe and after all the rain we've had I was concerned about cracking. I lost a Honeymoon Honeydew because of cracking and found loads of black beetles inside eating the melon. YUCK!!!! This ,however, is my pride and joy weighing about six pounds and has a golden yellow color that my camer did not capture.

how did it taste?

Here it is and just perfect. Of course immeadiately after this picture I dug in and must say it was delicious. Sweet, juicy and a little crunchy but not as crunchy as an apple. It is difficult to explain the texture as it was not soft and squishy as an ordinary ripe honeydew but more the texture of a watermelon. I have many more out there of different varieties and they are also starting to ripen. The Honeymoon honeydew don't seem to change color. They are an off white color and are growing quite large. The Sweet Barcelona (Spanish Melon) will be next but that is a difficult one to tell when ripe as there are no distingushing features to show when ripe? Could use some help with this one.

LOL don't think I'd share with those...they would be all mine!

Not eating them??? Need help trying to tell when Spanish melons would be ripe? LOL araness --- Instead of trying to grow tomatos in the summer grow honeydew melons as Texas is known for it's fine honeydews?

This message was edited Jul 16, 2006 4:01 PM

TP, nice lookin melon. Glad it tasted good!

From down thisaway, a quick fruit-on-the-vine report:
Rockford Honeydew - 9
Sugar Baby Watermelon - 5
Orangeglo Watermelon - 3
Blacktail Mountain Watermelon- 2
Scaleybark Watermelon - still vining/growing/flowering
Iroquois Canteloupe - still looking like caca

All except the one are doing really well, still vining, flowering and setting them fruit - the Orangeglo vine is covering about half of my garden. Pics when they get a little larger.
Flip

I finally have tiny melons on my vines:

Here is crimson sweet watermelons

Ambrosia Canteloupe

Honeydew

This whopper weighs about eight pounds and is of the spanish melon variety called "Sweet Barcelona." When first taking its picture a week or so ago I used my foot as comparison but it is now even larger.

Makes a pretty picture doesn't it? It taste almost as good as it looks but it wasn't fully ripe? Sweet and juicy but not really ready? Man! -- It is so difficult to judge ripeness. I''d say it needed a few more days but it is pure frusteration to judge ripeness. I have more on the vine so this time I will wait forever if necessary...

TPlant,
Don't wait forever [too long]. I overwaited a bit last year on simular St. Nick. Still very sweet but a little soft.

As of today I'm out of the honeydew business! All my Spanish and Honeydew plants have yellowed and dried up with some melons still on them. I picked a few that slipped off the vine but the Spanish melons, at least one of them, were badly sunburned. The Rattlesnake watermelon is doing fine. It seems to thrive on the heat and all the rain. I guess I'll just wait and see. It is hot today at 95 deg but not as bad as some out west. Love the ocean breeze.

Hmmmm
well it looks like it is official, no more sod, allllllllllllllllllllll veg garden and melons!!!!! who wants to mow grass anyway. LOL
my melons are struggleing along , you all sure have some nice ones. yummy looking too.
If i get one i will be happy.
Hey kanita how is that hot weather you all are having? my parents live in Northern CA ,my dad told my mom no more hot showers ,we need the water for our garden LOL i died laughing whne she told me that. Imagine. :))))
best
sue

Well I gotta tell ya, it is HOT! We've broken our record this year in terms of a heat wave for California. Also, California is experiencing humidity, which is very rare. My peppers are loving it, but everything else is struggling to maintain. My canteloupe leaves are getting lighter and lighter in color every day. Cucumbers are struggling to hang in there, but the leaves are "crispy" and brown.

LOL
i hope your cuc's survive the heat wave. I lived in AZ and i know what they mean by it is a dry heat , i live in ohio now and is it humid wow.
I feel for you Kanita, I will think cool thoughts for you and send them your way.
Ice cream, frozen yougurt, ice tea with strawberries , how about lemon icles. Are you cool yet? :)
best
sue

Thanks Sue, it's much appreciated. I put a pitcher of water in the fridge with slices of cucumber in it. Its so hot that I can't sleep comfortably at night (no ac).

I have some Jenny Lind that are getting pretty large... Does anyone know if it is a full slip when ripe?

kanita
what i use to do in AZ . I had an old style waterbag my mom gave me to use when i was pregnant, It had a screw at the end LOL and it was rubber. I put cold water and ice in it wrapped it in a soft towel and laid it on my head, belly, arm or just next to me on my side at night or i even put in under my back sometimes if i was up reading.
Can't say i know if they still have these type anymore or something similar. I bet you could double up a zip lock. :) just a thought if you are still having trouble with the heat at night.:)
SInce i m new to melons what is ment by full slip ??
I think my melons are biting the dust slowly. i m still hoping .
best
sue

I've had this thread on *watch* for awhile and am very grateful for the info given on how to tell when a melon is ripe. We've got cantelope, honeydew, and a small variety of watermelon growing.. I've only seen them grow in two gardens here before and I remember the ones that grew them sure had a hard time telling when they were ready to pick.

This message was edited Jul 30, 2006 1:16 PM

Sue, Full slip is when you gently lift the melon and the stem releases from the melon with just that slight movement. Most cantaloupes are improved with a couple more days on the counter.........Rocky Sweet and Superstar are two exceptions as they soften quickly. Crenshaws, Santa Claus types, some others don't slip at all and leave you guessing somewhat.



It seems like every year I have the same problem with ripening watermelons. The first ones take forever to ripen after the tendril turns brown and I usually pick a couple too soon. Later it seems that they ripen much faster.

Thanks Indy
sue

Well, I haven't been paying much attention to my melons but some of them are doing OK. I've been misnaming one of mine - Rockford Honeydew should be Rocky Ford Honeydew. They look like a canteloupe but they're green fleshed and taste pretty fine. Here's a pic of a few on the vine

Here's some Blacktail Mountain watermelons - this vine is doing pretty well also. These melons are very tasty.
Flip

Nice going Flip! Next season I'll try those Blacktail Mountain melons. Was going to take a picture of my Rattlesnake watermelon but it slipped out of my hand and broke in pieces so I ate it. LOL Sweet as can be and real juicy. No sooner I scooped some out the space just filled up with juice! You must grow them next year?

Flip , I don't know of a Rocky Ford Honeydew, You sure you are not growing the old Rocky Ford Netted gem, a green flesh cantaloupe. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/60258/index.html

Just for info, green fleshed cantaloupe outnumbered orange flesh in the "olden" days.

THose are nice looking melons you have there Aries :) i had to pull mine out today:( they were just looking really bad, brown spots all over tthe leaves and just wilting away in this humidity.
Oh well next yr i hope .
sue

Hey TP - I'm gettin' psyched for the mater seeding!

Fdill - I'm sure you're right that what I have is the Rocky Ford Netted Gem. The seeds were from Seedfest/Anioleka in the UK and labeled as Rocky Ford melons. They're doing really well - there's 14 melons on the hill. Thanks for the info! Edited to say - I saw no pic in PF so I'll post one tonite.

Hi Sue - sorry your melons took a dive. Next season will be better!
Flip

This message was edited Aug 4, 2006 7:36 AM

Good thing i have a job at our neighbors produce stand LOL i still have my back up melons there.:)
sue

SOON, FLIP, SOON!

I cut another Rocky Sweet melon today...very good.

Also a Raspa watermelon had fine flavor and texture...a little small as it was another of the hail babies....had the dents to show for it.

This is the first year I've had any luck with melons. Hope they last til they are ripe and I harvest them correctly.

i bought a few clearance seedlings marked cantelope, this looks like a watermelon to me. help?