I find that they will grow until at least the 4th of july. I would give it a shot. I know they still have the seedlings for sale at HD. Normally, I would say, sow the seed. It does better. I planted seedling tho, and they are doing fine. Maybe you could get a few weeks head start with some.
Melon Garden for 08
Thanks you guys. I'll probably do just that - run to HD and pick up some seedlings and give it a whirl. I had looked at the planting schedule for Central Florida, so I knew that technically Aoril was the cut-off. . . .but still, the pictures people have posted have made me drool. So, even though it's not exactly following the directions (lol) I think I'll do it.
If you can find and plant seedlings that would put you right on schedule...
Allow me to show-off just a little? Some names I can remember and some I can not. My back was bothering me so I hurriedly took the pictures and came inside to a nice beautifully air conditioned home as it is hot out there, well not really but the sun is brutal if you stay out long enough without protection like a HAT AND SUNSCREEN.
This is a Golden Midget melon which is supposed to be ripe when it turns golden as it is now but the stem vine looks to fresh for me to cut it!
Farmerdill -- If you are following my postings what do you think? Is it ripe????? In my opinion I would like to wait a couple more days or so.
Mixed couple! My vines are criss crossing all over so I don't know if one is a Picnic or an Orangelo so that is why I said for now I will be a little lax but come eating time I will be accurate.
These are some of my Sugar Baby Bush Watermelons of which, for now anyway, I highly recommend for anyone who would like to grow melons but just don't have the space. They only take up about four feet and are a very compact vine. I love them! That may be a little pre-mature until we taste them but I am very confident that they will be delicious.
Here we have a completely new one to me called "Royal Golden Watermelon" and they are really great looking. Green with a bright yellow patches. Only one per vine so I can see why they are not for marketing but they are supposed to be the sweetest? We'll see!!
Here is its smaller counterpart.
The melon on the left is also an orange type to be accurately named upon eating. Picnic on the right.(I think?) As I said "It was hot out!"
Here we have Tigger melons. Don't know anything about them except they are plentiful and as you can see very susceptible to powdery mildew. They are supposed to turn an orange color with stripes but I recall reading somewhere that they may not in hot weather? Waiting for the vine connected to the melon to dry up so I can taste them and report.
Blacktail Mountain Watermelon still getting bigger and bigger. There is another just out of view. Starting to drool now as they are really starting to shape up. All the melons are starting to mature very rapidly now. I can see the difference in size upon my daily morning inspections. I water the melons twice a day now because our weather has been dry and windy. A combination that requires frequent watering. They let me know if I don't water them soon enough to suit them as they will curl-up their leaves. Can you see it hiding in there?
Forgot the name of these beauties but getting bigger. The one on the bottom may be another Picnic but not certain. I know the other is an orange watermelon. ???? Ahh! What the heck! It is pretty to look at anyway... What am I going to do with all these melons? Guess I'll just have to suffer and EAT EM!!!
This message was edited May 8, 2008 2:49 PM
Wow is all I have to say. Nice nice nice
Mine are blooming and blooming. No fruit
Plant, that Golden Midget should be ripe, but it does not hurt to wait a couple more days, especially on the first melons. Look forward to your opinion on Royal Golden, I grew it back in the sixties. Looked like a pumpkin and did not taste much better.
Oh, now I've got to get that Golden Midget!
Don't know why they call it a "Midget" as it is the size of a honeydew melon. It is far bigger than the Tigger melons?
LT -- Think I got the seeds from www.rareseeds.com I hope they taste as good as they look? Stay tuned...
I need a bigger garden.
Wow, Tplant! Can't wait to hear your reviews! Of course, that will no doubt inspire me to grow more melons myself... :)
Tplant,
I let mine ripen on the vine a few extra days usually....perhaps to a slight fault. After the little tendril [curlycue] next to the stem [not the stem now] turns brown, the melon is close to ripe. A few are ripe then but most benefit by 5 or 6 more days.
The Picnic melon is dark green and Orangeglo is long and striped with a hint of blue/gray in it compared to other striped melons.
Jill -- Hanging out with me is contagious!! ( LOL) I'm still trying to find out "what can not be grown in an EB ?"
Indy -- One virtue of a melon grower is patience - patience - patience ! Darn it!
If you trellis a watermelon, it obviously won't develop a ground spot to help determine ripeness. Whenever I try to go by the tendril, the melon is never quite ripe.
There's also the change in the skin of the melon. It gets duller and less reflective. Also I think it gets harder to score the skin of a ripe melon with your fingernail. And sometimes the melon will even develop a bit of a sunburn on part of the melon. Then there's the sound of the melon when thumped.
I would say, based on growing melons for only one disastrous season :) that every possible factor should be checked, and if there is an uncertainty, to wait another week. :)
The problem with waiting is that the spouse HATES overripe melon!
Perhaps I did not make myself clear? By trellising melons I meant honeydew, Spanish, Sugar Baby melons. Not the big watermelons. Large melons will break any trellis. I have successfully trellised the above mentioned melons before I had the room that I now have and never had any difficulties? As far as overipe, that has not yet happened to me. I've had melons perfectly ripe so when I cut it with my knife it would "pop" in half! Man oh man that is when they are the greatest and that is achieved by leaving them on the vine until their tendril dries up.Another way to determine ripeness is to thump it. If it sounds hollow let it be but if you get a solid thump then it should be ripe as it is full of water but all in all the dried up tendril works best for me except with the Golden Midget which when golden is ripe and not to go by the tendril. Will double check tomorrow with photos to follow.
No, Tplant, I mean the mini melons, much smaller than Sugar Baby.
Oh! Guess they can be difficult to judge.
The Earthbox resting on weed barrier looks odd at first, but may be the best of both worlds. I really hope to try it next time around.
First ripe melon? Well almost! Cut into a Golden Midget today as I thought it was ready but it still could have gone a couple more days and now I know! It was full of juice and sweet but not sweet enough for me.
They are just the right "ice box" size melon and do have a rich melon flavor. I'll pass my final judgement in about a week when I pick a really ripe midget. Each vine puts out about three or more melons.
Looks nice, good encouragement. We found our first little melons today and I am so excited I cant stand it. Its about time with all the blooms. I know lots can happen between now and eating, but Im hopefull non-the-less.
Last shot! They are seedy as you can see but then most good melons are!
Tplant: Please tell me, how are your corn stalks standing? I have the same amount in an EB and they keep falling over. I do not water on the soil at all, should I? The soil is very loose. They are growing great, but I don't think they'll last.
Do you have them staked or is the soil packed and watered on top or just through the tube?
Can't wait for your answer, I've been fretting about this for a few days.
I did have to stake mine by jamming large stakes in the ground right up against the EB as the wind did knock them over. Sometimes we do get very heavy wind. If you can now or with your next growth, try to grow along a fence line for additional support.
I just had to fork over five bucks a shot for 8 ft. stakes, my tomatoes are so high. Need a ladder to get up and pound the darn things in. For the peppers, I just put stakes in the ground around the EB. You can run a couple rows of sting around the EB to encircle the corn. It should be enough to hold it up.
If you can lift the cover, and have enough room to shove some more mix in, do it. I have had to do that more than once. Water it in good. Just like the first time you set up the EB. Dont water over on the fertilizer stip, of course.
Good info , Glory! If the EB is not full to the top and mounded it could very easily become top heavy. 2Busy--- Also keep them well watered for the extra weight. Your corn must be gigantic? Well done.... and good eating!!!
PS -- As the price of corn keeps going up it is becoming more and more worthwhile to grow it! Besides you can't beat the garden fresh taste plus you can grow any variety that you desire..
Carrots in an EB?? HHHmmmm! Never thought of that but why not? Bet they would do great!
Carrots love loose soil more than anything. I've seen people build narrow, tall boxes for the sole purpose of growing great long carrots. ;) I think I might not want to drop the cash on a full sized earthbox and that much soil for some carrots, but you might love carrots more than me. Now parsnips on the other hand are my weakness... If I just had a walk-in freezer then I could simulate the "winter chill" they so appreciate and respond well to. ;)
This message was edited May 15, 2008 9:15 AM