Watermelon question?

Sorry - I know this is supposed to be vegetables, but I don't think there's a fruit forum!

This is my first year growing watermelons. Got some starts of 'Sugar Babies' - the small ones. Does anyone know when you're supposed to pick them? They still look smaller than usual, but I had some soil problems this year. Do they give you any hints, like come off of the vine easily or anything?

Thanks in advance!

Watermelons are classified as vegetables although botanically they are fruits like tomatoes, eggplants, squash , cucumbers etc. They do not loosen from the vine but the tendril where the stem attaches to the vine does dry when ripe. Dark green melons like Sugar Baby also tend to turn yellow on the bottom where they touch the ground.

Thanks so much, Farmerdill! I'm hoping these turn out well.

I've heard that before about the tendrils, but I haven't see any on my melons. Guess I better look again.

Watermelons have lots of tendrills, but the one next to the melon stem is the only one that counts.

Also on Sugar Baby, the skin should get a bit dull instead of shiny and the place where it's resting on the ground will get creamy yellow.

Don't want for all signs to point to ripeness, but a preponderance of evidence is helpful. :)

Have to say I found Sugar Baby to be somewhat mushy, but very sweet. Mickeylee, which does take up a lot of growing space I later found out, has been much crisper, but hard to tell when it's ripe. I get good ones and underripe ones.

I live in Okla. and my pole bean started to produce for approximately two weeks, and they have stopped producing beans. I now have a few blooms, but no beans. It has been about 100 degrees. I don't know if it's too hot or not. I have lot's of green foilage. Does anyone know anything about the Zwebra tomatoes and how
I might use them?

Mchenry, your question will probably get a lot more attention if you start a new thread, one level back.

I posted this in its own thread, but haven't received any replies yet. So since I saw this one, thought I would ask the same thing here.

I too planted Sugar Babies. I have the vines trellised and I have these small, but persistent moth-like looking bugs on it. There are only about 5 or 6 of them, but already one of my nicest fruits that had set, is dying. Is it the bugs or is it something else? What can I use to kill the bugs? This is an organic garden and I don't want to use any chemicals on anything. Thanks!

That looks like abortion due to lack of pollination. watermelons like all cucurbits are dependent om insect pollination. You may have to resort to hand pollination. It is simply a matter of transferring pollen from a male blossom to the the female blossom. On watermelons, cucumbers, cantaloupes when have small blossoms, a Q-tip works well. Google hand pollination of cucurbits and you will get more detailed instructions. About the only insects that bother my watermelons are cucumber beetles. Don't know what your moths are, but the larva of moths (caterpillars) are what to watch out for. I don't have any that attack watermelons but army worms are a possibility. Pickleworms wreck havoc on cucurbits, but my watermelons are usually well ahead when they arrive here. They drill neat neat holes in the immature fruit and your photo shows no signs of them.

Okay, I'll look for that info. Thanks Farmerdill.