Melon!!!

Forum Archives

 

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silver_ creek

Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills

Posted: Aug-09-2007 at 6:28pm

What a summer to try melons! I've been agonizing over the cool weather as we try to grow six varieties of melons. Tonight, looking at one, it separtated from the vine, so of course, we had to eat it. It was exquisite!

This is Halona, an "Earliqueen" type canteloupe (Johnny's Seed). I'll grow it again! Terry M.
Silver Creek Garden
Zone 8a, Sunset Zone 4

 

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DebbieTT

Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula

Posted: Aug-09-2007 at 9:21pm

Whoo hah! I know those take a lot to get them going and get a harvest in our climate. My hat is off to you!

And as I jealousy say to Trav when he tells of his melon harvest:

LALALALA I can't hear you!

 

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trav

Location: Washington, Western

Posted: Aug-10-2007 at 12:11pm

Ah, but Deb, in winter I'd love to have the warmer nighttime temps you get there sitting next to the sound...

Terry's got me beat - my melons are still sizing up. I got off to a late start with them this year (didn't have the beds ready), and unfortunately this summer hasn't been conducive to catching up on late starts. It's funny how we had all that great warm weather at the tail end of spring, but now we're running below average (I'm at odds with myself over this, because personally I LOVE the low-to-mid 70s; but for my garden I'd prefer about 10 degrees warmer).

Travis

The Westside Gardener

 

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silver_ creek

Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills

Posted: Aug-10-2007 at 1:35pm

Wow! I am now really proud of myself. I have to admit, I did everything possible to get those plants going early; started inside, then moved outside to a cloche with water jugs as heat sinks. The poly came off the cloche only after they started blooming. We have 6 varieties planted, and they all have set fruit and are sizing them up. But I was sure this cool summer would hurt my chances of ripening anything, until yesterday. Now we are out looking at every melon in the patch, trying to detect color changes or any indication of ripening. I still don't feel like I know what I'm doing when it comes to melons!

Terry M.
Silver Creek Garden
Zone 8a, Sunset Zone 4

 

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DebbieTT

Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula

Posted: Aug-10-2007 at 2:54pm

Trav, It's not that I don't have the weather for melons since I live in a rainshadow of the Olympics, its that it takes dedicated gardeners (or ones with a touch of insanity) to do what you and Terry are doing.

But I think I should try it next year. Hey maybe we should have a melon contest, see who gets the first one ripe. (I can always go to the store and get one, photograph it and post it, remembering to hide the tags).

Terry, You should be proud! Obviously you know enough to get them to ripening stage!

 

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Screaming Eagle

Location: Puget Sound corridor

Posted: Aug-10-2007 at 4:35pm

A couple years ago, I had good success with a canteloupe in a pot on my south-facing driveway--three lucious melons. Last year I got one small yellow-fleshed watermelon in my perinneal bed no less. But for me they are definatly a novelty and not something I put the time and effort into to be consistenly successful. I've had trouble with all my cucurbit vines this year. of course going on vacation in June/July didn't help.

Just living is not enough...one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower... -Hans Christian Anderson

 

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trav

Location: Washington, Western

Posted: Aug-10-2007 at 4:53pm

I'm about 20 miles from the sound, and my garden gets hotter by 5 degrees or so compared to, say, Seattle - so I can pretty consistently count on canteloupe/muskmelons. I don't get a huge harvest, but at least a few will ripen. Watermelon is more iffy - given my late start, and the overall cool summer so far, I don't know that I'll get one ripened (I do have a couple small ones set though).

But melons are definitely not a high payoff sort of crop around here (in Washington anyway). Well, the payoff is just getting at least one ripe melon.

My cukes have done amazingly well, though, despite getting rather mistreated - I moved them from 4-inch pots to gallon pots, and then into the garden. I actually got two (parthenocarpic) cukes while they were still in the gallon pots!

Travis