First time this year I decided to grow some melons. Just 3 plants: Tasty Bites melon, Early Canada watermelon and Sugar Baby watermelon.
I don't remember when was the last time we bought more than 3-4 melons per year from the store, mostly due to "lack" of taste and flavor. But thise little Tasty Bites changed my my outlook on melons altogether!
Not even knowing their true ripe stage, one day I came up to the sprawling vine, lightly picked up the fruit, and it just snapped of the stem - immediately the air was filled with this believable aroma!!!
These are "personal" size fruits, about 1.5lbs each, flavor is beyond what I can describe, luscious, delicious and intensely sweet! This plant gave me 5 fruits, which from what I read is about what one would get on an average from a single melon vine, and over a period of 2 weeks we enjoyed these little gems to no end!
Now - I want more!!! Too late to plant more, but, planning for next year:
What to do to extend the season? Grow few varieties say 60 days, 70 days, 85 days and so on, and stagger the planting time few weeks apart?
What varieties do you recommend in terms of flavor and production (both, melons and watermelons)? Watermelons I too would prefer in smaller size...
I've read through BP's thread, much info, learned quite few things, specially about supporting vertical growth, got all materials I can use in 2010 that I need, no just to get a good plan and pick the varieties!
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!
Regards,
D
EDIT: Just picked my first ever watermelon - Early Canada. 78 days, sweet and perfect size, about 8" diameter, so there is no waste:
[img]https://drphotography.smugmug.com/Garden/2010-Garden/2010earlycanada0801/954478466_iJNw5-L.jpg[/img]
Happy to hear any suggestions on smaller varieties of watermelons you grow that I can try next year!
[url=https://www.vegetableseed.net/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/melon-seeds/watermelon-seeds/watermelon-seeds.html-]Here[/url] is a list of watermelon varieties with several of them being in the 80 to 85 day range, couple that with pre-starting them indoors and you will be able to get some nice melons 
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.I recommend Minnesota Midget as a pretty good tasting early variety that is often on the seed racks. The plants are small and you can fit alot into a little space which will hold you over until the big varieties get going. They also produce a lot of flowers to draw in the bees.
I had better luck transplanting seedlings last year than I did with direct seeding this year. It took the direct seeded plants a while to get going, but other factors could have been involved (soil conditions, location etc)
I had better luck transplanting seedlings last year than I did with direct seeding this year. It took the direct seeded plants a while to get going, but other factors could have been involved (soil conditions, location etc)
Thanks for the feedback, appreciated indeed!
Looks like on the list for 2011 are:
SSE:
Minnesota Midget
Noir des Carmes
Charantais
Emerald Gem OG
SSE Yearbook:
Gulyabi
Tatiana's:
Kazakh
Kolkhoznitsa
Repeat:
Tasty Bites
As for transplants vs. direct seeding - it seems that some swear by one method, others with another. For all cucurbit family, my transplanted seedlings (at least in my neck of the woods) always tend to do better than direct seeding, so this year I didn't even try both methods, all transplants.
Thanks again!
Regards,
D
Looks like on the list for 2011 are:
SSE:
Minnesota Midget
Noir des Carmes
Charantais
Emerald Gem OG
SSE Yearbook:
Gulyabi
Tatiana's:
Kazakh
Kolkhoznitsa
Repeat:
Tasty Bites
As for transplants vs. direct seeding - it seems that some swear by one method, others with another. For all cucurbit family, my transplanted seedlings (at least in my neck of the woods) always tend to do better than direct seeding, so this year I didn't even try both methods, all transplants.
Thanks again!
Regards,
D