Watermelons

[BP]

Has anyone grown or tasted Orange Tendersweet watermelon?
I picked up a packet of seeds yesterday and started them. It's an heirloom that is supposed to grow up to 35 pound oblong fruits.


Also, what varieties of watermelons do you grow?

[applestar]

Wow when is your last average frost?
I try to buy early maturing varieties and sow directly in the ground. I do have one variety that I'm going to try to start seeds first but I'll probably wait until at least 3 weeks before last frost which would be end of next week....

[Dixana]

I would be a little hesitant to grow a 90 day variety in MI. Even if you start it in the house, there's a good possibility it won't ripen before the end of the season.
Let us know how it goes!

[farmerlon]

Has anyone grown or tasted Orange Tendersweet watermelon?

Yes. Orange Tendersweet is one of my favorite watermelons!
It's a must-have for me; superb flavor.

I don't think mine ever get anywhere near 35 lbs; but they are an ample size.

[rootsy]

Grew some last year. They are a fine tasting melon. Averaged about the same size as a Crimson type... 15 - 25 lbs...

Start seeds about 2nd week of April for Mid May transplant. You should make it without issue if we have a decent weather year. Watermelon by Labor Day anyhow.

[petalfuzz]

I've grown sugar baby and am growing it again this year. But I found it not to be the sweetest. We're also trying Orangeglo for the first time, which is another orange fleshed type. It's sooner than 90 days, though.

[BP]

I grew sugar babies last year on a trellis. I wanted to try a different variety this year. I won't be trellising these though. I'm starting them and many other plants in two weeks also to see which will be better for planting.

[jal_ut]

(https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Watermelon)
"Charles Fredric Andrus, a horticulturist at the USDA Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, set out to produce a disease-resistant and wilt-resistant watermelon. The result was "that gray melon from Charleston." Its oblong shape and hard rind made it easy to stack and ship. Its adaptability meant it could be grown over a wide geographical area. It produced high yields and was resistant to the most serious watermelon diseases: anthracnose and fusarium wilt."

I have a hard time getting a melon to grow here because it is cool compared to lots of lower elevation places. This Charleston Gray Melon has worked for me. I save the seeds and it comes true to form each year. Check my siggy line for frost free days here. If you are anywhere near that, this may work for you too. I direct seed them in the garden mid May.

[jal_ut]

The Charleston Gray Melon is supposedly 85 day from planting seed to ripe melons. They don't come that fast here, as I mentioned it is cool. Takes a little longer. Mostly I get melons in the 20 pound range. PM me if you want some seed.

[Dixana]

Jal do you direct seed those in the ground? I might like to try them if they're good and sweet. I don't think the ones I started in the house are going to make it

[cynthia_h]

I would be a little hesitant to grow a 90 day variety in MI. Even if you start it in the house, there's a good possibility it won't ripen before the end of the season.
Let us know how it goes!

BP gave us extensive photos of his set-up last year, with melons, trellis, and all. It was beautiful! In what many Americans would call a side yard "too small" to put a garden, he established a veritable Cornucopia of melons and (I think?) cucumbers.

I'll look for the url, or maybe BP knows it, and post it here when found.

Amazing stuff, it was!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Skoorbmax]

I would be a little hesitant to grow a 90 day variety in MI. Even if you start it in the house, there's a good possibility it won't ripen before the end of the season.
Let us know how it goes!

BP gave us extensive photos of his set-up last year, with melons, trellis, and all. It was beautiful! In what many Americans would call a side yard "too small" to put a garden, he established a veritable Cornucopia of melons and (I think?) cucumbers.

I'll look for the url, or maybe BP knows it, and post it here when found.

Amazing stuff, it was!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

I'd be interested in seeing that.

[cynthia_h]

Well, I found the thread but all of BP's photos seem to have been moved or deleted (or maybe he closed his Photobucket account?) since last season. So his wonderful melon-trellis photos aren't available right now.

OTOH, there *is* a lot of info in addition to the photos themselves:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27681

Cynthia

[Skoorbmax]

Thanks, but what a shame the photos are gone!

[Indy]

I plan to grow pretty much the same lineup again this year: Sangria, Raspa, Carmen, Klondike Striped Blue Ribbon, Sweet Slice Plus, Gold Strike, and Orangeglo.

The Orangeglo is some grower. Last year one plant produced 234½ pounds of melons.

I start my early group on April 20th and some later ones on May 1st...all inside.

[BP]

I did some adjusting on my photobucket account. sorry about that, but I'll post a few here.
I'm glad you enjoyed that thread last year. This year I'll have a new 40x40 or so garden. I'll be doing photo updates and I'm sure many of them will be followed by questions by me, remember this is my second year gardening. I think the fun photos of progress will be of my pumpkins. Dill's Atlantic giant seeds from 602 pound pumpkin. These will NOT be in my garden. I have one that sprouted 5 days ago and is now about 8 inches. I'm trying them in buckets for now and will also direct seed. We'll see what happens.
Here is a few of the melon trellis pics from last year.

Starts in back and direct seed in front
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/010.jpg[/img]

Chipmunks were eating my baby watermelons
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/003.jpg[/img]

With watermelons, 3 kinds of cantaloupe and honeydew in the small raised bed, I got to thinking.
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/001.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/002.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/003-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/004-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/005-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/006-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/007-2.jpg[/img]

Then the plants grew and I had to wire them to the pvc trellis
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/009-1.jpg[/img]

I'm happy, but didn't know what I had gotten into
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/012.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/003-2.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/020.jpg[/img]

Female watermelon flower
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/015.jpg[/img]

Female Honeydew flower
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/009-2.jpg[/img]

Female cantaloupe flower
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/008-3.jpg[/img]

Gold star cantaloupe Plant
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/011-1.jpg[/img]

I used womens nylons to make slings for the watermelons (sugar baby)
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/012-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/023-1.jpg[/img]

And it grew some more
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/022-1.jpg[/img]

I should've built it wider
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/021-1.jpg[/img]

Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/014-1.jpg[/img]

Gold Star in very large onion sack
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/008-4.jpg[/img]

Honeydew
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/007-5.jpg[/img]

Honey rock cantaloupe
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/026-1.jpg[/img]

Jungle
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/029.jpg[/img]

Gold star and Midget
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/058.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/057.jpg[/img]

Sugar baby and Honey Rocks
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/064.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/003-6.jpg[/img]

Gold Star (full size plate)
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/002-4.jpg[/img]

Hope you enjoyed and sorry for the adjustment of my photobucket account. It won't happen again. And I recommend Gold Star cantaloupe to any melon lover, my fav by far!

[garden5]

After reading that thread last year, I was inspired to try growing watermelons again.

I used to try growing them so many times, but the best I could get would be a soft-ball size melon.

I think the two big factors are to select a variety that matures early and give it a head start indoors. Although melons don't like to be transplanted, I think giving them a head-start will do more good than harm.

I'm not sure if I'll be doing it this year, but I do want to give them a try again.

[BP]

The rear plants were transplanted. I'm doing it again this year, but I'm going to try Orange Tendersweet watermelons. Larger and longer growing season. If I have another hot summer like last, I'll expect success. Not on a trellis this year and a ton more danger of critters so who knows.