watermelon - I'm confused now

[pickupguy07]

OK.. First time growing watermelons.
I planted them 4/27.. they are Black Diamonds. Supposed to mature in 90 days.
Couple days ago I had one that the tendril was all brown and dead (the bottom may not have been quite 'creamy' colored enough, but it looked pretty close to being done.
I cut it and it was a very light pick inside. It tasted like the rind. SO no doubt it wasn't ripe (even though the tendril was dry and brown). It had the right hollow thump sound too

SO today I go to check my mellons again.. and this one I been watching (had a green tendril when I picked the first one a couple days ago).. today it had a dead brown tendril.. and I went to turn it over and look at the bottom, and the whole thing collapsed.. It was almost hollow inside. No signs of bugs, worms or anything on th outside... two days ago I thumped it, and it sounded nice and firm but not done yet, (in fact I even looked then at the bottom).

Anyone ever see anyting like this..
I have several other mellons of various sizes, and it is still sprouting new ones. I had assumed when I picked the first one, and it wasn't finished yet.. and I had learnened something about picking the future ones. Now after this I am just confused.

[Gary350]

Mellons will rot on the bottom if they are not setting in a dry spot. I buy child play sand when I see a mellon on the vine I pour sand under it. Sometimes I cut flat boards and slide them under the mellon. Anything to get the mellon off the wet ground.

[pickupguy07]

I hear ya.. but thats not what happened here...
Bottom looked perfectly fine. It was setting on a raised bed of straw.

[stella1751]

I've been waiting for you to get an answer to this. I'm trying to grow watermelons; I don't know how successfully yet and won't know for a long while. Anyway, I finally went online and found something called [url=https://www.ipt.us.com/defect-identification/watermelons-hollow-heart]hollow heart[/url]. I've bought watermelons that look like this; I never knew they were bad

Anyhow, you wrote that it "was almost hollow inside," though, so maybe this isn't what you mean. If not, I suspect you just have a mutant. I've been searching for a while, and this is the closest thing I can find. There appear to be two different possible causes: 1) Excess nitrogen or 2) A period of heavy rain. Supposedly, it is more common in seedless varieties, and I think the Black Diamond has seeds.

I hope this helps. Maybe an experienced watermelon grower will take a second look at your posting now that I've probably guessed badly

[john gault]

I haven't grown too many melons and the only ones I've grown are sugarbaby melons. But it's been my experience that I can't wait for the stem to turn brown, if I do it's over ripe. Still trying to figure out the best way to pick a peak ripness, but one thing that seems to be important is the creamy-yellow spot on the bottom, but still trying to get an ear/feel for the thump test.

I have had some get mushy on the vine without any excess moisture, noticeable cuts or bug attack. I've wondered if maybe it could be the ones that get hit the hardest by the sun, but still investigating.

[pickupguy07]

yeah... I have been anxiously awaiting some replies also.
I looked at the 'hollow heart' link. Those mellows look pretty full,.. with some big cracks. These were almost completely hollow. and when I opened them they had little to no meat OR juice. Just guessing if it grew then rotten on the inside,.. it would be full of yucky smelly juice.

You are correct the black diamon has seeds... and we have had a severe drought here in the SouthEast.. so a period of heavy rain hasn't happened either. I have been having to water the garden myself for it to get ANY water at all. I usually water via sprinker about once a week, for a couple hours.

Dad has been helping me; and he grew up farming. For many years they raised 30 or 40 acres of mellons for market. He is almost 85, and he said he has never saw anything like this... very weird.
I figured with the multitude of people who visit, maybe someone might of had or heard of a similar experience and know why.

I was told these mellons should grow to be 40 to 50 pounds when mature. This one got to maybe 30 pounds before it's demise.
I'm still hoping I hear something.
I have some mellons ALMOST this size... I think I'll go cut one tonight

[pickupguy07]

I have had some get mushy on the vine without any excess moisture, noticeable cuts or bug attack. I've wondered if maybe it could be the ones that get hit the hardest by the sun, but still investigating.

Good questions. I don't think the sun would be an issue with mine. It was as normal (just nestled in amongst the vines). But with the weather extreems we have had over the last few years... maybe just more "heat" could be an issue. What confused me was I had two different mellons, and one looked and sounded ripe (and it wasn't 1/2 done).. and this one looked 'almost' ripe, but when we checked a couple days later we just found it hollow. If it was two different types of mellons, etc... I maybe could ralionalize that. But they are the same type, and even on the same vine.

[pickupguy07]

[quote="john gault"]I haven't grown too many melons and the only ones I've grown are sugarbaby melons. But it's been my experience that I can't wait for the stem to turn brown, if I do it's over ripe. Still trying to figure out the best way to pick a peak ripness, but one thing that seems to be important is the creamy-yellow spot on the bottom, but still trying to get an ear/feel for the thump test.
quote]

Something else I wanted to clarify about your post. I noticed you mentioned something about the "stem" turning brown. Just so we are on the same page,.. do you actually mean the "stem" that the mellon grows off of... or you are referencing the little 'tendril' that looks like a pigs tail that grows close the the mellon. I have read (and heard) that when THIS dies the mellon is supposed to be ready.
SO I just want to make sure if it is the tendril or the mellons stem that should be dead. Seems to me it's the tendril.. if the stem was dead, seems everyting past that would be also.??

Not being nit-picky.. but it's my first time growing too, and since I am having issues, I want to understand completely

[john gault]

I noticed you mentioned something about the "stem" turning brown. Just so we are on the same page,.. do you actually mean the "stem" that the mellon grows off of... or you are referencing the little 'tendril' that looks like a pigs tail that grows close the the mellon. I have read (and heard) that when THIS dies the mellon is supposed to be ready.
SO I just want to make sure if it is the tendril or the mellons stem that should be dead. Seems to me it's the tendril.. if the stem was dead, seems everyting past that would be also.??

Yes, I'm talking about the stem that the watermelon grows from. Now I want to go back and read up on the visual ques to determine watermelon ripness to see if I misread something, probably did

BTW, I didn't even know the name of those things, I just called them, "vine-like appendages"

[pickupguy07]

OK
NOW I'm even more confused..
As I stated above I got a good size mellon I was going to cut tonight
Tendril has been dead and brown about 3 or 4 days. Got a nice creamy yellow spot on the bottom, and I weighted it and it was 40 pounds.

Got the old knife out and cut it into.. not 1/2 done. Even got a wide white stripe right down the center of the mellon... just have no clue about it all.
If I can find out batteries, I'll try to take a pic of what it looks like inside.

[pickupguy07]

ok.. gonna try and post a pic..
[img]https://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/pickupguy07/?action=view&current=badmellon.jpg[/img]
(ok.. the pic didn't show.. I have NO clue as to why)


IF it comes out... the actual color is less red than it looks. The flash on the camera caused that. It's more pinkish than it looks. You can see the rind looks pretty wide, and there is a stripe that goes through the center of the mellon that is white.

40 pounds / obviously not mature, but been growing since 4/27.
Three weeks past the "maturity" date.. and a good way from being finished.
Last time I cut on like this it was hollow inside... this one still isn't done...
I have NO CLUE what to do now.

On the positive side. I looked tonight and I have EIGHT new melloms coming out that are from baseball sized to bowling ball size.... so who knows what will happen yet.

[stella1751]

There it is! I played with your HTML. You appear to have copied from the view screen. If you hover over the picture while it is in your album, there's a little "img" parameter below it. Click on that, and it automatically copies. Here's your melon:

[img]https://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/pickupguy07/badmellon.jpg[/img]

[cga]

Is there a way to tell for sure when Sugar Babies are ready? Their at 80 days, big as basketballs and the tendrils are still green. To me, they have always sounded hollow.

Sure could use some help on this one. First time growing watermelons.

[mmmfloorpie]

Here's my biggest melon still on the vine:

[img]https://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm113/drew4allyou/0811111721-00.jpg[/img]

I know it's not ripe because the stem is still green and the spot on the bottom is kind of a pale white as opposed to creamy. I'm really crossing my fingers on these babies because the last thing I want is to pick one and find out it's under ripe!

This literally keeps me awake at night

I've been fighting dad because he is of the idea that it needs to be picked now because it's going to rot on the vine.

In other melon related news, one of my cantaloupes is almost ripe! The skin started turning orange the other day.

[john gault]

Is there a way to tell for sure when Sugar Babies are ready? Their at 80 days, big as basketballs and the tendrils are still green. To me, they have always sounded hollow.

Sure could use some help on this one. First time growing watermelons.

No real easy way to tell from my limited experience. I recommend going to youtube and search for "harvesting sugarbaby watermelons" and watch as many as you can and then practice, practice, practice. Some will tell you they know the "method" as if there's a science to it, but it is very much an art.

The good news is that they're great for the compost (regardless of ripeness)

BTW, I get the impression that this guy really knows what he's talking about, but in this video he's only talking about how to pick them out at the grocery store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBP2flSCZVY

[stella1751]

Here's my biggest melon still on the vine:

[img]https://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm113/drew4allyou/0811111721-00.jpg[/img]

I know it's not ripe because the stem is still green and the spot on the bottom is kind of a pale white as opposed to creamy. I'm really crossing my fingers on these babies because the last thing I want is to pick one and find out it's under ripe!

This literally keeps me awake at night

I've been fighting dad because he is of the idea that it needs to be picked now because it's going to rot on the vine.

In other melon related news, one of my cantaloupes is almost ripe! The skin started turning orange the other day.

That is a gorgeous melon. My little guys range from golf-ball size to (maybe) hard-ball size. I can't wait until they look like yours!

[cga]

Is there a way to tell for sure when Sugar Babies are ready? Their at 80 days, big as basketballs and the tendrils are still green. To me, they have always sounded hollow.

Sure could use some help on this one. First time growing watermelons.

No real easy way to tell from my limited experience. I recommend going to youtube and search for "harvesting sugarbaby watermelons" and watch as many as you can and then practice, practice, practice. Some will tell you they know the "method" as if there's a science to it, but it is very much an art.

The good news is that they're great for the compost (regardless of ripeness)

BTW, I get the impression that this guy really knows what he's talking about, but in this video he's only talking about how to pick them out at the grocery store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBP2flSCZVY

Thank you sir.

[john gault]

So is it the stem that must turn brown or is it the vine-like appendages, AKA, the tendrils

Actually that's kind of a rhetorical question, don't really want to start a war