Seeking melon advice

[kath]

Have tried growing watermelon for several years (Sugar Baby, Festival, Moon & Stars, Sweet Favorite, Yellow Baby, Crimson Sweet, Jubilee, Blacktail Mountain, Golden Gem (?), Kleckley Sweet, Sunsweet, Verona and Sangria). Had the best luck with Sweet Favorite and Jubilee. I have trouble keeping the leaves healthy and getting a fruit that tastes "right"-sweet enough. Have harvested at all stages - too soon, seemingly right on time and too late, but the flavor is never there...and I'm talking compost material here, not just "Gee, too bad this isn't a little sweeter."

Pretty much the same sad story with melons of other sorts (Athena, Passport, Minn. Midget, Ambrosia, FastBreak, Scoop II, Sharlyn, San Juan, Sprite, Honeycomb, Jenny Lind, & others). Never enough flavor/sweetness even though the color may seem right or the texture even shows it's past its prime.

The leaves tend to get crispy and brown before it seems time for them to die back naturally, so I always feel it's a race to get early, disease resistant varieties to ripen before the vines die. Splitting is a problem if there's too much rain, and even placing boards or something under the melons doesn't seem to keep bugs from boring in and ruining the smaller melons. I trellised the smaller melons last year, but they fell off the vine before they were good tasting.

I just keep trying new varieties each year thinking that this is the problem; that I just haven't found the right ones yet, but I'm beginning to think I need to reevaluate.

I have been enriching the soil here for 15 years with manure, hay, straw, leaves, compost, and amendments like lime, alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, wood ash, kelp meal, greensand but maybe I need to use something more concentrated than extra compost in each hill at plant out time?

Are cucumber beetles such a problem that I need to spray to keep them totally under control in order to improve vine health?

What are your tried and true varieties, especially in the more northerly regions of the USA?

Thanks for any input or suggestions you may have as I start to think about what varieties to grow this year and how to grow them.

kath

[Barbee]

I'm in Zone 6b and never had much luck with watermelons. This past year, I tried my hand at growing Carolina Cross. I cut all melons off but one since I was going for size, but if you wanted to grow them for eating melons, you could let the plants grow more than one. They are delicious and so sweet!

Even though I was growing for size, I wanted to be able to eat the watermelon I grew. I used Neem oil for insect and disease control and that's about it. I covered the fruits up with sheets to keep the cuke beetles from chewing around on the fruits. Melons like very loose soil, but not necessarily too high in organic matter. Lots of growers mix sand in with their soil for melons to loosen it up without adding too much OM. Heavy on the phosphorus seems to make them happy....and the vines don't like getting wet. Keep the weeds away from the stumps to avoid the vines staying wet too long after a rain. Remember loose, well draining soil. For under the melons, sand will work to keep the fruit off the soil or you can use boards. The idea is to use something that will allow the water to drain away from the fruit quickly. The only downside to sand under the fruit is that sometimes critters like to nest in there and they can and will eat the fruit.
Hope this helps and if you want any seeds, just give me a holler.

[kath]

Thanks, Barbee, for all your ideas. You know, I think by most charts, I'm actually in zone 6b, not 6a. I remember reading about leaving 2-3 melons on each vine and taking off the rest, but I never did that because the vines got so long and intertwined that I couldn't tell which belonged to what! Wonder if that put a stress on the plant? Never used Neem oil before and never heard about covering the melons with sheets either. Wonder if the soil is too rich? I'll definitely work to keep the vines and fruits as dry as possible. Our soil tends to be rather loose because of the organic matter, but I have never done any cultivating around the plants-is that what you mean?
This gave me things to try, so thanks again!

[Mark0820]

My level of success probably isn't any better than yours when it comes to growing melons, but I will pass along some information I have found on the Internet.

First, I do have a major problem with cucumber beetles. I tried using natural sprays for about 3 years, and I always lost my crop due to bacterial wilt. I just gave in and started spraying with Sevin. It seems to be the only product that will control cucumber beetles in my area. For me, cucumber beetles are more of a problem on cantaloupe than watermelon.

Second, since your leaves turn brown, it sounds like a fungicide might be useful. I have never used a fungicide, but will probably try one this year as I have the same problem as you. Normally, I try to stay away from chemical products, but sometimes there just aren't many good options. Here is what Ohio State University says:

"Several diseases can be troublesome when raising muskmelons. These include powdery mildew, downy mildew, alternaria leaf spot, anthracnose, and fusarium wilt. Crop rotation, resistant cultivars, and fungicides are important control measures. For assistance in controlling muskmelon insects and diseases, consult your county Extension office."

You could probably just go to Lowe's or HD to find a fungicide (rather than call the county Extension office).

Third, the problem of sweetness could be related to watering of the plants. I don't know how, or if, you water your plants, but here is some advice I found on the Internet:

"Cantaloupe likes warm soil (70 degrees or more) and warm air temperatures, which makes it one of the last plants to start in the Ohio vegetable garden. The fruit won't ripen when picked early so leave them on the vine. Water about 1 inch a week until the fruit is about the size of a tennis ball, then only water when the soil is dry or the vines start to wilt. This will help to make the fruit sweet."

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than myself will come along and give some additional advice.

[Mark0820]

On the issue of bugs, I don't know. I have the same problem. When the cantaloupe start to ripen, all of a sudden ants seem to appear from no where and eat holes in the melon. If you figure this problem out, let me know.

[Barbee]

The vines do get long and intertwine, but I cut them off when they get out of control. Have even run over them with the lawn mower on occasion You want the plant energy to go into the fruit instead of making new growth, so don't be afraid to prune the vines as needed and pinch off baby melons.

Some of the giant melon growers use landscaping fabric in a big square around the stump and some use newspaper or whatever else they can find to suppress weeds. I used my Wolfgarten hoe and pulled weeds by hand but it's a lot of work. Weeds around the stump area hide bug problems and hide the beginnings of disease. Melons do get diseases, but catching it early and treating it is the key.

If your soil is naturally loose, then you should be fine. I have compaction issues due to clay content so I do go in with a hoe and loosen things up from time to time. If you use irrigation, try to use something that goes under the vines (like drip)

Here is a photo of me with my biggest melon I grew. 168.7 lbs. I am icky looking from a whole day of yard work but you can get an idea how big it was

[Mark0820]

Wow! That is a huge watermelon.

[dipchip2000]

Kath

This is how I grew Melons last year which was my first time with melons. Maybe beginners luck but they were the best I have eaten since I was 12years old. I grew Blacktail Mountain, Crimson Sweet, and Jubilee and all were outstanding. Only two plants of each for about 20 melons total This year I am planting 27 plants and hoping to repeat last years success.The only thing I do different is grow them on top of black tarp. No weeds or bugs or diseases.

ron

January 19th, 2009 My hubby read that Watermelons have the longest tap root of any fruit or vegetable. He took the backhoe and dug up a 40 X 40 bed on a slight slope. He then rototilled the whole thing about 50 times (probably not but it seemd like he rototilled it forever!) After he had that all dug up, he added copious amounts of 10 year old horse manure/wood shavings compost. He rototilled that in a bunch of times. Come spring he watered the spot every day and rototilled it once a week, still not planting anything in it. The following spring, he actually planted watermelons using a post hole digger to go down 3 feet for each plant. He filled the holes with equal mixtures of sand, peat moss and planting mix. This is Wyoming and we have less than ideal growing conditions for watermelon. He grew 140 melons off of 40 plants. They averaged 25 lbs apiece and he had one that weighed 70lbs.

Brokenbar

[kath]

Ok, where do I start?
It's GOT to be with that watermelon! Without a doubt the biggest I've ever seen! Did you enter it in a competition? Did you win?

Mark, I won't be able to go the Sevin/HD fungicide route. Might as well buy them at the local farmer's markets and save the room in my garden for something else. But I could try some more natural approaches and try to be diligent. As I mentioned earlier, I've never sprayed the melons at all before. As far as the ants/bugs eating the smaller melons, maybe they could be wrapped with something, like Barbee does with the watermelons? Also, I do water them from above (no drip system) and may have overdone that for sure. Thanks for all the info you found and shared.

Barbee, great tip about the pruning-never even thought of that. That would take care of too many little melons as well as melons taking over all the neighboring plants! Maybe I could just plant the melons in the areas closest to the fence and let the deer do the pruning! I would have worried about eliminating some of the healthiest leaves and reducing the plant's energy. I really dislike weeding and don't have time for that, so mulch is a must. That's one reason why I watered last year as the mulch had no holes-I left about a 1' square hole around the base of the plant and made the planting area a bit sunken from the surrounding soil level, so that I could supply water that way. In the terrible heat we had and low amount of rain, I probably overdid the watering. Maybe I'll try landscaping fabric this year. Would have been afraid to let them start to wilt from dryness.

Lots to try this next year. Now that I can post photos, maybe I'll be able to post a success story. Thanks for all your help!

kath

[stormymater]

Goodness Gracious Miss Barbee - now THAT'S a MONSTER watermelon! Need a whole troupe to get that beast eaten!!!!

[kath]

Originally Posted by dipchip2000

Kath

This is how I grew Melons last year which was my first time with melons. Maybe beginners luck but they were the best I have eaten since I was 12years old. I grew Blacktail Mountain, Crimson Sweet, and Jubilee and all were outstanding. Only two plants of each for about 20 melons total This year I am planting 27 plants and hoping to repeat last years success.The only thing I do different is grow them on top of black tarp. No weeds or bugs or diseases.

ron

January 19th, 2009 My hubby read that Watermelons have the longest tap root of any fruit or vegetable. He took the backhoe and dug up a 40 X 40 bed on a slight slope. He then rototilled the whole thing about 50 times (probably not but it seemd like he rototilled it forever!) After he had that all dug up, he added copious amounts of 10 year old horse manure/wood shavings compost. He rototilled that in a bunch of times. Come spring he watered the spot every day and rototilled it once a week, still not planting anything in it. The following spring, he actually planted watermelons using a post hole digger to go down 3 feet for each plant. He filled the holes with equal mixtures of sand, peat moss and planting mix. This is Wyoming and we have less than ideal growing conditions for watermelon. He grew 140 melons off of 40 plants. They averaged 25 lbs apiece and he had one that weighed 70lbs.

Brokenbar

Not sure if this is one post or 2!?

Ron, I've had luck with 2 out of those 3, but not every year-last year I didn't have one good watermelon and the patch produced at least 2 dozen...every one ended up in the compost heap. If only I could grow just 1 as good as the ones I remember at my grandparent's summer picnics. Tried Blacktail Mountain 3 years and never had good luck, even in the year that I had some good Jubilees and Crimson Sweets. I like the idea of a tarp, except for the fact that you can't get water to them very easily. If you have the same kind of luck this year with that many plants you'll be awash in melons!

Don't know if you quoted Brokenbar, Ron, or if she posted, but that's a labor intensive method that I'm hoping not to have to resort to! Can't argue with the results, but I'm hoping the soil here is loose enough. If I can borrow a post hole digger, it would be fun to plant one of each variety that way and see if there's a difference. I grew watermelons that were pretty big - a few were nearly 40 lbs., but they had no taste. I got a refractometer and they were consistently "poor" to less than "average". Some we let grow until the insides were getting stringy like a squash, so that we knew it wasn't a matter of harvesting too soon. We were only able to eat a few of the hearts of any of them. None were even as good as the worst of the supermarket purchases of the season.

But, hope springs eternal...lots of good ideas and maybe this year will be better. Thanks for all the input!

[Idahowoman]

Kath,
I'm with you . I'm searching for a delicious early watermelon
that will grow in zone 4. Maybe we will both be lucky this year.

[fortyonenorth]

Hi Kath,

Ali Baba did real well for me last year - both in terms of disease resistance and production. Very tasty melons in the 10-15 lb. range. I garden on pure sand, so I just dug a big hole and added about 100 lb. of bagged compost to make a nice hill. Very little in the way of upkeep. Other melons (this was my only watermelon) were ravaged by cucumber beetles, but Ali Baba looked great until the end of the year.

PM me if you'd like seed.

Rich

[kath]

Originally Posted by Idahowoman

Kath,
I'm with you . I'm searching for a delicious early watermelon
that will grow in zone 4. Maybe we will both be lucky this year.

What's your frost-free window look like? Do you have to plant in plastic tunnels or anything to help them really get off to a fast start? What one(s) are you planning to try this year?

[kath]

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

Hi Kath,

Ali Baba did real well for me last year - both in terms of disease resistance and production. Very tasty melons in the 10-15 lb. range. I garden on pure sand, so I just dug a big hole and added about 100 lb. of bagged compost to make a nice hill. Very little in the way of upkeep. Other melons (this was my only watermelon) were ravaged by cucumber beetles, but Ali Baba looked great until the end of the year.

PM me if you'd like seed.

Rich

I heard good things about it on Idig. The size is good; I thought this one was bigger. I can eat l lot of watermelon at a sitting, but I don't want to fill the 'fridge with what I can't finish in a sitting! It would be an amazing feeling to have a watermelon plant look good until the season was really over.
Thanks for sharing your experience and for the seed offer.

Kath