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Melons
Aug 11, 2013 23:08:36 GMT -5
Post by steev on Aug 11, 2013 23:08:36 GMT -5
The first melon from the farm is...Whitley's Yellow! A round icebox-sized melon, which did NOT explode, though it did crack when cut; it was not yellow, but red (so I don't know what the name is about). Delicious and very sweet, it got raves all around, a keeper, for sure.
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Melons
Aug 12, 2013 0:34:52 GMT -5
Post by richardw on Aug 12, 2013 0:34:52 GMT -5
Sounds nice,.....oh i miss summer
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Melons
Aug 12, 2013 2:49:32 GMT -5
Post by mayz on Aug 12, 2013 2:49:32 GMT -5
Still waiting for the first one I try to add a pic but I receive this error message : This forum has exceeded its attachment space limit. Your file cannot be uploaded. ?? Anyway click here
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Melons
Aug 13, 2013 10:49:29 GMT -5
Post by 12540dumont on Aug 13, 2013 10:49:29 GMT -5
I got 3 watermelons and 2 cantaloupes. One is Morning Sun. I replanted Baby Tsuba from the melon we ate last year. I can't wait to see what it does.
oh well, off to pick tomatoes. They ARE here with a vengeance. Sure, why not it's August. The first pot of spag sauce is on the stove.
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Post by Drahkk on Aug 13, 2013 12:50:43 GMT -5
Steev, I think one or both of us may have had crossed seed. This year's Whitley's got lost in the Johnson grass, but I did get some last year. Mine were yellow, but like yours they were icebox sized, and I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be bigger. Still an excellent melon though. I'm planning to grow them again next year.
MB
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Melons
Aug 13, 2013 13:24:33 GMT -5
Post by steev on Aug 13, 2013 13:24:33 GMT -5
Absolutely I'll grow them again, both from the remainder of the seed I planted and the seeds I'm saving from these.
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Melons
Aug 31, 2013 14:55:02 GMT -5
Post by ferdzy on Aug 31, 2013 14:55:02 GMT -5
We've been getting a few melons for a while. As usual, Gnadenfeld and Early Hanover were the earliest orange and green melons respectively. However, a New Japanese cross* did surprisingly well, and Sakata Sweet (also plainly crossed but not by me!) produced one large and early melon before succumbing to wilt. On the other hand Collective Farm Woman is doing surprisingly badly; only 2 melons on 3 plants. Also plainly crossed. On the watermelon front, Golden Midget is churning them out and have been surprisingly tasty, and others are just thinking about it. Kaolack (sold to me as Early Canada; NO) and Sweet Siberian look like being the first although I only cracked them because their vines died. Both fell into the ripe-enough-to-eat-but-not-quite-there catagory, but seeds have been saved. Biggest disappointment/annoyance was my Pec'ka melon from Wiz. One day it looked hard as a rock and two days later, after one of our torrential deluges, it was overripe and split. Bland. Damn. Don't think this one will do well in my climate, unfortunately. picasaweb.google.com/ferdzy2/August312013?authkey=Gv1sRgCNuWgb3X_KLMIQ#5918362179544808146 * I thought New Japanese did SOOO badly last year that it didn't produce any melons. But when I was cleaning up in the fall I found one, tiny, overripe one about the size of a golf ball. I saved and planted the seeds, especting who-knows-what and it was actually a winner this year for early production AND quantity produced per plant. Huh. Taste was fine too. Okay, proceed...
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Melons
Aug 31, 2013 15:02:22 GMT -5
Post by raymondo on Aug 31, 2013 15:02:22 GMT -5
What a shame Ferdzy. An otherwise great looking melon.
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Melons
Aug 31, 2013 15:16:22 GMT -5
Post by ferdzy on Aug 31, 2013 15:16:22 GMT -5
Yeah, it was a pity. It was one of the largest in the garden and it wasn't too long season for here, which I was afraid it might be. But rainy miserable summers are relatively par for the course around here, so if it can't cope? PHEEE! Out of the gene pool, you!
On the other hand the New Jap cross was a very pleasant surprise, so you lose some, you win some.
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Post by Drahkk on Sept 1, 2013 15:26:09 GMT -5
Biggest disappointment/annoyance was my Pec'ka melon from Wiz. One day it looked hard as a rock and two days later, after one of our torrential deluges, it was overripe and split. That was my experience too: that they go from green to overripe in 48 hours or less, and have to be checked daily to catch them "just right." The ONE I managed to catch that way had a nice flavor, though. I think they're worth one more try in my garden. MB
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Melons
Sept 1, 2013 21:19:01 GMT -5
Post by ferdzy on Sept 1, 2013 21:19:01 GMT -5
I think we're going to be working on a couple of "landraces" or at least, letting things cross and seeing what happens. One of the things I will definitely be looking for is easily detectable signs of ripeness! I like the ones that turn yellow.
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Post by Drahkk on Sept 1, 2013 23:44:34 GMT -5
I like the ones that turn yellow. I feel that. Ananas, Golden Honeymoon, and Juan Canary will give you a start. I'll bet Holly can name a few dozen more. MB
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Melons
Sept 2, 2013 6:13:00 GMT -5
Post by ferdzy on Sept 2, 2013 6:13:00 GMT -5
I have Ananas and Golden Honeymoon (also Marygold and Tam Dew) from Holly already; I'm trying them this year for the first time. None of them are ripe yet. Collective Farm Woman is another I've grown for a few years and is pretty adapted to the north. It didint' do well this year, but I've picked the first one and will eat it today or tomorrow.
That's the other thing - we usually have summers that are HOT enough (USUALLY) but we only have 2 months of hot weather, so anything that wants to dawdle is out. It would also be nice to eat them while the weather is still warm.
Speaking of Holly, I haven't seen her on the boards lately. Hope she is just crazy busy and that it will pass.
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Melons
Sept 3, 2013 0:48:39 GMT -5
Post by 12540dumont on Sept 3, 2013 0:48:39 GMT -5
Holly's just frantic. It's harvest time.
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Melons
Sept 3, 2013 1:23:14 GMT -5
Post by steev on Sept 3, 2013 1:23:14 GMT -5
Ditto that. I spend the week-end on the farm and get nothing done but harvesting, both the fresh produce and the seed for future.
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