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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 30, 2015 14:18:34 GMT -5
The particular manifestation of smooth-skinned melons that I had in my garden was associated with mealy-textured flesh. I don't like the grainy texture, so I stopped saving seeds from smooth skinned melons, even though they were earliest. Besides, flavor and flesh-color where bland. They are very susceptible to popping from rain or irrigation. All muskmelons are somewhat susceptible to moisture just before harvest, but the smooth skinned ones are particularly sensitive.
I really like canary melons... Way back, I was growing a grex of canary melons, casabas, honeydews, Armenian cucumbers, tiger melons, and etc.. But they did poorly for me and I didn't continue the project. Plus I contaminated the seed with a bitter gene picked up from a pocket melon. These days, I would continue a smooth-skinned project into the third generation before abandoning it...
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Post by reed on Jul 31, 2015 7:27:58 GMT -5
One of mine from your early landrace is oblong with smooth skin and a soft "peach fuzz" you can feel but not see, I am anxiously awaiting it's ripening. It is a soft gray/green color, isn't the earliest though, I got two total of those yellow ones, so yummy! Next currently ripening are some tiny tennis ball sized ones, they smell good already but didn't slip from the vine yesterday, I expect today will be the day.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 31, 2015 11:30:03 GMT -5
One of mine from your early landrace is oblong with smooth skin and a soft "peach fuzz" you can feel but not see I am so sorry! For best results, pick it at the earliest possible moment... And hope that it doesn't rain too much before then. |
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Post by reed on Jul 31, 2015 13:02:44 GMT -5
Sorry?? ain't nothin to be sorry about. I'm extremely happy. Got lots of new seeds already from yummy fruits, more on the way and still have half of what you sent. Who knows, that smooth one might turn out best of all. You should see the nasty weed patch they'r coming from, no other melon I'v ever seen would have produced in these conditions.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 31, 2015 13:44:56 GMT -5
My melons definitely know how to get along with weeds! LOL. Can't wait to plant my carrot seeds next year. They are definitely moving in the direction of out-competing weeds. p.s. And keep a compost bucket handy when you taste the smooth skinned melon... Just in case you need to spit it out  |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 31, 2015 20:57:01 GMT -5
The first muskmelons of the season are ready! They are two weeks later than the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. But they are 2 weeks earlier than the 2010 harvest (start of locally-adapted landrace) when green fruits were harvested because of frost. Tomatoes are also delayed this growing season. The smooth skinned mushy bland earliest muskmelon didn't produce the earliest fruit this year. Hopefully that means that I didn't plant it! I've been sharing the fruits with family on condition that they can only have the flesh of the fruits, not the seeds. They put the wet seeds in a plastic bag and return them to me properly labeled. First Muskmelons 2015.  |
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Post by reed on Sept 1, 2015 7:31:07 GMT -5
I mowed down the melon patch three or four weeks ago. Ended up with seeds from the little yellow ones which are wonderful and some more normal (to me) looking ones that were also very good. The smoothed skinned one just laid there looking exactly the same for a looong time, I finally got tired of waiting and picked it. It looked good with a nice orange color inside but very little flavor and a odd after taste, gave it and its seeds to the chickens.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 1, 2015 22:59:42 GMT -5
The smoothed skinned one just laid there looking exactly the same for a looong time, I finally got tired of waiting and picked it. It looked good with a nice orange color inside but very little flavor and a odd after taste, gave it and its seeds to the chickens. I already gave you fair warning about that one... Ha! |
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Post by mskrieger on Sept 2, 2015 12:08:21 GMT -5
Inspired by this conversation, I grew some melon of commercially-purchased seed this year. Of course, I forgot to write down what I planted. So far I've gotten two types; one looked like a cantaloupe on the outside but had light green flesh inside. It was the earliest and sweet but not flavorful--I picked it b/c it cracked from watering. The later ones have looked like honeydews on the outside but turn yellow when ripe and have lovely sweet orange flesh with candy- and amaretto- like aroma. I like it. I'm going to grow again. I suspect it was 'Sensation', which is a hybrid. I'm curious what will come out of it next year. Hopefully my melon patch will be bigger and I can plant more seed of different varieties.
Just the experience of having home-ripened melons has been fabulous, though. My kids get excited to eat them as dessert. Thanks to you all for writing so engagingly about them, it really is worth the space to grow your own.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 15, 2015 10:39:50 GMT -5
Grub: Before I settled on orange-fleshed muskmelons, I really loved some of the mixed type fruits. Mmmm. A homegrown melon is not even the same fruit as what the grocery stores offer! People tell me, "I don't like cantaloupes." I'm like, "If you've only ever had them from the store or a restaurant it's no wonder that you don't like them." I've been taking muskmelons to market for the past few weeks:  |
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Post by Marches on Sept 17, 2015 13:03:37 GMT -5
Grub: Before I settled on orange-fleshed muskmelons, I really loved some of the mixed type fruits. Mmmm. A homegrown melon is not even the same fruit as what the grocery stores offer! People tell me, "I don't like cantaloupes." I'm like, "If you've only ever had them from the store or a restaurant it's no wonder that you don't like them." I've been taking muskmelons to market for the past few weeks: Joseph, would it be possible to get some seeds from you? I'm very interested in trying to grow the earliest types here in England, both muskmelons (including cantaloupes) and watermelons. Would you say one is better than the other in cool climates? And presuming I can't get seeds, what commonly available varieties would be good starting points for breeding? The main two I see here in catalogues are Charleston grey and Charentais. Are they early enough or still late by the standards of yours? Could I cross the two since they're both muskmelons by species? I'm thinking of trying 3 methods of cultivation - in the ground with nothing else which is my preferred way (as I'd ultimately like to breed varieties that are as low input as possible), in a cold frame and outside in the ground but with black plastic sheeting to provide heat. |
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Post by templeton on Sept 17, 2015 17:08:11 GMT -5
Marches, if Joseph's aren't available, have a look at Adaptive Seeds 'Farthest North' mixes.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 17, 2015 23:29:54 GMT -5
Marches: Let's correspond via personal message. I believe that my eMail address is visible on the "About me" page. I find muskmelons much easier to grow in my climate than watermelons. The muskmelons are shorter season, and seem to grow better at lower temperatures. As far as I know, Charleston Gray is a watermelon. It was the only variety that did well for my daddy. For many years he has been saving his own strain. I consider my daddy's strain of Charleston gray to be a medium-season melon, meaning that it's a race against frost each growing season, and they don't really get ripe here, but they are acceptable. I am converting all of my watermelons to yellow fleshed, because they taste sweeter at lower sugar levels, even if they are not fully ripe. A red melon that's immature seems quite bitter to me. A yellow melon that's just starting to mature seems sweet. A collaborator in Canada has been planting watermelon transplants into ground covered with plastic, then he puts a tomato cage over the plant, then he puts a big cone of plastic over them. He says they thrive that way... When the plant gets big enough to crowd the tent, he cuts slits for the vines to escape.
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Post by richardw on Sept 18, 2015 13:57:47 GMT -5
A collaborator in Canada has been planting watermelon transplants into ground covered with plastic, then he puts a tomato cage over the plant, then he puts a big cone of plastic over them. He says they thrive that way... When the plant gets big enough to crowd the tent, he cuts slits for the vines to escape. Good idea, is he using black plastic on the ground for a start?. but to me having to cut slits for the vines to escape seems like a waste of plastic, could he not lift the whole lot off? |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 18, 2015 14:51:21 GMT -5
richardw: Yes, black plastic on the ground... I checked the photos. Looks like he is using paint cans for a vent later in the season. A suppose a few of them could act as escape hatches...
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