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Post by ferdzy on Jul 26, 2013 15:51:47 GMT -5
Wiz, where do the melons come from and how did you get the seed? I'm curious!
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Post by Drahkk on Jul 31, 2013 18:51:40 GMT -5
Well, a few days away was apparently too many. When I checked today, the first two melons had gone splat. Doesn't look like animal damage. I'm guessing they were already ripe or nearly so, and the rain we got this weekend split them. Regardless, this is what I found:  They definitely do NOT slip, as even these were still firmly attached to the vine. At this extremely overripe stage, there is a distinct separation between orange fruit and yellow rind, and a light squeeze separates them:  Not sure if the rind changes color at ripeness or just when overripe, since I missed the change. The third one sounded hollow when thumped and was starting to develop light netting,  so I went ahead and cut it, but it was still underripe. Light yellow flesh, good smell, but still not much flavor or sweetness. In retrospect, the netting may have just been another variation in rind type, since I don't remember any on the splatted ones and it's only been a week since the prior pics.  So that's three out of four wasted. Aside from some tiny babies the only one left on the vine is the spotted one I showed before. Oh well. Maybe now that these are gone the vines will set some more. At one fruit per vine on two of them and two on the other they haven't been very fruitful, but I didn't give them a huge space to grow in. Regardless, I'm saving plenty of seed so I (or anyone else who'd like some) can try again next year. Meanwhile I'll be checking on the spotted one DAILY... MB |
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Post by ferdzy on Jul 31, 2013 20:54:19 GMT -5
Oh man, Drahkk, how frustrating. Melons are the hardest thing!
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Post by steev on Jul 31, 2013 21:07:09 GMT -5
First year I grew Old Original, it was planted on an irrigation circuit that I'd failed to connect; duh. The plants grew poorly, being dry-farmed in HOT and DRY conditions; there was only one melon, a nine-inch netted ball. Hands down, the best melon I have ever eaten!
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Post by mayz on Aug 1, 2013 2:57:48 GMT -5
And most importantly, how do you know when these are ripe? MB With several cv of cantaloupes the rind begins to crack around the peduncle when the fruit is ripe. don't know if it works with yours. |
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Post by Drahkk on Aug 1, 2013 18:35:49 GMT -5
OK, glad I swore to daily checking. The spotted one has changed significantly since yesterday. Check it out.  That's just now. This is a week ago, but still exactly how it looked yesterday:  I don't see any cracks around the peduncle, but the tendril and leaf opposite the fruit are quite dry and brown in addition to the color change. I'm cutting it. Flavor report to be appended shortly. MB |
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Post by steev on Aug 1, 2013 19:23:05 GMT -5
From the photo, that sure looks like a melon that would slip, judging from the apparent discontinuity between stem and body.
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Post by Drahkk on Aug 1, 2013 20:57:42 GMT -5
It looks that way, but the peduncle is about an inch and a half wide at the attachment point and firmly hooked. You have to cut the stem to harvest. As with the overripe ones, there is a clear line between fruit and rind. It's easy to see where to slide the knife while cleaning these.  I still don't have a refractometer, but I'd judge the sweetness about average, somewhere in the supermarket range (although I hate describing it like that). Can't help thinking it would probably be sweeter if not for the rain this past weekend. Mouthfeel is somehow both crisp and creamy, and flavor is kind of unique. A little cantaloupe, a little honeydew, a little peach, and a little of something else I can't quite identify. All in all, I'll give them a second grow out next year, with fresh seed and more space to ramble. Still kinda hoping for a second crop this year, too; we'll see what happens. MB |
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Post by richardw on Aug 2, 2013 3:50:17 GMT -5
Well at least you got it worked out in the end,man it looks sooo nice
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Post by Drahkk on Sept 14, 2013 18:11:44 GMT -5
Another melon update: I found another Pećka today, this time split but still firm, with just a few ants to chase away, so I brought it in and cleaned it up.  Oddly, this one did slip when I picked it up. Only one vine is making the dalmatian-spotted melons, so this is from the same mother vine that I previously noted as being firmly attached at harvest time. I guess that means they only slip when overripe? Anyway, on cleaning I found the thick rind yellow rather than green.  August and September have been much drier than the preceeding months, and it has been weeks since any significant rain here. Yet I found the flesh on this one grainy and still not very sweet. Not so sure I'm going to regrow anymore, but I'm not giving up on them yet. There are four more growing on the other two vines, so we'll see how they do. I've been more impressed with three other melons that are starting to come ready lately. First, Juan Canary has been very productive, and tastes crisp and refreshing:  Ha-Ogen is definitely a keeper; sweet and super juicy, my wife and I fought over the last few pieces. Glad there are plenty more growing:  The overall favorite so far, though, is Ananas. (No picture, sorry.) I brought the first one in today. It was unevenly yellow, and I was afraid it might just be sunburnt and underripe. But on tasting, my first reaction was "Wow, that's good." And when my wife tried it, she immediately said that it's the best melon I've grown yet. Definitely a keeper. I've also got Invernale Cortona storage melon growing, but none sampled yet for obvious reasons. BTW Minnie, Ha-Ogen and Ananas were both 100% floaters when I cleaned the seed. And the Ha-Ogen are definitely viable, as 15 of them had already germinated inside the melon. MB |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 15, 2013 1:11:47 GMT -5
Drahkk: Great photos.
It had been raining for a couple days when I harvested the muskmelons on Friday. I found a melon that had burst open and fermented in the field. I ate it and was happy. I found a few more and was even happier. I'm ready to stop complaining about too much rain bursting the melons. I eat 5-6 cantaloupes every time I harvest: gotta know what I'm taking to market...
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Sept 15, 2013 3:05:44 GMT -5
Wonderful pictures Drahkk, I love Melon and maybe one day with a greenhouse might be able to grow one! So I understand correctly, is 'slipping' where the melon comes off the vine without being cut?
Joseph, fermented Melon sounds gooood.
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Post by Drahkk on Sept 15, 2013 8:26:34 GMT -5
So I understand correctly, is 'slipping' where the melon comes off the vine without being cut? Yes, exactly. When a melon slips, it lets go of (or "slips free" from) the vine when ripe. Most melons either slip at peak ripeness or not at all. Those Pecka melons have been a bit of an enigma. The first two were overripe, split/smashed, and half rotten when I discovered them, to the point of having to hold my nose while collecting a handful of seeds, yet the stem end was still firmly attached. The third I cut from the vine at it's color change. The fourth developed BER and was also cut free. The one yesterday was the first and only one so far that has let go of the vine without the aid of a knife. Most muskmelons either slip, change color, develop a strong aroma, or some combination of the three. My favorites are those that change color, and if they slip too it's a nice bonus! MB |
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Post by richardw on Sept 15, 2013 14:09:35 GMT -5
They look sooo nice Mike.
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Post by steev on Sept 15, 2013 21:43:50 GMT -5
Picked/cut six varieties on Saturday; had a sunscald for brekkie and a different sunscald for lunch; got a splitter in the fridge for dessert; so three different varieties in one day; I love melon season. I think I have to plant my melons like my peppers: northside of corn or trees; the air on my farm is just too damned clean, so little UV protection. What a commentary on world conditions, that smog should be our friend against ozone depletion.
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