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Post by oldmobie on Aug 7, 2015 12:09:35 GMT -5
I finally grew pink corn! Still wrong though, since I didn't plant any pink. |
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Post by reed on Aug 8, 2015 4:41:56 GMT -5
Ha, persistence pays off. oldmobie , Is your Oaxacan corn the kind Joseph mentioned? Mine is the green dent. |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 8, 2015 7:21:07 GMT -5
Is your Oaxacan corn the kind Joseph mentioned? Mine is the green dent. Yes, it's actually from his seed. |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 13, 2015 22:13:45 GMT -5
 Taste is a little weak, but it tastes like watermelon. Not as sweet as expected, but edible. Maybe because it got rainy before harvest. Maybe a little under-ripe. The tendril was dried up, the white spot was turning yellow. I don't know what ripe sounds like when doing the "thump test". My first non-red melon big enough to eat, so it's a win. One more (hopefully) ripe one in the fridge. Looks like a black diamond, so probably red. |
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Post by steev on Aug 14, 2015 0:05:53 GMT -5
I so hate watermelon, because they don't work by the "smell" test, nor the "release" test. So often under- or over-ripe; not that I don't love a good one; just that they're problematic.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 14, 2015 1:27:07 GMT -5
I so hate watermelon, because they don't work by the "smell" test, nor the "release" test. So often under- or over-ripe; not that I don't love a good one; just that they're problematic. I'm working on this problem. It'll be a few years... My strategy is for the skin to turn yellow when the watermelon ripens... |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 14, 2015 1:30:00 GMT -5
oldmobie: Yup. That watermelon was still immature... I wish that it was as easy as letting the tendril dry up and the bottom turn yellow. I usually wait until the tendril dries up AND BLOWS AWAY.
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 14, 2015 14:12:57 GMT -5
oldmobie: Yup. That watermelon was still immature... I wish that it was as easy as letting the tendril dry up and the bottom turn yellow. I usually wait until the tendril dries up AND BLOWS AWAY. Ok, if you can tell that from Utah, then it's something I said or a visual clue. Pale flesh color? Thick rind? Something else I haven't considered? |
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Post by verdeperto on Aug 15, 2015 4:56:49 GMT -5
oldmobie: Yup. That watermelon was still immature... I wish that it was as easy as letting the tendril dry up and the bottom turn yellow. I usually wait until the tendril dries up AND BLOWS AWAY. If you place your ear on the watermelon and compress it with both hands (like if you'd want to squash it) you can hear if it's ripe. The sound itself is hard to describe, but if you try with both an unripe and a ripe one, you'll start having a feeling of the right sound. For obvious reasons, do not try this with "Cream of Saskatchewan"... |
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Aug 15, 2015 13:50:32 GMT -5
oldmobie: Yup. That watermelon was still immature... I wish that it was as easy as letting the tendril dry up and the bottom turn yellow. I usually wait until the tendril dries up AND BLOWS AWAY. Ok, if you can tell that from Utah, then it's something I said or a visual clue. Pale flesh color? Thick rind? Something else I haven't considered? Yes, both the slightly pale flesh and lighter taste you described. Should have waited a little longer, but still a good job. |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 17, 2015 20:32:02 GMT -5
I cut into the other watermelon today. White all the way through, with some pink right next to the seeds. I know there are white watermelons now, but I've never had seeds for them. It was way under-ripe, unless white when mature can happen spontaneously. It's in the composter. There's better news in the pepper patch. No phenomenal quantities, but I'm getting some good looking peppers.  The big one pulled it's plant over, so I tied it up. I'm not sure, but that yellow one may be one of the Jimmy Nardellos I got in a trade.  I don't know what this one is. Reminds me of a smallish poblano.  Same tiny blue popcorn, planted the same day. (I saved the seeds, no attempt at purity.) The seeds looked the same. If it's otherwise true to type, I'm gonna save these seeds seperately. I've wanted to breed more size into it anyway. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 17, 2015 22:18:46 GMT -5
I've picked so many not-yet-ripe watermelons that eventually I made a rule that I wouldn't pick any watermelon until 2-3 weeks after the tendrils had dried up. Sucks to wait so long, but it's better than being disappointed by an unripe fruit... Technically, I pick most watermelons because the plants have been killed by frost.
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 17, 2015 22:34:24 GMT -5
I've picked so many not-yet-ripe watermelons that eventually I made a rule that I wouldn't pick any watermelon until 2-3 weeks after the tendrils had dried up. Sucks to wait so long, but it's better than being disappointed by an unripe fruit... Technically, I pick most watermelons because the plants have been killed by frost. If I leave them on the vine (assuming it's healthy) too long, is the fruit likely to keep, or spoil? Will the plant keep it fresh until it gets dry or tough or something? Or will it just rot there? (I failed to note a date when tendrils started drying up.) I check that the skin is intact. I just don't want to find rot or ferment after cutting it open. |
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Post by verdeperto on Aug 18, 2015 4:20:40 GMT -5
I've picked so many not-yet-ripe watermelons that eventually I made a rule that I wouldn't pick any watermelon until 2-3 weeks after the tendrils had dried up. Sucks to wait so long, but it's better than being disappointed by an unripe fruit... Technically, I pick most watermelons because the plants have been killed by frost. If I leave them on the vine (assuming it's healthy) too long, is the fruit likely to keep, or spoil? Will the plant keep it fresh until it gets dry or tough or something? Or will it just rot there? (I failed to note a date when tendrils started drying up.) I check that the skin is intact. I just don't want to find rot or ferment after cutting it open. Seriously, try placing your ear on the watermelon and then compress it with both hands. If it is ripe, you'll hear a muffled cracking sound without having to apply much strength. Do this with a fruit you're sure is unripe and then the presumably ripe one. Along with the yellow belly and the fully dried tendril, it's the best way to evaluate for fruit maturity. |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 18, 2015 8:16:53 GMT -5
Seriously, try placing your ear on the watermelon and then compress it with both hands. If it is ripe, you'll hear a muffled cracking sound without having to apply much strength. Do this with a fruit you're sure is unripe and then the presumably ripe one. Along with the yellow belly and the fully dried tendril, it's the best way to evaluate for fruit maturity. I tried that for the first time yesterday, with the already cut off melon from the fridge. Silence. Thought I'd done something wrong until I cut it. I'll try again in the patch before harvesting. |
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