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Post by lochaberbreeder on May 25, 2019 20:23:26 GMT -5
Seedlings can be put in the fridge to test for cold resistance. Resistant phenotypes can survive 2 degrees for many hours, suscuptible ones will have massive damage or death.
Good way to kill your whole lot if you don't have that gene in any of them, but if you do, then it helps you save yourself the effort of growing non-resistant phenotypes to maturity.
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Post by mskrieger on Aug 21, 2019 13:25:18 GMT -5
so how'd everybody's melons do this year? It's been pretty cool this season at my place, so I don't have any ripe melons yet. But if summer sticks around another couple of weeks we will. Fingers crossed.
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Post by imgrimmer on Aug 21, 2019 14:38:27 GMT -5
I might have 4 tiny watermelons and 3 melons within the next weeks. It is a race against mildew. So far they are healthy. Fingers crossed.
I have some watermelon plants from Ferdzy one is the first with fruit but others I suspect they are from Russia set later fruits but are very fast now.
there are many plants of Andrew Barneys Citron x Watermelon hybrid swarm but no fruit set so far. They are very vigorous and flower since some time but no fruits so far.
What makes me happy is that all plants are direct sown. So I might have finally found suitable plants for my own landrace.
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Post by mskrieger on Aug 22, 2019 8:43:01 GMT -5
I might have 4 tiny watermelons and 3 melons within the next weeks. It is a race against mildew. So far they are healthy. Fingers crossed. I have some watermelon plants from Ferdzy one is the first with fruit but others I suspect they are from Russia set later fruits but are very fast now. there are many plants of Andrew Barneys Citron x Watermelon hybrid swarm but no fruit set so far. They are very vigorous and flower since some time but no fruits so far. What makes me happy is that all plants are direct sown. So I might have finally found suitable plants for my own landrace. That's great news! But did you have the heat that the rest of western Europe encountered? That might've helped a bit...of course, it might also be your new normal  |
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Post by imgrimmer on Aug 22, 2019 10:13:53 GMT -5
Yes it was warmer than usual but more important drier than ever before. A lot of varieties doesn`t grow here because of cool wet nights. In my eyes the drought helped more. Now it is getting wetter again and I think diseases will start within the next weeks. But we will see. Anyway I will have some hybrid seeds  |
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Post by imgrimmer on Aug 24, 2019 15:05:05 GMT -5
I just visited the melon patch. I am sure I will have melons this year. I am happy! Also the citron x domestic watermelon patch (from keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)) is doing well, first fruits are emerging. They grow better than cucumbers but quite a bit late season but who cares |
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Post by mskrieger on Aug 29, 2019 11:28:06 GMT -5
Those citron x domestic watermelons sound neat! We've had a good season for cucumbers, no diseases this year.
My melons have some spots of powdery mildew. Plenty of full-size fruit (and lots of small ones) but I'm just waiting for them to ripen. I base my selection on taste...if any taste decent during this cool season, I will be happy.
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Post by imgrimmer on Sept 9, 2019 11:50:24 GMT -5
one of my melons  Citron x domestic watermelon (from Andrew Barney/ keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.))  true watermelons are about the same size the volunteer watermelon from Ferdzy had the first ripe fruit. 2 weeks ago. All are direct seeded with no protection. |
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Post by steev on Sept 9, 2019 21:06:16 GMT -5
Looking forward to report on the palatability/use of those.
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Post by steve1 on Sept 10, 2019 5:43:04 GMT -5
I remember seeing watermelon or citrons that were either wild or feral in the desert outside Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) in the late 90's. 40 c was nothing there and 50'c was not unusual. They were small - only baseball size, but it rained properly once a year in the three years I was there. Now that would be some interesting drought tolerant germplasm.
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Post by walt on Sept 10, 2019 13:34:41 GMT -5
n 1978-1982 I was in the Republic du Niger, there were small. 10-15 cm. that grew wild, sometimes in dune soil as well as better soil. Temperatures got to 40+ C daily. And it was very dry. Sometimes when the ground was worked, after harvest, after the last rain of the year, the melons would grow and fruit. All were very bitter, but I wish I had collected seeds for breeding.
There were also golfball sized muskmelons, with good smell but no flesh between the seeds and skin. They also grew under the same conditions.
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Post by mskrieger on Sept 10, 2019 14:35:11 GMT -5
Fascinating. I will add that in my garden, the muskmelons seem just as tolerant to low-water conditions as the tomatoes and cowpeas. Not that the conditions in my garden ever get close to Saudi Arabia levels of drought. Just something to keep in mind if dry gardening.
Just harvested my first tasty melon of the year. Looks like it's descended from Johnny's "Sensation", with smooth pale green rind and orange interior. Good caramel melon flavor, not as sweet as usual, but that's not unexpected, the weather being so cool.
I'm pretty sure there are a couple of almost-ripe "Jenny Lind" in the patch right next to it. I'm not sure when to harvest those. The leaves are browning but the vines aren't dead yet.
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Post by imgrimmer on Sept 11, 2019 2:49:23 GMT -5
Do you think these were feral (dedomesticated) types or true wild species? Until now I thought colocynthis is the true wild species but I found many hints about other wild types.
Is citron type also feral?
Thanks !
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Post by steve1 on Sept 15, 2019 7:01:43 GMT -5
n 1978-1982 I was in the Republic du Niger, there were small. 10-15 cm. that grew wild, sometimes in dune soil as well as better soil. Temperatures got to 40+ C daily. And it was very dry. Sometimes when the ground was worked, after harvest, after the last rain of the year, the melons would grow and fruit. All were very bitter, but I wish I had collected seeds for breeding. There were also golfball sized muskmelons, with good smell but no flesh between the seeds and skin. They also grew under the same conditions. There you go, I had heard the watermelons were not good - and never tasted them. Better soil was not really a thing there. Interestingly for a place so far above sea level, there were lots of fossil corrals and shells. Don't recall muskmelons though, though could have been there too.
Yes, serious drought tolerant breeding material there.
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Post by steve1 on Sept 15, 2019 7:18:31 GMT -5
Do you think these were feral (dedomesticated) types or true wild species? Until now I thought colocynthis is the true wild species but I found many hints about other wild types. Is citron type also feral? Thanks ! imgrimmer, I really don't know. It was the same question that was just rolling around in my head. Maybe Walt will chime in on the ones he saw in Niger?
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