[NAFEX] Of melons and dreams...
Jolyn
jolyn at tctwest.net
Tue Jun 9 17:27:23 EDT 2009
Sorry, my reply is only off-list.
I am not sure that I will be of help but my zone range is the same so I will
address a couple of your questions.
I have grown melons for about 30 years but my experience has not been from
research. There aren't many melons that ripen on each vine in Zone 4/5 so I
haven't tried some of the things you mention.
1. I definitely start removing the new melons setting on after 4-5 have set
on each vine or hill.
2. I do not prune the vines as they seem to need all the leaf space possible
to ripen the melons.
3. I have found that size is mostly determined by the variety. I haven't
found that pruning and the amount of melons on the vine makes a difference.
4. They do taste better with richer soil and plenty of heat. When the
melons have less flavor it seems to be caused by cooler weather.
I can't imagine that succession planting would do much good in a short
season area. I think we are lucky when we get the 4-5 per hill to ripen.
I have gotten the best results from some of the varieties offered by Fedco
and Pinetree.
That is my 2 cents. Growing melons in Zone 4/5 is a crap shoot but the years
they are good are REALLY good.
Jolyn in Montana
----- Original Message -----
From: "fuwa fuwa usagi" <fuwafuwausagi at muchomail.com>
To: <nafex at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 2:31 PM
Subject: [NAFEX] Of melons and dreams...
> The ignorance of fluffy…
>
> So there are very many topics I know little of, but the cure for ignorance
> is education and experience. That being said the topic is melons. I did
> review the archives and found a minor thread in 2002 and one mention of
> two posts on some other date and no one raised a fuss, so I guess this is
> on topic for this list.
>
> So here is the issue. I do not know squat about growing melons. To
> clarify I have grown a melons only a couple of times over the years, and
> either they vary like crazy according to weather conditions or by variety,
> whatever the case it is clear I have no clue.. In looking over the
> literature out there it seems very plebian. However in examining what
> people write I get the idea that there are many secrets to watermelon
> growing that are sort of kept under lock and key or at least not widely
> disseminated in generic gardening guides an don websites.
>
> Here are my suspicions.
>
> 1) There are definitely melons for your area
> 2) Weather is a huge obstacle
> 3) There is either a group of pruning techniques specific to certain types
> of melons or a pruning technique and cultivation techniques suitable for
> each melon type
>
> In reading I have seen references to not allowing more than x amount of
> this type of melon set, pruning out the arms at so many arms for this type
> of melon, not watering x days before harvest for this type of melon etc
> etc. It seems melons vary widely in how big they get and how much room
> you give them. I have seen reference that if you crowd or try and keep
> Charleston Gray smaller the quality is not very good but you get a better
> Crimson Sweet if you crowd it and keep it smaller. These type of comments
> from what seem to be experienced grower make me very curious. It also
> implies that you certainly can control size.
>
> It also follows that you thin some melons and do not thin others. You
> prune some melons and do not prune others etc, etc.
>
> Also, it is not clear to me if people succession plant melons or stagger
> the plantings or not. I have not seen a reference to that at all, which
> makes me wonder if within a 6 week period the weather is more the factor
> determining ripening and quality than days to harvest or is melons produce
> in a succession like indeterminate tomatoes.
>
> Zone wise I am in 4b/5a about 50 miles west of Chicago, and I get Rockford
> IL weather patterns (colder in the winter, and hotter and drier in the
> summer) Anyway here is what I have started for this year:
>
> Hales Best
> Burpee Hybrid
> Crimson Sweet
> Charleston Gray
> Minnesota Midget
> Sugar Baby
>
> Ideally as a home grower I would like smaller melons that respond well to
> trellising and one or two types that are large melons that have to sprawl
> on the ground.
>
> As far as trellising goes, can you just prune them to fit an force
> flowering or do they have to get a certain size for each variety? Does
> the size increase or stay the same if you allow fewer melons to grow? Do
> you get a better melon is you go with one melon a plant? Is there an
> optimal number? I was thinking of simply lashing together some long tree
> branches (6-12 feet) in a teepee shape for trellises and winding the vines
> up the poles.
>
> I figure I could trellis Minnesota Midget, Sugar Baby, Hales Best, and
> BurpeeHybrid. Any comments or experience? Any idea on optimum number of
> fruits to set per plant, do melons all ripen at once or do you get a
> succession of melons per plant?
>
> Here is something that might interest you. I had a few seed packs from
> when I last tried growing melons in 1999 – I figured I would plant many
> and if one geminated I would be lucky – I go t a100% germination rate from
> refrigerated 10 year old Sugar Baby seeds out of a 10c seed pack from
> American seeds – LOL!!!!
>
> Any comments appreciated.
>
> tfb
>
>
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