Market Farming

[pam AT twinoaks.org]

        I'd love to get earlier watermelons. We like Crimson Sweet 
best (this is zone 6b). I start seed in soil blocks or plug flats and pop 
them out under rowcover as early as I dare. I end up some years losing 
loads of transplants to cold and damp before I even get them in the 
ground. Other years I struggle to get them planted out before they 
outgrow their plugs and get stunted. Does anyone have 
recommendations on getting early watermelon with a higher success 
rate? We don't much like most of the smaller earlier varieties we've 
tried, so I'm looking for techniques rather than varieties here.
        Has anyone tried direct sowing of pre-sprouted seeds? If so, 
how did it work?
        I decided to grow my own seed and select for earliness. Next 
challenge - how to rogue the plants and pull the less preferred ones 
out. The vines are so enmeshed, it's hard to tell which melons are 
attached to which plants. Perhaps I should have rogued at an earlier 
stage? Has anyone successfully done this? There's a psychological 
barrier for me to overcome too - it's hard to rip out plants after working 
hard to keep them alive!
        Thanks for your thoughts, 
        Pam Dawling, Twin Oaks, Louisa, VA