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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87@frontiernet.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] melons
  • Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:24:06 -0400


On Jun 12, 2009, at 11:37 AM, Mark Angermayer wrote:

I've had difficulty growing sweet melons. Our soil is heavy, but very high
in organic matter (4.9% last soil test). I can grow tons of melons, but
they're bland and tasteless (no, I didn't pick them too early). I've tried
starving them of water, and watering the thunder out of 'em. It doesn't
seem to make a difference. I've also got a few spots that are well drained
on our soil. I've tried to grow melons there. Again they grow fine, but
they're bland.

What varieties are you growing?

It's quite possible that flavor in melons is highly variable by whether the variety is suited to the specific location. This is certainly true of tomatoes, and of some strawberries; and it can be *extremely* specific location, it can make a difference what side of the hill you're on, not just in what general climate.

On clay soils in the Northeast I have had very good flavor from Hannah's Choice, Earligold, Harper, Montana Gold, Harvest Queen, Jenny Lind, Rocky Ford, and for watermelons Sugar Baby, Far North, Blacktail Mountain -- Blacktail Mountain was the best of the three here but Sugar Baby seed would be the easiest to find.

--Rivka
Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly



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