Melon Growing Advice

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Jun 19, 2021.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Been away for a week and came home to find someone has helped themselves to my first one
    20210827_135902.jpg

    Most likely a squirrel! They have pulled the plant about too.
    I was feeling hacked off and my plan to allow them to ripen on the ground has backfired.

    Luckily they haven't touched the next one which smelled ripe. Weighing about 1lb (460g)
    20210827_170244.jpg

    This has been worth the wait, absolutely lovely taste, if I can get a few more I will grow again and make sure the fruit are all netted off the ground.
    20210827_200953.jpg
     
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    • hailbopp

      hailbopp Gardener

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      Oh bad luck JWK. Still you have been successful, well done. I am still hopeful I might get 1 or 2 melons to ripen. It is very useful to see the skin on yours. Mine are still pretty smooth and not as big. If mine do not get to ripe stage it won’t be from lack of good weather this summer BUT I have them growing behind a lot of tomatoes which are now at or above roof height ( tall greenhouse!) blocking some of the heat and light so the melon plants have not been able to get as much light as I would have liked. Note to self to grow them in front of tomatoes if I grow again and I have mine in big pots rather than in the soil. As an experiment I grew cucumbers in big pots and in the soil in the greenhouse, ones in soil much better so presume the melons would be the same. All a learning curve. Not given up hope yet as the weather continues to be wonderful, the best late summer for many years.
       
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      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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        You are lucky with the weather up there @hailbopp. The skin surface has pronounced creases when it ripened and the colour darkened, the big give away was the smell, even with my poor sense it was apparent as soon as I went in the greenhouse.
         
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        • NigelJ

          NigelJ Total Gardener

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          Picked my first melon yesterday, smelt ripe, came away from the plant easily and had begun to split. Had a slice 10 minutes ago, I've had sweeter ones, juicy and good flavour.
           
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          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            Sounds very nice Nigel. I'm hoping the current sunny spell will ripen more of mine.
             
          • hailbopp

            hailbopp Gardener

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            :dancy::dancy::dancy:. Success, my god can hardly believe it.
            I only let 8 melons grow as thought if I had too many they would not be ripe before the weather turned really cold.
            This is my 2nd, not the biggest but the first one was delicious. Sure JWK is up to his eyeballs in them but i am very happy with my small success. Now can go and buy some parma ham! No there is not a Tesco’s label on it JWK;)
            AF05FD86-7049-4EC0-AEB4-2C55EEAEA71E.jpeg
             
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              Last edited: Sep 14, 2021
            • JWK

              JWK Gardener Staff Member

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              Well done @hailbopp ! A great reward for your hard work and tlc. I have about a dozen waiting to ripen, however one of my plants looks to be on the way out with drooping yellow leaves. I keep sniffing the others but so far only eaten one.
               
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              • hailbopp

                hailbopp Gardener

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                Thanks JWK 2 of my 3 melon plants are like one of yours. All of a sudden the leaves have drooped and started to go yellow. There are 3 that are nearly ripe and the rest a way to go. I am going to eat the ripe ones over the next few days and pick the rest at the weekend. Maybe they will ripen enough on the kitchen window sill, I know when you buy a brick hard one from the shops they usually will ripen after a week or so.
                Do I try again next year? Well probably yes altho having had the fourth warmest summer on record this year I will have to be prepared for what has probably been beginners luck this year and not expect to succeed next.
                 
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                • JWK

                  JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                  I'm not sure I will try again next year, I seemed to spend a lot of time with them pollinating and stringing them up. I have a couple of my plants sprawling on the soil and I gave them very little care, there are some decent sized melons coming on those and if they ripen that would be the way to go for me again. The strung up ones do look much more happy though.

                  Our southern summer is probably the opposite to you, the worst I can remember for sunshine.
                   
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                  • pete

                    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                    A couple more months of summer and I think that we might all be growing them.
                    I think its the shortness of our summers that makes them a problem.
                    Warm nights earlier in the year to get them moving would make a big difference.
                     
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                    • NigelJ

                      NigelJ Total Gardener

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                      Picked a second one yesterday, juicier than the first. A couple more to go.
                       
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                      • JWK

                        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                        Something has eaten another one, think it must be mice as I've had the greenhouse shut
                        20210920_165542.jpg
                         
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                        • JWK

                          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                          Decided to pick all those on the ground for safe keeping and hope they ripen indoors. Still have 4 left in the greenhouse in nets. One was ripe and very tasty:

                          20210920_182613.jpg

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                          • hailbopp

                            hailbopp Gardener

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                            Poop, you definitely beat me JWK:)Some of yours are bigger and you got more, but I had enough to make it worthwhile and they were delicious. All my plants conked out very quickly so I too picked what I had. All eaten and I gave 2 to friends who also enjoyed them so worth it in the end.
                             
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                            • Selleri

                              Selleri Koala

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                              So how is everyone's melons this year?

                              We are in for a treat with this fallen one, perhaps not fully ripe but not bad for an outdoor grown one up here. :whistle:

                              melon1.jpg
                               
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