Author Topic: Watermelon (Read 8569 times)

spaugh · « **Reply #25 on:** August 16, 2018, 10:50:33 PM »

Quote from: roblack on August 16, 2018, 09:57:08 PM

Thanks Brad, ordered orangelos and other seeds yesterday. Might be a bit late in the year, but going to give it a try. Next year will start on-time.

You can probably get them to fruit all year in miami. I read something saying orangeglo grow well even in colder areas. So fall and winter in miami shouldnt be a problem. Maybe thin the fruit to 1 or 2 per vine to make them larger.

These things grow like weeds, Ive been dumping the scraps around the yard and theres volunteers everywhere already from fruit we had a couple weeks ago.

spaugh · « **Reply #26 on:** August 23, 2018, 01:25:27 PM »

This one was 43lbs. Maybe let it go too long, the center was getting mushy and bad flavor. Had to toss the core area. Still getting the hang of this... Melons can be hard to tell when to pick.

spaugh · « **Reply #27 on:** January 22, 2019, 04:08:09 PM »

Got some new melon seeds for this year. Cant wait to eat some watermelons. Theres a couple types that weigh just a few pounds that I will start soon in the greenhouse. And those should produce in late spring. Will wait another couple months to start the larger types so they get plenty of summer heat and sun.

zephian · « **Reply #28 on:** January 22, 2019, 10:14:03 PM »

We just made about 150$ order with baker creek. We are going to try a few melons and I plan on starting them next weekend in doors. I'll post what kinds we are trying when I get home! Let me know if you like any you got

spaugh · « **Reply #29 on:** January 22, 2019, 11:05:37 PM »

Quote from: zephian on January 22, 2019, 10:14:03 PM

We just made about 150$ order with baker creek. We are going to try a few melons and I plan on starting them next weekend in doors. I'll post what kinds we are trying when I get home! Let me know if you like any you got

Awesome. Baker creek got a lot of my money too lately. Im growing cilantro, beets, salad mixes, celery brocolli,..

zephian · « **Reply #30 on:** January 23, 2019, 12:33:59 AM »

I grow a lot of peppers and greens. This year my veggie garden will be a lot larger (planting around baby avocados) going to use that space for melons. We did really well with pumpkins on cattle panels last year. (Still gave a chest freezer full of pumpkin puree) Rats ate all of our melons though...

Current melons I'll be planting. I also have some orange go from you still.

zephian · « **Reply #31 on:** January 23, 2019, 12:06:57 PM »

Wow, my camera is garbage.
Supposed to show:

Sakata's Sweet Melon (Baker Creek)
Hopi Yellow Watermelon (Baker Creek)
Charentais Melon (Baker creek)

then just standard sugar baby and honey rock cantaloupe.

ben mango · « **Reply #32 on:** January 23, 2019, 11:54:16 PM »

impressive looking melons

shpaz · « **Reply #33 on:** January 24, 2019, 05:04:16 AM »

Did you guys try the Ali baba watermelons? I hear raving reviews about them:

https://www.rareseeds.com/ali-baba-watermelon/

I'm planning to grow few plants this year.

forumfool · « **Reply #34 on:** January 24, 2019, 03:24:18 PM »

I grew Ali baba and oranglo last year. Oranglo was much better imo

spaugh · « **Reply #35 on:** January 24, 2019, 04:00:43 PM »

Simon told me he tried ali baba in the past and was not impressed.

Zafra · « **Reply #36 on:** January 24, 2019, 05:52:34 PM »

Has anyone tried Ledmon or Strawberry watermelon also offered by Baker Creek? I’m tempted by both...

CA Hockey · « **Reply #37 on:** January 26, 2019, 12:24:14 AM »

When do you start planting watermelon seeds for good fruit?

spaugh · « **Reply #38 on:** January 26, 2019, 02:57:04 PM »

Quote from: CA Hockey on January 26, 2019, 12:24:14 AM

When do you start planting watermelon seeds for good fruit?

They don't do much until it gets really warm. So my advice would be start them in the greenhouse around April 1st and then get them going in 2 gal pots. Then transplant them end of May. And don't let them get pot bound.

Im starting some now but they are the really small kind and they are going in the greenhouse where its nice and warm and can run supplemental light if theres cloudy days.

TnTrobbie · « **Reply #39 on:** January 26, 2019, 05:09:29 PM »

Besides rodents and wildlife, any other pests to worry about (like leaf cutting ants) destroying the plant/ fruit? Gonna give this a try.

spaugh · « **Reply #40 on:** January 26, 2019, 05:54:07 PM »

I didnt have any issues with mice or rats or birds. Melon leaves are green aphid magnets though. So if you are using regular fertilizers, cut the nitrogen way back once you get fruit set. If you can keep ants away it will help keep the aphids off. They get powdery mildew also although I didnt have that problem but its very dry here. Once my stuff got aphids I yanked them all around September or October.

zephian · « **Reply #41 on:** January 26, 2019, 08:18:16 PM »

Rats really like my melons and zucchini. Powdery mildew is a concern here too in september- onward.

561MangoFanatic · « **Reply #42 on:** February 21, 2019, 02:35:31 PM »

Really appreciate everyone’s honesty on the Ali Baba, makes me glad I didn’t impulse buy that one lol. But I had these varieties and really looking forward to growing the Bradford & the Orangeglow.
Any advice for a beginner watermelon grower?

spaugh · « **Reply #43 on:** February 21, 2019, 03:50:58 PM »

Quote from: 561MangoFanatic on February 21, 2019, 02:35:31 PM

Really appreciate everyone’s honesty on the Ali Baba, makes me glad I didn’t impulse buy that one lol. But I had these varieties and really looking forward to growing the Bradford & the Orangeglow.
Any advice for a beginner watermelon grower?

They are pretty easy to grow. They like lots of compost mixed in the soil and built into a mound. Im going to use yard waste compost, composted cow manure, bone meal, sul po mag, and avocado fertilizer in my heaps this year.

MangoMan2 · « **Reply #44 on:** February 21, 2019, 05:08:10 PM »

Quote from: spaugh on August 23, 2018, 01:25:27 PM

This one was 43lbs. Maybe let it go too long, the center was getting mushy and bad flavor. Had to toss the core area. Still getting the hang of this... Melons can be hard to tell when to pick.

Brad, Have you figured out how to tell when to pick a watermelon yet. I'm have some oranglo started here in Fl, and was just wondering how you tell if they are ready to pick.
Thanks, joe.

RodneyS · « **Reply #45 on:** February 21, 2019, 05:17:12 PM »

Baker Creek has Royal Golden & Golden Midget watermelon. Their rind changes color when ready to pick

spaugh · « **Reply #46 on:** February 21, 2019, 06:39:05 PM »

Quote from: MangoMan2 on February 21, 2019, 05:08:10 PM

Quote from: spaugh on August 23, 2018, 01:25:27 PM
This one was 43lbs. Maybe let it go too long, the center was getting mushy and bad flavor. Had to toss the core area. Still getting the hang of this... Melons can be hard to tell when to pick.

Brad, Have you figured out how to tell when to pick a watermelon yet. I'm have some oranglo started here in Fl, and was just wondering how you tell if they are ready to pick.
Thanks, joe.

Theres the standard indicators all melons have like the tendril drying up, and also the white area on bottom of the melon turns yellow.

On the orangeglos the bottom of the melon turns from white to light orange. As soon as you see that, its time to pick. They get over ripe fairly quick, at least in summer. For here I can tell by the size of the fruit and the color of the bottom. About 30lbs is prime size/ripeness here.

You will have to experiment to figure it out there as your weather and all is much differwnt than here. But for sure bottom spot orange is a good indicator.

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Author Topic: Watermelon (Read 8569 times)