Melons & Pickles

[Mark0820]

I'm looking to try some different varieties of melons next year, and I am interested in hearing the experiences of other growers as to the varieties they like (and why they like them).

Here are a few melons I am considering growing next year:

Watermelon:

Ali Baba
Kleckley's Sweet
Tom Watson

I currently grow Georgia Rattlesnake. It is very productive, and I like the flavor of it, so I will probably continue to grow it, but I am looking for other varieties to try as well.

Melons:

Crenshaw
Pride of Wisconsin
Schoon's

I currently grow Hale's Best. It is very reliable and productive, and the flavor is good, but I think there must be melons with a better flavor to them.

Pickles: This was my first year growing pickles (I always grew slicers in past years) and canning dill pickles. I grew Boston Pickling and was satisfied, but I would be interested in hearing what other people are growing.

[Worth1]

Cucumbers straight eight and market more 76.
Watermelon orange glow.

I would grow a honeydew too if I were you, I dont have a recommendation though.

Worth

[kath]

My experience with watermelon is limited but I've trialed Ali Baba, Blacktail Mountain, Bush Sugar Baby, Crimson Sweet, Dark Star, Festival, Long Crimson, Moon & Stars, New Orchid, Sangria, Sugar Baby, Sunsweet, Sweet Dakota Rose, Sweet Favorite, Tiger Baby, Tyee, Verona, Yellow Baby and Yellow Doll. Crimson Sweet and Bush Sugar Baby were the winners from the first couple years but they both lost to Dark Star and Sweet Dakota Rose this year. Both were excellent! Dark Star kept ripening melons all summer and I just harvested and ate the last one the other day and it was as good as all the others.

I haven't been successful yet in growing cantaloupe/honeydew types without lots of splitting, insect damage, disease disasters, etc. so I've given up.

No experience with pickling cukes.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Cucumbers straight eight and market more 76.
Watermelon orange glow.

I would grow a honeydew too if I were you, I dont have a recommendation though.

Worth

Worth, Thanks for the feedback. I do hear a lot of people who say they like Orange Glo. I've always planted the red fleshed watermelons, but maybe it is time to try a little diversity.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by kath

My experience with watermelon is limited but I've trialed Ali Baba, Blacktail Mountain, Bush Sugar Baby, Crimson Sweet, Dark Star, Festival, Long Crimson, Moon & Stars, New Orchid, Sangria, Sugar Baby, Sunsweet, Sweet Dakota Rose, Sweet Favorite, Tiger Baby, Tyee, Verona, Yellow Baby and Yellow Doll. Crimson Sweet and Bush Sugar Baby were the winners from the first couple years but they both lost to Dark Star and Sweet Dakota Rose this year. Both were excellent! Dark Star kept ripening melons all summer and I just harvested and ate the last one the other day and it was as good as all the others.

I haven't been successful yet in growing cantaloupe/honeydew types without lots of splitting, insect damage, disease disasters, etc. so I've given up.

No experience with pickling cukes.

Kath, that is quite a list of watermelon you have grown. Fedco also gives high marks for Sweet Dakota Rose and Dark Star. The two on your list that surprised me were Ali Baba and Sangria. However, catalogs sometimes tend to hype certain varieties and that is why I like to hear feedback from people who have actually tried them.

[kath]

Originally Posted by Mark0820

Kath, that is quite a list of watermelon you have grown. Fedco also gives high marks for Sweet Dakota Rose and Dark Star. The two on your list that surprised me were Ali Baba and Sangria. However, catalogs sometimes tend to hype certain varieties and that is why I like to hear feedback from people who have actually tried them.

Got seed for those two from Fedco because of the hype and wasn't disappointed. I was surprised at Ali Baba, too. They were smaller than I thought they'd be and the taste wasn't as sweet as I like. Maybe I don't fertilize enough or something and the two winners are just more tolerant of my soil's shortcomings. I've trialed watermelons the same way I do tomatoes- I grow lots of varieties at the same time and only the winners are invited back because I want to find the ones that do well every year, not just sometimes.

[ddsack]

Sounds like I need to try Sweet Dakota Rose. I've never done much with melons because of my short season, but I have been able to get ripe melon with Black Tail Mountain the last two years. I like the smaller size for just two people, is Sweet Dakota Rose much larger than BTM?

[kath]

Originally Posted by ddsack

Sounds like I need to try Sweet Dakota Rose. I've never done much with melons because of my short season, but I have been able to get ripe melon with Black Tail Mountain the last two years. I like the smaller size for just two people, is Sweet Dakota Rose much larger than BTM?

I didn't weigh or measure but my guess would be 10-12 lb. I'm the only one who eats melon here, but I can eat a lot of it, so I'm happy if I can fit 1/2 of a cut one in the fridge so it will be finished in 2 days. Wish I'd taken some pics.

kath

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by ddsack

Sounds like I need to try Sweet Dakota Rose. I've never done much with melons because of my short season, but I have been able to get ripe melon with Black Tail Mountain the last two years. I like the smaller size for just two people, is Sweet Dakota Rose much larger than BTM?

Here is the description from Fedco:

http://fedcoseeds.com/seeds/search.p...ame=Watermelon

[feldon30]

I grew Orangeglo this year and the first melon was very good, but subsequent melons weren't that sweet and, maybe it's psychosomatic but they tasted very pumpkiny to me.

Moon and Stars was good, but the melons didn't size up. Next year I think I will go back to Mickeylee. It produces bowling ball sized greyish-green melons far sweeter and more nuanced than Sugar Baby.

For cantaloupes/muskmelons, a Charantais hybrid is a good bet. They fill the house with sweet smelling goodness.

[heirloomtomaguy]

I grew ali baba, orange glo, and white sugar lump watermelons this year and all three did really well and tasted good. The white sugar lump seemed to split alot easier than the rest. Also the ali baba powered through the powdery mildew we got later in the season. I made some white sugar lump and lime jam that came out really good too. It was my first watermelon jam and was surprised at how easy it was to make.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by feldon30

I grew Orangeglo this year and the first melon was very good, but subsequent melons weren't that sweet and, maybe it's psychosomatic but they tasted very pumpkiny to me.

Moon and Stars was good, but the melons didn't size up. Next year I think I will go back to Mickeylee. It produces bowling ball sized greyish-green melons far sweeter and more nuanced than Sugar Baby.

For cantaloupes/muskmelons, a Charantais hybrid is a good bet. They fill the house with sweet smelling goodness.

One description of Orangeglo (I don't remember the seed vendor) mentions a range of flavors people use to describe the taste of Orangeglo, and pumpkiny was one of the flavors listed.

Online reviews of Charantais are almost always favorable. I have never grown it before, but I might have to add it to my list of melons to grow.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

I grew ali baba, orange glo, and white sugar lump watermelons this year and all three did really well and tasted good. The white sugar lump seemed to split alot easier than the rest. Also the ali baba powered through the powdery mildew we got later in the season. I made some white sugar lump and lime jam that came out really good too. It was my first watermelon jam and was surprised at how easy it was to make.

Ali baba is definitely one I am considering growing next year. Powdery mildew has never really been a problem for watermelons in my area, but it does have an impact on the cantaloupes.

[Christa B.]

Mark,
I live about an hour east of Cincy!

I grew Orangeglo last year and it is currently my favorite watermelon. It was super sweet and my biggest Orangeglo was a 30 pounder.

Another variety that I was very happy with last year is Klondike Blue Ribbon, I loved the flavor and it was a really good producer.

I also grew White Sugar Lump, nice flavor and texture. It is a small melon but definitely worth growing.

I will be growing all of those varieties again this year but I am also adding Ali Baba and Yellow Moon and Stars to the lineup.

If you find the perfect melon then let me know! I also feel like Hales best is just okay as far as flavor goes. This year I am growing Old Time Tennessee, Healy's Pride, Honey Rock, and Golden Jenny Lind.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by Christa B.

Mark,
I live about an hour east of Cincy!

I grew Orangeglo last year and it is currently my favorite watermelon. It was super sweet and my biggest Orangeglo was a 30 pounder.

Another variety that I was very happy with last year is Klondike Blue Ribbon, I loved the flavor and it was a really good producer.

I also grew White Sugar Lump, nice flavor and texture. It is a small melon but definitely worth growing.

I will be growing all of those varieties again this year but I am also adding Ali Baba and Yellow Moon and Stars to the lineup.

If you find the perfect melon then let me know! I also feel like Hales best is just okay as far as flavor goes. This year I am growing Old Time Tennessee, Healy's Pride, Honey Rock, and Golden Jenny Lind.

I had Orangeglo on my list, but decided to grow some winter squash (Sweet Meat) so I had to drop Orangeglo. I will have to try it in 2016.

I am trying Ali Baba this year also. It supposedly likes heat, so it should do well here in SW Ohio.

You have a nice list of melons you are growing this year. Let us know how they do. I also considered Healy's Pride, but after several revisions to my list, here are the varieties I decided to grow:

Watermelon: Georgia Rattlesnake and Ali Baba
Melons: Hale's Best Jumbo, Bidwell Casaba, Obus or Kroumir, Schoon's Hardshell and Zatta melon. I have a few old seeds of Amish, so I might try it as well.