Container watermelons!

[GreenThumbGal_07]

Originally Posted by GreenThumbGal_07

Just found one of the smaller Sangria fruit, hanging on the trellis out in back, isn't really gaining in size. Because I've had to rearrange these vines multiple times to get them out of the way and onto the trellis, some vines had become twisted. I generally water the plants after such a rearrangement in order to reduce their stress. One thing I hadn't counted on was twisting the "umbilical cord" stem to the developing fruit. It's folded over on this one. I think I need to "untwist" so water and nutrients can again flow freely.
This seems to be an issue with the watermelons; no other cucurbit seems to have a fruit stem that is so long, so flexible, and so subject to getting pinched off.

Snipped off this fruit, which had a green stem but was shriveled at the blossom end. This will teach me to leave developing fruit alone! If I get two good melons per vine I will be grateful.

[Shrinkrap]

Not the kit, but the same sub irrigation planter. Best wishes.

[ddsack]

Shrinkrap, I was stunned to see the pictures of the fire damage in your yard. That must have been a frightening time. So your house and at least part of your garden was spared? Looks like your melons are still growing? Things are ok with you now?

[Shrinkrap]

It was indeed frightening. I don't think we would have even woken up if the power wasn't out, and it was so hot. Here's a picture of what we awakened to, the rest of our backyard, which was unscathed, and how Pleasants Valley looked the next day. You can sort of imagine the path the fire took from Lake Berryessa, over Mount Vaca in the distance.

I picked two of the melons a few days ago,, but haven't tried them yet. There are three more still growing. Things are okay now for us at least. The fire has moved on to terrorize others.

[ddsack]

Just jaw-dropping pictures. How amazing and fortunate for you that the fire stopped where it did. That red sky looks like hell!

[Shrinkrap]

Agreed. We were fortunate that there were firefighters that stopped it there. They are stretched pretty thin right now.

[Shrinkrap]

Yellow Baby melon. Refreshing but not very sweet.

[GreenThumbGal_07]

Beautiful melon.

[Shrinkrap]

Thank you! Another melon, splitting so i picked it. Different outside but red inside like Tiger Baby.

[GreenThumbGal_07]

That's a very thin rind and it looks really ripe. How did it taste?

[ddsack]

Looks like a sweet one, and not too many seeds either! Which one was that again?

[Shrinkrap]

I suppose it was Tiger Baby, although the stripes were different than the other red fleshed one. It was the one dead center in pictures number 10 and and a little tothe right, sitting on a 4 inch container in picture 19 . The stripes were sort of faint.It was refreshing and just the right sweetness. Are there nuances to watermelon tasting? I know there is mention of a thin rind in some seed descriptions, and that it might be related to how often they split. Does it tell you anything about ripeness?

[Shrinkrap]

An orange fleshed one! New Orchid! Tastes good.

[GreenThumbGal_07]

Yummy! Thanks for sharing.

[GreenThumbGal_07]

Well, it's Labor Day Weekend and my watermelons aren't looking that great, but I might get something in a few weeks.
Crimson Sweet: Two fruit, each the size of a cantaloupe.
Bush Sugar Baby: Largest fruit about the size of a tennis ball, still sending out female flowers, another fruit about the size of a kumquat, might not make it.
Sangria: Larger fruit, oblong with nice stripes, about 9 inches long.
Keeping an eye on these, especially for the "brown stem tendril" test. Might be ready in a couple of weeks, Sangria probably the first, as I'm starting to see just a bit of brown in its stem tendril.