Growing Watermelon

[tuk50]

thanks, So far the plants seem larger with the hole method, but its different varieties ... hard to tell so far. I've got both, so will hopefully get some idea this year if one matures faster than the other..
I grew up in Checotah and here I definitely don't need black tarp, in fact I use a lot of mulch to keep the soil a decent temp so the roots won't be cooked. Its running up to 110 this week and has been 72 days and counting without rain.

[VvtatervV]

i relize this is an OLD thread but it seemed apropriate. i have been seeing watermelon varieties in catalogs that claim too be white. with my expireince with white tomatoes i imediatly get the impresion that they are more of a pale yellow not white. anyone have expierence with these? how "white" are they?

the varieties im looking at:
cream of saskatchewan
white wonder
white sugar lumps
japanese cream fleshed sulka

thanx,
Vert

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by lowlylowlycook

Well, they'll probably direct you to the bra section so that shouldn't be too far from the stockings.

Bumping this thread.

I had to laugh. I just went out to my garden because I could see from the window one of my trellised cantaloupes is a very pretty yellow. So I touch it and it falls off the vine. Yay! My first cantaloupe I've ever grown.

In the meantime I take a glance at my trellised baby watermelon on the vine and I don't see it. My heart dropped and I found it laying in the planter below. So, the support I used broke and the watermelon broke from it's weight. It's too early for it and I hope it's ripe but I highly doubt it. I am using those bath scrubbies I made pouches out of but they sure aren't very strong.

So, I went ahead and brought out an old bra and cradled one of my cantaloupes in it, lol. I need more old bras! I need something better than a bra though. But what else can I use? Are stockings really that strong?

[Rockporter]

Found these bags on Amazon and will be ordering asap for the trellising of my produce. The first review is someone mentioning using Earth boxes and trellising cantaloupes using these bags. So, I am stoked.

https://www.amazon.com/Glotech-Green...2Btrellis&th=1

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by Rockporter

Found these bags on Amazon and will be ordering asap for the trellising of my produce. The first review is someone mentioning using Earth boxes and trellising cantaloupes using these bags. So, I am stoked.

https://www.amazon.com/Glotech-Green...2Btrellis&th=1

Got my new bags and they aren't any bigger than the ones I already made, lol. I put one on the watermelon and it's already filled with a watermelon that I am pretty sure is going to keep growing. So, I need bigger bags, or suggestions on how to keep a watermelon on a trellis.

They have these 24" ones which would be better in size but it's a pack of 100 and I don't need 100 of them.

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by VvtatervV

i relize this is an OLD thread but it seemed apropriate. i have been seeing watermelon varieties in catalogs that claim too be white. with my expireince with white tomatoes i imediatly get the impresion that they are more of a pale yellow not white. anyone have expierence with these? how "white" are they?

the varieties im looking at:
cream of saskatchewan
white wonder
white sugar lumps
japanese cream fleshed sulka

thanx,
Vert

I have grown the latter two. They are very very pale yellow. Like a light cream.

[Rockporter]

I've got it now. These bags are actually perfect. I watched some videos of people using nylons and cutting them down one side then placing them around the watermelon and tying them to the trellis.

Well, I thought if I take a long piece of mesh tubing (like these bags) and cut it down one side I can make it longer. So, I did just that and went out and placed it under the watermelon and surrounded it in mesh. Then I tied the mesh to the trellis at the top.

But now it came to me that the clips that come with the bags are perfect for this scenario. I can put a clip on both ends of the mesh bag without cutting the bag down the side. This gives me double strength to hammock with and a tie on each end that I can attach to the trellis with cable ties. This end with the clip is well supported and shouldn't tear like the bags have been.

Now then, I can criss cross another bag under the melon and tie it off with more cable ties. Perfect, melon will have enough support and I can remove the cable ties as needed because they are releasable, and I can reuse everything until something breaks down.

Does any of that make sense?

Here is the link to the bags again.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...hps_bw_c_x_2_w

[Scooty]

If you eat a lot of potatoes, you can probably save up those too. Sometimes taters are packaged in that mesh too and its usually triple the size (8-10lb potato bag).

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by Scooty

If you eat a lot of potatoes, you can probably save up those too. Sometimes taters are packaged in that mesh too and its usually triple the size (8-10lb potato bag).

I thought about that but I only buy a few potatoes at a time. It's just two of us here. But that is a great idea.

[Rockporter]

Well, my sugar baby is getting huge at 9" across and 8" wide. So, around that would be??? I tried to use one of my new yellow uncut pouches to support it even more and it's too small to do it that way. So, I cut it down the middle and used it to sling at the bottom of the watermelon. I sure hope I get to keep this one.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Rockporter

Well, my sugar baby is getting huge at 9" across and 8" wide. So, around that would be??? I tried to use one of my new yellow uncut pouches to support it even more and it's too small to do it that way. So, I cut it down the middle and used it to sling at the bottom of the watermelon. I sure hope I get to keep this one.

3.1416x9=28.27
3.1416x8=25.13


Worth

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by Worth1

3.1416x9=28.27
3.1416x8=25.13


Worth

Lol, a very large sugar baby?

[Rockporter]

I've discovered four more sugar baby's out there that seem to be growing up. I can't wait to eat some of these.

[Rockporter]

Have a new idea for trellising cantaloupes, watermelons and squash on the vines.

If I use knitted shade cloth by Dewitt it won't unravel when I cut it. So I add a grommet to all four corners and cut the shade cloth big enough in a square to handle the large watermelon I have on there now. I can secure it to the trellis with zip ties for each corner. I can make as many hammocks as I need and can buy the grommets at Lowe's down the road.

[Rockporter]

So, update on the new hammock idea. It Rocks!

I used white knitted sun shade fabric that won't unravel when you cut it. We added a grommet to each corner and secured it with removable zip ties. The watermelon now has room to grow some more without being strangled by all the other layers of support I had on there. Now on to making 6 more for the rest of the watermelons that grew double size overnight.