Growing Watermelon - Page 4

Rockporter · July 14, 2017

So my shade cloth hammocks are working very well. The largest watermelon is about ready to pick and two of my other 7 watermelon have aborted, so I removed those today. The one was about the size of a plum and the other about the size of a small apple. The other five seem to be doing okay.

I have spider mite infestation on my watermelon leaves. I thought I had some rust but as it moved up the plant I realized what it was. I treated with some spinosad powder today. Yesterday I sprayed with neem oil, bt and diomataceous earth mixture that seems to have covered the leaves real well. Hopefully with removal of all the mite covered leaves and the spinosad I will have some success in controlling these things. I'd sure like to get a harvest of watermelon before they succumb to mites.

Rockporter · July 15, 2017

Looks like my large watermelon can be picked between the 23rd and 30th of this month. That will be harvest time. I am watching the curly Q going brown to be ready. Each day it is sounding like more of a thud when I tap it.

Sadly I have lost another watermelon due to my error in trimming the spider mite damage. Turns out I cut it's vine by accident. Grr!

Rockporter · July 23, 2017

Success!

We picked the watermelon yesterday and hubby put it back in it's sling to hang off a fish scale. Sucker weighs 17 pounds! Yes, I don't think they are supposed to get that big but it is. Yummy and oh so sweet with a extremely bright red interior. It smelled so good and tasted even better.

Remember, this thing hung on a trellis, lol. Yum!

Rockporter · August 4, 2017

I don't think I got Sugar Baby seeds in my seed packet. This second melon I am looking at has some small yellow spots on it and so did the first one I harvested. This second melon is also getting very large so I don't think it is Sugar Baby. It has to be something else, any ideas?

Rockporter · August 5, 2017

One thing I have to learn is not to cut actual vines until I can really see where it leads to on the trellis. I cut my second watermelon down today by mistake while cutting bad branches and leaves from the mite infestation I battled. I discovered after cutting that vine it was attached to the watermelon and then discovered I had already cut another vine that was attached to that vine previously.

So, this watermelon had only one vine feeding it and I cut it off. I went ahead and cut it open to see how it had done and it was almost perfect. It was sweet, red and smelled good but I think another week or two on the vine would have been much better. At least I didn't lose this one completely.

I think to grow on a trellis I will need to somehow mark the vine by number and number the watermelon so I know what vine goes to which melon. I think I can avoid cutting the wrong vine if I do something like that. Otherwise, the trellising is working very well and with the new hammocks I made they are perfect to hold the heavy melons.

wildcat62 · August 10, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockporter

I don't think I got Sugar Baby seeds in my seed packet. This second melon I am looking at has some small yellow spots on it and so did the first one I harvested. This second melon is also getting very large so I don't think it is Sugar Baby. It has to be something else, any ideas?

Possibly Moon & Stars ?

We grew them this year and they are absolutely the best watermelons we have ever grown.

Rockporter · August 10, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildcat62

Possibly Moon & Stars ?

We grew them this year and they are absolutely the best watermelons we have ever grown.

I was thinking the same thing but these only have what seems like a bunch of stars. There are no huge moon yellow spots, just lots of tiny yellow spots. They are good though.

Farmette · August 10, 2017

Maybe it's Harvest Moon Watermelon?

Rockporter · August 10, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farmette

Maybe it's Harvest Moon Watermelon?

I think you are right. They are round, not oblong like you can see in this picture. They do say it's a seedless variety but mine are loaded with large black seeds.

https://marysveggiegarden.wordpress....3-watermelons/

wildcat62 · August 10, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockporter

I was thinking the same thing but these only have what seems like a bunch of stars. There are no huge moon yellow spots, just lots of tiny yellow spots. They are good though.

Mine are the same thing. Just a lot of stars. I bought the seeds thru seedsavers.org They were listed as Moon & Stars Cherokee & I can honestly say they are delicious. At least this year. They will definitely be back again.

August 12, 2017

Rockporter, congrats on your successful trellis venture. A 17 lb tasty watermelon: way cool!

.

I really like the grommet hammocks too, very clever. And yes, stockings are that strong but you have to fiddle with them or they'll roll up or out from under what they're supporting!

It's good to criss cross them under the fruit.

I trellis a lot of things including squash and melons, but I haven't done watermelon yet. I think the Orangeglos would be a tad heavy and could be a challenge to sling, but I've done Galeaux d'Eysines pumpkins before so maybe it would hold. That particular trellis is cross braced but the fruit can pull the plant right down.

We're having a banner watermelon year, so far. 3 vines of Orangeglo with 4 melons harvested and 14 more ripe, nearly ripe, or football sized; 1 Kleckley's Sweet vine with 13 on the way (about 5 near ripe), and 1 Scaly Bark vine with 1 harvested and 3 more that I can see (it goes into one of the tomatillo forests!), all just about ready. That's a good season for us.

Hope yours keep coming on too!

Rockporter · August 12, 2017

Wow, that sounds like a nice melon harvest for you. I have only one plant because only 1 seed germinated out of four planted. That is a good thing though because the space I put them in would not have been enough for even two plants, lol. Oh my gosh, this one takes the trellis right up. The hammocks are great and there is no fiddling with them like I was the smaller yellow ones I bought. Using zip ties that can be released works out great too. It's all reusable over and over again. The yellow ones will be good for the cantaloupes and smaller squashes I would like to trellis.

Edit:

I meant to say I hope your harvest is the best tasting you've had in years!

August 12, 2017

Thanks! They sure would take up trellis space. The Kleckley's is still running like crazy; the others have slowed down some by now.

Reusable is great!

Rockporter · August 12, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by MdTNGrdner

Thanks! They sure would take up trellis space. The Kleckley's is still running like crazy; the others have slowed down some by now.

Reusable is great!

What do you feed them and how often?

August 12, 2017

Nothing, but the garden is covered with compost Fall or Spring.

I try to keep my place very simple but can't seem to resist putting trellises up! Just put up two more last month, not cross braced just 16' cattle panels on t-posts.

It's not like we need the room but I love the look and ease of harvesting

The Orangeglos are all out in the compost pile, the others (1 vine each) are in the 2 okra patches.

July 14, 2017	#46
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	So my shade cloth hammocks are working very well. The largest watermelon is about ready to pick and two of my other 7 watermelon have aborted, so I removed those today. The one was about the size of a plum and the other about the size of a small apple. The other five seem to be doing okay. I have spider mite infestation on my watermelon leaves. I thought I had some rust but as it moved up the plant I realized what it was. I treated with some spinosad powder today. Yesterday I sprayed with neem oil, bt and diomataceous earth mixture that seems to have covered the leaves real well. Hopefully with removal of all the mite covered leaves and the spinosad I will have some success in controlling these things. I'd sure like to get a harvest of watermelon before they succumb to mites. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~ Last edited by Rockporter; July 14, 2017 at 07:48 PM.

July 15, 2017	#47
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	Looks like my large watermelon can be picked between the 23rd and 30th of this month. That will be harvest time. I am watching the curly Q going brown to be ready. Each day it is sounding like more of a thud when I tap it. Sadly I have lost another watermelon due to my error in trimming the spider mite damage. Turns out I cut it's vine by accident. Grr! __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

July 23, 2017	#48
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	Success! We picked the watermelon yesterday and hubby put it back in it's sling to hang off a fish scale. Sucker weighs 17 pounds! Yes, I don't think they are supposed to get that big but it is. Yummy and oh so sweet with a extremely bright red interior. It smelled so good and tasted even better. Remember, this thing hung on a trellis, lol. Yum! __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

August 4, 2017	#49
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	I don't think I got Sugar Baby seeds in my seed packet. This second melon I am looking at has some small yellow spots on it and so did the first one I harvested. This second melon is also getting very large so I don't think it is Sugar Baby. It has to be something else, any ideas? __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

August 5, 2017	#50
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	One thing I have to learn is not to cut actual vines until I can really see where it leads to on the trellis. I cut my second watermelon down today by mistake while cutting bad branches and leaves from the mite infestation I battled. I discovered after cutting that vine it was attached to the watermelon and then discovered I had already cut another vine that was attached to that vine previously. So, this watermelon had only one vine feeding it and I cut it off. I went ahead and cut it open to see how it had done and it was almost perfect. It was sweet, red and smelled good but I think another week or two on the vine would have been much better. At least I didn't lose this one completely. I think to grow on a trellis I will need to somehow mark the vine by number and number the watermelon so I know what vine goes to which melon. I think I can avoid cutting the wrong vine if I do something like that. Otherwise, the trellising is working very well and with the new hammocks I made they are perfect to hold the heavy melons. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

August 10, 2017	#53
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	Maybe it's Harvest Moon Watermelon?

August 12, 2017	#56
MdTNGrdner Guest Posts: n/a	Rockporter, congrats on your successful trellis venture. A 17 lb tasty watermelon: way cool! . I really like the grommet hammocks too, very clever. And yes, stockings are that strong but you have to fiddle with them or they'll roll up or out from under what they're supporting! It's good to criss cross them under the fruit. I trellis a lot of things including squash and melons, but I haven't done watermelon yet. I think the Orangeglos would be a tad heavy and could be a challenge to sling, but I've done Galeaux d'Eysines pumpkins before so maybe it would hold. That particular trellis is cross braced but the fruit can pull the plant right down. We're having a banner watermelon year, so far. 3 vines of Orangeglo with 4 melons harvested and 14 more ripe, nearly ripe, or football sized; 1 Kleckley's Sweet vine with 13 on the way (about 5 near ripe), and 1 Scaly Bark vine with 1 harvested and 3 more that I can see (it goes into one of the tomatillo forests!), all just about ready. That's a good season for us. Hope yours keep coming on too!