For those of you who think I never have problems, the raccoons raided my Scaley Bark watermelons last night. This was a small patch (a dozen hills) that I had isolated because I was saving seeds, I think maybe too isolated because those jokers came up from the swamp and did a number on them. Not a major catastropy, because I am still able to save seeds which was my main purpose. Can't find a commercial source for Scaley Bark anymore., so I have to keep fresh seed on my own.
Farmer,
Sorry to hear about your problems with coon. I didn't think they would bother watermelons.
Intersting variety of melons, is this an heirloom or just OP. How big do they grow and what color is the flesh?
Thanks!
Red
What a beautiful melon! Good for you keeping the variety going...glad those cunning little critters didn't wipe it out altogether. Interesting name - how do suppose the variety came to be called Scaley Bark? The size and shape are nice; the taste is delicious, right?
Here I contInue to have problems with the possums snatching tomatoes.
A small red flesh melon about the size of a crimson sweet.ie around 20 lbs. They were listed in the 1888 Burpee's catalog and were quite popular in this area of Georgia in 20's, 30's and 40's, but I never heard of them till I moved down here. Definitely not a shipping melon, because they pop open if you look at them crosseyed. I prefer to use the word "antique" because it use to be sold commercially and " heirlooms" are most often recent amateur creations.
Farmer,
I noticed that in the Plant Files that it says "saving seeds is not recommended for this plant". Should this be changed?
Yes Red, it is definitely not a hybrid. Yuska, the story goes, that the mottled rough skin reminded folks of the bark on a tree.
A former watermelon grower here always had trouble with coons. They would bore a hole in the side & eat the inside. One year he killed over 30 of them in his field. We have never had this probelm. Our vines are always very thick & it might work like the pumpkin vines around sweet corn.
What damage did they do to your melons ?
Bernie
Bernie in that small patch, they took out about half of them. I have enough to save seeds and share with anyone who would to help perpetuate the cultivar. Funny thing, they only like ripe melons. Some greens will have the claw marks as if they thumping the melon to see if it is ripe. But they only rip the tops out of the ripe melons and eat the insides. I knew this patch was traditionally exposed to raccoons, but thouht I had them sort of hidden between spahagetti squash and sweet potatoes. They also had to wade through a shoulder high weed boundary. And I had hopes that the encroaching subdivisions had driven them out. Once a scout, finds the patch, tho, they invite the whole family.
