Trying Watermelons & Honeydews in EBs

This season I'm going to grow melons of all types in the infamous "Earthboxes". Tried last year but it was only a half hearted attempt but I did grow Ambrosia cantaloupes but wasn't to happy with the flavor. Now that my health has improved with my bariatric surgery to lose weight I am certain that I will be able to have a melon garden. I have ordered the seeds. Georgia Rattlesnake is the supposedly the larger melon. Honeydews, Yellow Canary and Cranshaws to name a few. Has anyone else had luck with melons or grown them in EBs?

Plant, I have grown all those types, but never in a container. You are breaking new ground. I would have started with short vining plants but go for it. be anxious to see how they do.

Thanks Farmer. Will be depending on you for some advice especially toward the maturity stage when one is to cut back on water. As you are aware EBs have their own reservoir and I imagine I'll have to water sparingly at some part of the fruit ripening. Is this what you have to do with them in the field?

Tplant: I'm going to try Sugar Baby watermelons in a fake EB this year. We'll see how it goes. ; )

BTW: glad to hear the surgery went well and you're on the road to recovery! ☺

Rhonda

I grow alot of melons too--but not in earthbox. We'll have to keep this thread up and everyone can compare their melons. I'm doing some "orange-fleshed" smallish watermelons this year. Good to see your up and gardening...a sure sign of healing!
Debbie

Wow!! Never knew I had so many friends? DG people are the greatest!

I grew Sugar Baby last season but was disappointed with the flavor. My fault. I never stopped watering them. Am I correct in saying not to water in the last two weeks? They were beautiful melons but bland. Never sweetened up. This year will be different with all your help! Tomatos, I know! Melons I'll learn!!

My seeds will arrive any day and I will start them with the Burpee Plug Seed Starter or should I direct seed?

Melons, down here, would be history in the height of summer without water for 2 weeks. (as would everything else! lol)

I'm trying sugar baby (because someone gave me the seeds for Christmas); and have never tried it before...will post you on my "taste-test". I'm also trying one called Tendersweet Orange.

Someone gave me some, what they have labeled as "sprite melon-paradise melon", in a trade as a freebie this winter. Anyone have any thoughts on this one and if its worth a try?

Can you direct seed in your EB? I always direct seed...will probably wait a couple of weeks on mine. The weather has been unusually warm--but it could get squirrelly too. It is spring.

Debbie

Plant and debbie, I am a traditionalist. None of my melons are irrigated. Like all my ancestors, I depend on God to provide the water at the proper time. Watermelons originated in the sub Sahara so they keep going when eveything else dies in a drought. Cant' help much with the water control issue. Sugar Baby is normally an excellent melon. A few of the newer hybrid mini- melons may be sweeter, but I have not tried them. Have tried the Triploids (Seedless) and don't care for them at all.
Anything is worth trying once. Here is a write-up on the Sprite. http://www.ncagr.com/markets/commodit/horticul/spritemelon/

Farmer--excellent link but they left out one small fact...is it a hybrid? Sounds like it might be in which case the seeds might be useless but I'll try them anyway. The recipes sure looked good.

It will have to be very tolerant here because, believe it or not, we had not one drop of rain in my part of Houston from May 21st until July 10th last year. Now let me tell ya--it was sure frustrating to see the eastern edge of Houston getting afternoon thunderstorms while we got not a drop on the west side (Houston, is geographically speaking, very "spread out"). But the real funny thing was, the humidity never fails us or leaves us! LOL

I'm going to try all three of these melons.
Debbie

Debbie --- Where can you get the seed for Sprite? I checked the site but could not find a retail source for the seed.

TPlant (I think your Flip right?--if not a million pardons--that's the other guy) I got about 12 in a trade. Are you in the addy? I'll be happy to send you about 6-8. Can't make any guarantees about them; germination or otherwise. But, what the hay, I'm up to trying them. They sure sound good. If they aren't good I'll just yank 'em out and if they don't germinate; I'll just plant something else there. I probably have about a bazillion seeds that need planting.

Saw one called "Savor (F1)" at the Johnny's site that looks like something I just got to try--pretty pricey though--I'm meditating on it.

Debbie

Debbie ---- I'm Ted. Flip (aries44) is my buddy a few miles south of me. Save the seed for yourself. I thought you purchased them from a retailer.

Sprite became very popular in North Carolina, I f I remember the story correctly, a coop bulk purchased the seeds from a Japanese company (Sakata I think). At any rate I have never found a commercial source for them.

Savor is a small French charentais melon introduced in 1978 by Vilmorin. Ther are sevral vendors http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/cgi-bin/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=24 is cheaper than Johnny's but not much. My favorite suppliers (willhite and Twilleys) don't carry it

Willhite is a favorite seed supplier of mine too.

Sorry Ted--I know you two guys apart but not by first name (actually didn't know your first name just Flips). I am only going to use about 4 of those seeds--you are welcome to give them a try, they are just going to sit here "untried".

Has anyone grown Savor? It looks and sounds delicious, but you know how "write ups" can be. Ever see a seed company say anything they sell tastes like crud and is plagued by insects and diseases? LOL

Debbie

Hey TP - I guess you've been called worse than "Flip" before. Sounds like your goin' in the melon business.
I too will be doing melons as I always do in the summer. Since I put in the two extra gardening areas last fall, I should have plenty of room for several varieties. I need to go through my seeds but I know I'll be planting the Rattlesnake watermelon from the seeds I got from Fdill last fall. Once I know what else I'm going to plant, I'll post it.
Flip

Whoa up, Flip. You did not get any Rattlesnake watermelon seed from me. I don't particularly care for that cultivar. I did share some Scaleybark with folks, but I don't remember who took me up on them. It is an old timer, whose greatest merit is rarity and appearance. Does not have as good flavor or texture as more modern melons. Just for information, lots of vendors are selling the newer Garrisonian or Garrison as Rattlesnake. They are more uniform and better eating melons than the original Georgia Rattlesnake.

I bought some Sprite melons at the supermarket last season, just after they had been introduced as a North Carolina specialty. They were quite good, although I thought the flavor might have been enhanced with a few more days on the vine. (So often produce is picked a bit soon to allow for shipping, and the consumer doesn't get the full taste. Another reason for growing our own.) The small size ("individual" the ad called it) might make them suitable for trellising. Because this hybrid was developed to be an income producer for commercial growers, seed may be hard to find except in large quantities from wholesalers.

Flip -- I have Georgia Rattlesnake on order plus others so I"ll be happy to share my seeds with you? I'm going all out this summer for some sweet melons especially since they sell for $10 for a big melon and $5 for an ice box melon that you were growing last year. As a matter of fact I saw how well you were doing and with my current weight loss and I know, my upcoming weight loss, I'll be in good shape to do so. What did you grow last season and did you have any luck with the big boys? I know your ice box melons did well! HEY? Maybe we can have a Melon Fest 2006? Are you still there Kim? LOL

Maybe I should haul a load to Florida. We were lucky to get $4.00 for 25-30 lb melons.

Farmer ---- That is what a lot of people do! They sell from the side of the road. They drive into the everglades and buy the melons right off the farm and sell them retail on the side of the road but for about a buck less than the supermarkets. Sometimes for the same price. If the melons look good I buy from them and they usually are a good quality.

It's funny that you say that Tplant. Over here on US-27 and Turnpike...there is a guy in a Van selling Melons and even Mangos...

Fdill - did I say Rattlesnake up above? I was out late snipe huntin' the nite before and my mind was addled when I wrote that word. It surely was Scaleybark I got from you and that's what I'm planting when the time is right. (Actually, I recently received some Rattlesnake pole beans from Sandhill P. and mixed them up for the melon above.)

Tp - last summer I grew all smaller type melons - Early Hanover melon (green flesh - it grew and produced very well - taste was only OK), Charentais melon (pink/red flesh from France - very few fruit - decent tasting), Yellow Petite watermelon (many long vines, only about 6-8 fruit, very seedy, so-so taste) and Blacktail Mountain watermelon (very good taste but only a few fruit.) I will not be doing any of them again this year.

Flip

I grew the Sugar Baby melons last summer. They were really easy to grow , and the ones that I actually let ripen were very sweet and nice.

I will plant them again this year, only I'll plant more to compensate for the ones I'll probably waste by picking too early LOL. Gotta learn when to pick em, since they won't ripen after picking.

They had a lot of seeds for such a small melon, but the good, sweet taste made up for it.