Melons and squashes and other unusuals

LOL What a great combo ha? These two tasty foods are by far my fave in the garden.

I'm always on the hunt for unusual squashes and melons.

Tell me what squashes and melons you love to grow.

Last year I grew the banana melon, santa clause melon and another asian melon that we really liked, I can't remember the name, another called swan something.

What are you going to grow this year? any unusual melons or squashes? any other unusual veggies?

Crenshaw is my favorite melon. I started two varities last year....Burpee's Early Hyb. crenshaw and Lille from Johnny's. Whichever one I had in the end was the best tasting of the best. I suspect it was the Burpee but am not certain. I have raised it before and it can be so good.

I am trialing Eel River from Seeds of Change. I like Rocky Sweet too....green. My favorite muskmelon is Sugar Queen....I am trialing others too.

I am fairly conventional with watermelons and squash. I like Raspa, Sangria, and Rojo Grande red and Orangeglo and Gold Strike gold watermelons.

I went through some of my veggie seeds to be planted this spring or fall. here 's a few we're planting

winter squash?
black futsu
baby blue hubbard
blue hubbard


bobis d'albenga stringless bush bean

sugar baby watermelon
blacktail watermelon
collective farm woman melon
tigger melon
yard long bean
red current tomato
giant red mustard
ching chang bok choy
extra dwarf pak choy

I ordered quite a bit from baker creek, but didn't save the receipt and forgot which ones I bought.

I know of seeds of change? don't they have a site where you can buy seeds from the folks who save their seed?

sounds like some nice melons there.

I just got some 'Zephyr' summer squash seed from Johnnys that sounds real good. It's a crookneck but what is cool about it [ to me] is that it's yellow with a bit of green at one end, very pretty. The people that have grown it say that it has a great taste too!

I saw that one, got the green tint on the bottom it's neat looking, bet it's good too

Kathy Ann... are you thinking of Southern Seed Savers Exchange? I do buy from Seeds of Change, and they encourage seed saving but their main business is retail seeds.

I googled seed savers exchange and found a web site, you can be a member (costs) but youcan also buy some seed of veggies and other things that have been saved by members I guess. Some of the squash was really neat looking. They didn't have any greens though except a few varieties of spinach.

Kathy_ann, how was the banana melon? I have seeds and always wanted to try it.

I wasn't too fond of it. It didn't store long either. had to eat it right away , I had more go bad than we ate. I don't think i'll grow that one again.

kathy_ann,

How did you like the Santa Claus melon? I have raised an early version of that Piel de Sapo storage melon. It was 10-12 pounds and very sweet......a bit hard to determine harvest and eating time. The one I raised was called St. Nick...84 days.

Now that I loved with a passion LOL. I had very few seed but all germinated, and I really liked those.

This season I am growing squash, eggplant, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Squash (in home-made earth boxes)
Yellow Crookneck summer squash, Cocozelle Zucchini, Papaya Pear summer squash, and Table Ace acorn winter squash.

Eggplant (in home-made earth boxes)
Ichiban, Millionaire and African Orange

Cantaloupe (in home-made earth boxes)
Supermarket, Burpee Hybrid and Ambrosia

Watermelon (in my parent's field)
Crimson Sweet, Kleckley's Sweet and Tendersweet Orange

The Ali Baba (from Iraq) is a wonderful watermelon. Baker Creek carries it.

Well, gosh, I might have to try that one, not sure if I have room for them all though LOL

I think I have to replant a few seeds, it got down to l7 last night, quite unexpected. I'm not even sure if the broccoli and brussels will survive that. I knew we planted too soon.

I love baker creek, i've ordered from them 3 times for seed for the garden this spring.

tumble, you have a pic of your home made earth boxes?
kathy

I didn't see that ali baba melon at baker creek.

kathy_ann,

Baker Creek has Ali Baba. I tried it 4 years ago It grew very nice looking watermelons....light green exactly like Charleston Gray. The melons varied from long to blocky. It would be nice to say that I loved eating Ali Baba, but mine lacked good taste and sweetness in both locations even though I let one stay on the vine extra time. Don't know for sure what the deal is, but I would guess that I am spoiled on extra tasty and extra sweet melons??....or something else

Baker Creek says that their best tasting watermelon is Orangeglo [their favorite they say is Ali Baba]. I pretty well agree with their assessment on taste though I like some other varieties as well or better that they don't carry. Still, all in all, they sure have a lot of nice older melons..

Ok, I wasn't looking under watermelons, that's why LOL

well, i've never tried an orange watermelon. that's gonna be a new one for me LOL

I am using the earth box design given at this link

http://www.myhudsonplace.com/diyearthboxes.html

Well, that's the neatest idea.