Watermelon photos

Here's some Big Crimsons....

.........and a Raspa.......

and an AU Producer.

looking good

If you're thinking they all look alike, that's because they do. The Raspas are slightly more elongated, but they all look very, very similar.

How do they taste? I don't really know yet, but I will very soon. So far, I've picked 3 AU Producers. They've all been ripe, and they've all been very good. Indy has me excited about cutting open a Raspa though, so I'll probably try one of those next.

Also, here's another photo of an "off-melon". It was supposed to be a Big Crimson, but that's a Big Crimson in the background and you can see the difference for yourself. Does anybody know how this happens? Is it some sort of spontaneous mutation?

Probably not. Most open pollinated cultivars have some genetic variation in color and shape. That one just appears to be a litlle darker in color but holding the same pattern. Once upon a time seed vendors tried to alleviate this by offering certified seed. These melons had been rogued for several generations to avoid off melons and grown under very controlled conditions. With the popularity of hybrids, offerings of certified seed has drastically decreased.

Good photos, I am anxiously awaiting their appearance in plantfiles. Since Big Crimson and Raspa have no pictures.

Thanks for the photos. Our camera is broken.

You should like that Raspa. It is the best I have eaten. Sangria can be very good also. I cut a Sweet Dakota Rose yesterday that a farmer has refined for years......he's from North Dakota! The seeds come from Seeds of Change...all op seeds. This melon is good.

The Gold Strikes have been great and I cut a Royal Sweet today...very good too.

The healthiest growing watermelon I have raised is Summer Flavor #420. This melon is very early and sets on a second set of melons [the second ones are sizing up now] and likely will grow a third set. ...and it is good. Oh, not as good as Raspa but good. Now if the best of both were combined, that would be some melon.

Indy wrote;"The healthiest growing watermelon I have raised is Summer Flavor #420."

Indy, I just googled and found good info, but no seed source. Would you please tell me where yours came from? I'd love to have succesive crops. Never thought I could grow watermelons, but so far, so good. Really good:).

Margo

Summer Flavor #420 seeds came from Twilley Seeds,121 Gary Road, Hodges, SC, 29653
Ph 800 622 7333
www.twilleyseed.com

The nice thing about 420 besides its earliness and productivity is its strong healthiness. If you have trouble with wilts and diseases, this one is worth a try.

Ahh, .......but what about the taste? How does it compare with a Raspa?

So far, I've only cut 1 Raspa, and it was very, very good. I want to try some more before I offer up an opinion on how it compares with the Big Crimsons and AU Producers. The Raspas actually got quite a bit larger than I had expected they would. That first melon weighed 31 lbs., and I'm pretty sure I've got a few that are even bigger than that.

I haven't picked a Big Crimson yet, but I plan on getting one today or tomorrow. Some of those will likely top 35 lbs., and I'm anxious to see how they taste. The AU Producers top out at around 30, but most run in the 20 lb. range.

I really like watermellon but don't grow any because no body else will eat it in the family. I is just to much for me to try if I am the only one to eat the fruit.

Try the mini melons. Just enough melon for you.

Do you know the name of any LTilton

Makshi, I feel your pain. After not growing a garden for a few years, I pretty much over did it this year. I have around 100 melons that are +20 lbs. Don't worry though. Watermelon isn't hard to give away. (or sell, if you have time) Right now, I'm a very popular guy, both where I work and also where my wife works.

Orchard Sweet and Petite Treat are seedless minis around 3-5 #. These can be pretty hard to start.

The regular ice box size are easier. Sugar Baby is the standard icebox size, a bit larger, like 5 - 8 #

I'm growing Yellow Doll and New Queen this year as well as Sugar Baby, though it hasn't been a good watermelon year for me, alas.

There seem to be more different varieties of small melons every year.

Yes, it does seem like we sure work awful hard to give away so much but I guess that isn't a bad thing.

How does #420 taste?

If the best Raspa is an A++, the best Sangria A+, then 420 is an A.

When melons have not been raised before in a given soil that is good for melons, you can have a vintage year. However, disease pressure can be severe in old melon soil. I have to deal with that so I am making new beds, using Root Shield in the starting soil mix, and also raising some disease resistant varieties.

I don't harvest my melons until about 10 days or so after the adjacent tendril to the stem turns brown.

Indy,

You are right. That first Raspa was good, but the 2nd one was absolutely delicious.....as good as any watermelon I've ever tasted. It wasn't just the heart either, It was sweet all the way to the rind.

How big do they get for you? I've got several that are topping 30 lbs., and my biggest one weighed 39. That's a lot of watermelon.

Early on, I thinned the plants down to 3 per hill, and they're well-spaced so they've had plenty of room. The only water they've had is what the Good Lord sent them, but they've really performed well. The AU Producers are excellent melons, but the Raspas do get a slight nod in the flavor department. I still haven't tried a Big Crimson........but I will very soon.

Here is the volunteer watermelon I am letting grow just to see what happens (it sprouted out of one of my compost piles along with some tasty cherry tomatoes)

Here is one of the little baby watermelons on it.

"How big do my Raspa's get. A healthy one usually weighs about 24 - 26 pounds. Certain varieties tend to stop at about a certain size. I have had my largest ones with Willhite's Tendergold, Pinata, Orangeglo, and Legacy. The main thing for me is to get melons topping 20 pounds and then they will be good. I don't have trouble picking them too early, but like them "well done" !

If large varieties set on 3, 4, 5. or 6 melons on one plant, they don't reach good size, texture, or taste in my experience...expept that Orangeglo a couple years ago...4 very large melons at once.

Today, I tried one of the Big Crimsons, and now I've got a dilemma. It was every bit as good as the Raspa. The texture was a little different, (not worse, just different) but the taste was outstanding. Right now, I couldn't pick one over the other. Fortunately, I've got several more to try before picking a winner.

The Big Crimsons do seem to put on a few more melons per vine, but I also suspect the soil is a little better on that end of the patch.

Veggie,

August 1, would be a little late to be putting on melons up here, but you might be okay down there in Texas. If the seed is from an O.P. watermelon and not a hybrid, you may be in luck. At any rate, it doesn't cost anything to find out, does it?

This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 8:31 PM

Razorback,

Since you have some success in watermelonsmelons, you might want to try Sangria. I cut a nice one yesterday and it was so juicy and sweet that it was nearly off the chart for quality. If you want a little variety, try Gold Strike...so good.

I think my lone Summer Flavor #420 is going to break my record of harvested poundage in a season for a single plant. The old record was 119½ pounds on an Orangelo a couple years ago.

Wayne

I was already looking for an excuse to try the Sangrias, so thanks.....you've given me one.

I'd have a really difficult time of ranking this year's melon crop. The problem is that there is so much variability within each variety. The best Raspas are as good as any watermelon I've ever tasted, but then the best Big Crimsons were exceptional as well. The AU Producers have a really good flavor and put on a lot of melons per vine.

On a scale of 1-10:

Big Crimsons - Size 10 (up to #40), Taste 9.5 (varies from a 10 down to a 9), Texture 8.5 (can be a little stringy) Production 10

Raspas - Size 10, Taste 9.8, Texture 10, Production 9.5 (may have been poor soil)

AU Producers - Size 9, Taste 9.5, Texture 10, Production 10

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I've never really thought about poundage per vine, I thinned mine down to 3 per hill of the Big Crimsons and Raspas and 4-5 per hill of the AU Producers. Predictably, the AU Producers had more, but smaller melons.

Our garden is about 200' x 200', and one row of watermelons filled up the bed of my pick-up.

Next year, I'd like to try a few cantaloupes. Any recommendations?

You must have either exceptional skill or melon soil or both. If I let more than two melons set on a plant at once, I risk having 3, 4, or 5 watermelons of poor quality. ...except for the small sized ones. Sangria can be superb in taste and quality if not harvested too soon.

As for cantaloupes...Sugar Queen is my favorite. Classic is ok.

Burpee's Early Crenshaw and Johnny's Lilly Crenshaw are both superb and better than any cantaloupe.
Again, I believe in a fully ripened melon.

We can easily rule out skill, so it's probably pretty likely that I have great soil. ; )

Seriously, I am blessed with a somewhat unusually good piece of sandy loam. Most of the soil in my neck of woods actually ends up being more rock than dirt, but I'm lucky enough to have a decent sized chunk of almost perfect watermelon soil. What I don't have is any way of irrigating this ground, but this year the rain came at almost perfect intervals. It even dried up as the watermelons were ripening which has probably helped make this year's crop even sweeter than normal. Next year may be a completely different story, but I guess that's part of the fun.

I used to grow watermelons every year, but I stopped after losing 2 complete harvests because of deer. They learned how to stomp the melons with their hooves and eat the insides. They ate everything.........ripe, green, big or small, it didn't matter. A 6' welded wire fence has taken care of that problem......for now.

I don't have a deer problem though I sometimes see them in the field across the road. I do tend to have disease problems in melons. I have started using Root Shield organic biofungicide in the seed starting mix and I believe I really need to use that organic Seranade Solutions foliar fungicide earlier in the season. It is so necessary to keep the plants healthy through harvest.

I just ate a quarter of a Summer Flavor 420 and this one was an A+ in flavor, sweetness, juicyness, and texture with no fiberness. It has been very dry here this summer and I have watered the melons. Yeah, I know that they say hold the water near harvest, but with a second set of melons at first harvest, you can't do that and guess what? I think they are jucier with more water. We ate a Sangria growing next to this 420 last week...so sweet and juicy....just superb.

Edited to add......The only fault with 420 is that it has perhaps a few more seeds than some...though the seeds are unusually small.


This message was edited Aug 15, 2007 4:31 PM