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Rochester, Minnesota

I was contacted the other day by a new grower. This person had purchased some over the counter Carolina Cross seeds, and was making an attempt this year. The first melon was picked at "over seventeen pounds", because that just had to be large enough, but alas it was still white inside.

We had a long conversation after that.

Cheers! And have a good weekend.

8/26/2011 4:01:00 PM

formerly RGG

Rookie growers certainly have a lot to learn sometimes. It seems the more I grow these wonderful giants the more I recognize I still have a lot to learn about what makes them thrive. I hope your season is going well James. I thought I had found a wonderful new growth product in liquid kelp. And it is true it increases plant growth dramatically. Problem is if a grower uses too much of it, it will bring fruit growth to a halt. After steadily becoming more liberal in my use of kelp, I took melon measurements four days ago and growth had stopped completely and remained that way for the next two days after stopping the kelp applications. Yesterday slow growth began again and today has been closer to normal. I am leaving tailors tapes under my biggest melons and checking for growth by noting how much the girth is increasing. My fattest measured melon had grown to 56" in girth and had held there for 3 days. the girth is now 56.75" so I am feeling a tiny bit better about my small and late melons.I am going to be embarrassed to take anything to the earlier contests as I don't feel I have anything large enough to be competitive.I'm still hoping for a new PB by October but I will have to have great weather and stop making ignorant mistakes.

8/26/2011 5:58:41 PM

Bowdon, GA

Don't sound like your doing that bad Dennis, if you get a PB that would be a dang good melon.

8/26/2011 9:49:20 PM

Muddy Waters

Sounds like a decent melon TD!Whats the OTT?I may have to make a road Trip!!!LOL

8/27/2011 6:11:05 AM

formerly RGG

Thanks for the encouragement guys. After last night I was back to very little growth from my melons so at this point I have little to be encouraged about. I know they are gonna grow at least some more but at the moment they are very slow and not very heavy. Unless they go real good against the chart and pack on several pounds between now and contest time; I have little hope of a personal best. I am trying though as a new PB would be a little redemption for what has been a mistake filled growing year for me. Never say die! lol

8/27/2011 10:32:34 AM

Alabama

I think together we could write a book on what not to do. My biggest mistake this year was setting a melon on the first runner off the main vine, it weighed in at 154 pounds and won me $200 dollars but that plant had much more potential. I lost patience because the main and secondary kept setting pear shaped melons.

8/27/2011 6:01:08 PM

Muddy Waters

My 255 was pear shaped grew out Quite quickly! It was first 1 set on plant!

8/27/2011 8:15:19 PM

formerly RGG

What Mark says is true. Often a melon will grow out of a poor starting shape in the first few weeks of it's life. Mark, my melons were so late this year about every one of them was the first to set. I have promised myself it won't be like that next year.

8/27/2011 10:18:56 PM

Bowdon, GA

cordin to how bad its pear shaped

8/27/2011 11:36:27 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

As for how I am doing. I have incredible vines this year, but suffered greatly from the "Can't set fruit to save my soul" problem.

I did set an initial fruit on the 291 Kent, which is my best. I haven't taken measurements, but it's a fine looking melon, and is alone on it's plant. I say that because those I couldn't set fruit on, I ended up setting multiples later. So right now I have 10 fruit on 6 plants. Can we say lots of eaters?

The only two early fruit I successfully set in the heat are the ones that I hand pollinated, set ice next to, and covered. I will be doing more of that next year.

9/1/2011 10:57:07 AM