[Tinkerbell264]

Hello

We were given some melon plants this year (of unknown type or origin) and we planted them in our allotment.  This is our first year with the allotment and we are complete novices!
Three of the plants have grown, and rather taken over, and they are starting to produce fruit.  We cannot work out what types of melon it is growing and so we don't know when they are ready or not ready etc.

They are light green in colour and shaped like pumpkins.  I can't find anything that matches this online (except for green pumpkins!)  Does anybody know what they are?

All help gratefully received!

Kerry

[DD.]

Hi Kerry,

Welcome to the forums. Is there any chance of a photo? It much easier to ID something from a picture, rather than a description.

A plot neighbour asked me the same question a few years ago. What he'd got were inedible ornamental gourds!

[JayG]

Only one year's experience with melons (the same variety failed this year) but last year the aroma when they were ripe was unmistakeable and quite overpowering, which could be a useful clue for you, if only to prove that they're not something else!

[8doubles]

The standard melon ripeness test is to cradle the fruit with your fingers and press the 'navel' end with your thumbs. If there is a bit of 'give' the melon is ripe.

Well done for getting melons to grow outside this year !

Can i borrow your wand ? 

[Kleftiwallah]

Bit of advice tinkerbell,  think long and hard before accepting cabbage (brassica) seedlings from well meaning people.  They may bring clubroot into your ground.

Cheers,    Tony.

[Tinkerbell264]

Tried to upload a photo but the file size was too big, will have to work out how!

Thanks for the advice, will keep an eye on them and see what happens.  We haven't done anything special to make them grow, just put the plants in the ground, covered them for a short period while they were young, then just let them do their own thing!

Kerry

[Puenktchen]

I would think it is probably a squash plant, not a melon, as I cannot really believe that a melon plant is growing well outside and is actually taking over its space! Especially not this year. I have  melon plants and they are inside my cold frame. But even with the cold frame I had problems earlier this year (they are now doing well). I tried to grow them outside last year and it was not working (even not in the sunny Southeast and with an outdoor variety of melon).

But I agree, I photo would really help.

[Puenktchen]

One more thing, the fruits of my melon plants are quite hairy when young and only loose the hairs when they get older. I don`t think the squash fruits are hairy when young so maybe this would give a clue as well.

[Tinkerbell264]

Hopefully the photo is attached...

[Tinkerbell264]

we also have a couple of these growing which i assume are honey dew?

[Puenktchen]

The plants on the photos look very much like squash plants to me. Two different varieties.

[DD.]

Me also, I dare say mumofstig will be along to put us straight.

[AnneB]

The green one looks a bit like Crown Prince?

[fatcat1955]

The standard melon ripeness test is to cradle the fruit with your fingers and press the 'navel' end with your thumbs. If there is a bit of 'give' the melon is ripe.

Well done for getting melons to grow outside this year !

Can i borrow your wand ? 

You should never press any part of a fruit to test for ripeness, you will bruise it.  To test a pine apple you smell the fruit and if you can smell a pineapple smell it is ripe, if you smell nothing it is not. not sure if this work,s for melon's though.  If you came into my familie's greengrocer's and started pressing the fruit you would be politely asked to pay for it.

[marcofez]

The green one looks like a winter squash, while the yellow one looks like a pumpkin!