[stompy]

Just been to my plot, first time in four days.

I couldn't believe my eyes, my melons are the size of tennis balls. :shock:

The last time i was there they were only the size of a marble.

I am eager to try one, how do you tell when they are ready to pick. :?:

[milkman]

Hallo stompy well done.  I too am growing melons successfully for the first time - see pic I've recently posted.  Have just checked my bob flowerdew book - he says to pick them when they give off scent and the stalk will start to pull out, chill them for a day or so then gently warm just before serving.  So hopefully a good sniff will tell us!  My sister grew them once and said she realised they were ripe when they dropped off the plant...

[stompy]

Thanks for that milkman.

I will start sniffing my melons.

I can't wait to try one.    

[GrannieAnnie]

3 of mine are the size of tennis balls too now, and its my first time with melons!!  I am soooo excited.  I have another 7 coming along, hope they all survive okay.

I think someone is trying to tell me something!!!  A greenfly just landed on my keyboard!!!!!

[Oliver]

melons successfully ... recently posted

Hello milkman - have just had a look at your melon.  Is it growing outside or in a glass house?

They are going to have a go at growing them outside next year - I wonder what the temperature does in countries where they grow them outside? maybe in the UK cover them with fleece at night? Or perhaps grow them in a coldframe. Any thoughts? O

[Oliveview]

Hi folks.... the neighbours here have given us GAlia and water melons, shame the season is over for them in Sevilla province.... too hot now!
Next year we will hopefully grow our own.

[John]

My pal in Torrox Spanish Hols told me it was 42 degrees in the main square the other day - since I find 32 degrees too hot, not surprised the melons feel the same way!

[milkman]

Hi Oliver, the melons are in my greenhouse on the plot - 4 plants, 3 of which have produced 4 melons.  I started them off at home and kept them there on the window sill until they had started flowering in early June when I transplanted them into the greenhouse soil.  I think where I have gone wrong in the past is moving the plants from the steady warm home environment to the vastly fluctuating temperatures of my unheated greenhouse too early on in the year.  Good luck with yours.

[Oliver]

steady warm home environment to the vastly fluctuating temperatures of my unheated greenhouse

Hi Milkman - thanks for your reply. She picked her Melon today (it started life as a Lunabel, but the person who gave her the plant says its a 'Sweetheart', seed from Dobies) becuase they are going to an open air concert tonight, preceded by a picnic, so Melon is on the menu! It is a nice size and smells very nice. So lets hope the other two, which are about as big  thimbles (   ) come to something!

Next year she is going to try some plants outside and cover them with fleece every night, and some in the poly like this year. Oliver

Its very cool in the shade of the tree on my roof and she brings me dishes of nice cool water too

[rugbymad40]

I purchased six melon plants from a local car boot sale and planted them some six weeks ago.  Healthy plants and growing great guns, however I noticed some fuits at the weekend.  They are most definately not melons, but pumkins. Lesson learned - don't be lazy grow them from seed yourself, because then you know what you are getting!

Well done to everyone else.  Recommend you all take a look at the pictures Milkman and Grannieannie have posted - fantastic results.

[mellowmick]

I've got 6 melon plants growing in two 3ft cube perspex boxes which used to be museum display cases. Put them in there as they weren't doing too well in the greenhouse. They're now doing incredibly, even though there are no ventillation holes. When I put in a couple of tomato plants, they frazzled inside two days, but the melons (and peppers) are doing well. When I lift them to water them the heat just hits you. No female flowers yet, though. I'm assuming they're like marrows and squash and the fruit comes in behind the female flower.

[Oliver]

I'm assuming they're like marrows and squash and the fruit comes in behind the female flower.

99 times out of 100 fruit is on the female (plant). For our purposes - the stuff we grow fruit is on the female plane!

Funny thing - Her plans made 4 shoots, 2 of which produced two melons quite early on. So she stopped the shoots with the fruit, like it said in the book. Well, one melon fell off! The other went on to develop into a proper melon! (see below*)

But the shoots produced new shoots below where they had been stopped and all the fruit on these shoots were female. The other unstopped shoots have continued to produce male flowers which she has used to fertil the female flowers with her trusty paintbrush. So there are now 2 more melons (perhaps!) developing.

So maybe the secret to getting some female flowers is to stop a couple of shoots?

*They ate the one last night - it was very tasty indeed: A starter cut into cubes with soft goats cheese and Thai chilli sauce and 'flat bread biscuits'

[GrannieAnnie]

I was going to ask how the melon was last night Oliver, but see you already answered the question.  Pleased it tasted nice.  I can't wait for my first melon!!!!!  Which is a silly thing to say as I have to wait for it don't I?  lol

I've actually not fertilized my female flowers at all.  Was wondering whether I needed to, when I thought I wasn't going to get any fruits, but now they are coming laong quite nicely on their own!

[stompy]

I found the melons that i fertilisd by hand have done well, but the ones that i didn't have not developed.

All my melons have come on the shoots off the main stem, once they start to develop i cut the shoot and trim off all but one leaf from the stem so the growth goes into the melon, i now have ten melons on the one plant. :o

All i have fed them on is manure liquid, and there wasn't any thing put into the ground beforehand, so that seems to be working for me.

They are about the size or a grapefruit now, I can't wait to try one.

[GrannieAnnie]

(All my melons have come on the shoots off the main stem, once they start to develop i cut the shoot and trim off all but one leaf from the stem so the growth goes into the melon.)

Thanks Stompy, I'll try that bit, they might grow a bit quicker!!!  Like you, i can't wait to taste my first melon!!!!