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Rochester, Minnesota

This is probably a stupid question, but what plants do I have to worry about crossing with my giant watermelons?

Honeydew melons?
Cantelop/muskmelon?
Cucumbers?
Blue Rind watermelons?

Anyone have a good take on this?

12/8/2006 9:13:21 AM

Williamsport, Pa.

heck mr melon man, my saabe or whatb ever is on the table and getting ready to be mailed,,, i think i should be asking?????

12/8/2006 6:57:36 PM

Only the last one and only the seeds.

12/8/2006 10:40:02 PM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

James, do you hand pollinate your watermelons & cover the flowers once they've been pollinated? If so you shouldn't have to worry about it. I always cover the flowers once they're pollinated with a small plastic cup with a couple notches cut out on the rim for the vine to go through. Keeps the bugs off & you don't have to worry about another plant infecting your cross. I go out as daylight breaks & look for the flowers that will open that morning. Cover them with the cups & wait an hour or 2 for them to warm up enough to open. Once the flowers open, take the cups off, pollinate the females & put them back on & place a small rock on top so the wind don't blow the cup over. I cover a few males as well, just so they don't become infected either. It's a little bit more work for a couple weeks, but I'm sure my crosses are pure. Hope this helps.

Phil

12/9/2006 7:40:14 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

Yes, I do all that, but I am still paranoid about having something go wrong, and of course it's nice to know that when your prize died off, the open pollinated one next to it isn't a cross.

12/11/2006 9:15:11 AM