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somewhere down in Texas

This is my first year growing watermelons. (Pumpkins are doing GREAT, but I can't figure out what to cover them with, and they're getting VERY ORANGE) My Carolina Cross melons were growing great, and then. <big sigh> The ends just turned brown, looked pinched off and then just looked rotten. wah. The ones i have left are oddly shaped. odd like a funny squash. a bottle neck squash, if you will. i'd like to try again next year, but i can't fix it if i don't know what went wrong. Any ideas oh wise ones?

6/27/2008 12:35:03 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

Questions? How big were the melons? Were the melons growing or were they not pollinated? An unpollinated melon will grow a little, then blacken and fall off. A partially pollinated melon will grow pear shaped. I make sure I hand pollinate the watermelons just as a pumpkin grower does. Just don't mention at work that you hand pollinate your melons, or they won't stop ribbing you.

Rot is an issue I have to deal with, especially in overly wet situations. When the melon is set and growing, I make sure to put some sterile sand underneath it. When it gets up in the 40 pound range, I start putting 2x4 boards crossways under the fruit to get it off the ground and to get air to circulate. I haven't had any rot in a melon since I started doing that two years ago.

6/27/2008 9:45:12 AM

somewhere down in Texas

Ahhhh. Thank you. I finally found a place that I can ask the stupid questions. hehe They (the carolina crosses) were looking beautiful, approximately ten to twelve inches in legenth. And I've had lot of bees this year, and never even thought about pollinating the melons. :( I have been doing it for the pumpkins, but the melons flowers were small, and I didn't know. However, the sugar babies are growing like c-r-a-z-y! i have several pear shaped carolina crosses. guess i should go ahead and get rid of them?

In other news...my pumpkins are doing wonderful, but I worry about them every day and can't devote all the time I'd like too. I'm working wayyyy too much. I'm struggling with covering them and they are turning very orange. :( The wind is constant and it's super hot down here. i have little teepees set up around them. Sorry. i know this isn't the pumpkin board, but I'm having it rough with all these big things I've planted. :)

6/27/2008 10:36:18 AM