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Rochester, Minnesota

I was away from the patch for the better part of a week visiting Colonial Williamsburg. I returned last night, and then this morning I needed to push or pull the melons away from the stems because of crowding. I also needed to actually pull the hoops out of the ground further because one particular pig of a melon out grew it's enclosure.

I have one melon with incredible girth, but the length looks like it topped out at around 30 inches. I have two melons that still look behind the curve for growth, but have really nice shape. I have two melons that really long, and really big around that will weigh in well this year. Maybe, just maybe a personal best.

No there are no measurements at this point. Same reasons ... busy, difficult to stand near the melons without hurting them, afraid to know, etc. Will just have to see how it turns out.

8/17/2010 11:00:52 AM

Trinity River Bottom

i know its not what the grower wants to see but i like the big girth on a shorter melon as long its not looking round.

8/17/2010 11:11:54 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

That particular melon is a wonderful melon, but honestly, if you don't have the straight length, you are just not going to get in the 200's. I know of no 30 inch melons that made it to 200. Most (all?) 200 pounds are 36 to 42 inches straight length.

But you are right, those big girth melons are something spectacular to see.

8/17/2010 11:20:37 AM

Frankfort Oh

James ,what seeds are giving you the 36, or 42 length,or is it just a ,freak of nature?or is I doing something wrong?,I`ve never had anything longer then 31 iches,Im getting frustrated.

8/17/2010 12:06:56 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Oh yes, chasing the elusive 42" watermelon. Dave B, and I have both tried to select genetics that result in longer melons. Not to speak to much for Dave, but we also believe that the longer the female is at pollination time, the longer the resulting melon. But setting those longer females can be a serious problem. I know that Bob Dwyer (original Melon Man) told me that he would go so far as to pull a larger melon if a newer melon set with better characteristics. That might work for other areas with longer growing seasons, here in Minnesota, you take what you can get.

I am excited about Bright sharing that melons set when cooler. Next year I will make sure that I set ice next to longer females to ensure they pollinate.

Now back to the seeds. It doesn't matter, other than watch for the shape measurements when choosing genetics. Don't just look at weight. I am using some of Kent's genetics this year which had around 38" straight length and really impressive girth.

What's funny is that Bright's 268.8 pounder had a straight length of 37" and a girth of 62.5. Neither are overly impressive, so the melon shaped must have had big shoulders. My simple formula only estimated it at around 226 pounds. So go figure.

8/17/2010 12:18:55 PM

Frankfort Oh

thats - a good point ,but i have another question ,if you take a long shape female?and fertilize it, as it grows its length-when its gaining say 2-iches a day or more,are you fertilizing it at that time ,to help it get it`s length?more say then any other time of the year?also what kind of fertilizer are you useing ? I want two hundred pounds so bad I can taste it.

8/17/2010 12:31:30 PM

Frankfort Oh

Ps,thats funny -thats what I did on the 259 kent -culled one because I didnt really care for the shape and left the longer one -because it had better shape ,I hope it pays off !

8/17/2010 12:34:30 PM

Trinity River Bottom

james do you think the length genetics are carried best in the mama or daddy?

8/17/2010 12:50:33 PM

Garner, NC

Here's my 2 cents worth on the matter. I don't have many years knowlegde on watermelons but I feel watermelons and whitetail deer are similar. Gentetics predetermine the mature product. Take a yearly buck with poor genes and no matter how much you supplment feed his rack will never be world class. With that said I feel with the seeds we plant today,that most if not all have the genes to grow a 200lb+ melon, but it comes down to the melon. With all the culls I've picked this year a single plant has produced many different shaped melons, from short and fat to pear shaped the long a slender. The goal I think is to grow the one with the best overall shape. Another is if you take a extreme pear shape fruit and grow it under the perfect growing condition I find it hard to change it from it's predetermined shape. The same as you can't feed a kid something to make him/her taller.

8/17/2010 1:04:26 PM

Trinity River Bottom

todd i see what you are saying . we can pick the female that we want to pollinate by shape . the problem is we don't know if the father is going to be a spike or a fork horn.

8/17/2010 1:17:22 PM

Trinity River Bottom

as with the females we can see there are many shapes and sizes. all male flowers are not created equal either. we need a know good pollinator .

8/17/2010 1:23:37 PM

Trinity River Bottom

"KNOWN" I CAN'T TYPE.

8/17/2010 1:27:18 PM

sevierville, Tn

If you watch the video, the 268 looks fairly even from one end to the other. It didn't seem to taper much. The 157 i'm growing seems to be that way. A very even shaped melon. Of cource mine is only 127 lbs so it has a long ways to go. My 259 was that way too, almost square shaped at the end. James, just wait till they get older, you will be moving that enclosure again ;)

8/17/2010 1:30:30 PM

sevierville, Tn

I had very poor luck this year with choosing females. Many good ones didn't set, or got damaged or broke. Then with the heat i lost alot of growing tips. My longest female has my longest melon, but that one was long last year too. there seems to be no difference in females from 2.0 to 2.5 cm . My next 2 longest melons are from 2.0 females
That said, i do believe that longer females = longer melons. Thats probally what we need, long melons + big girth !

8/17/2010 1:39:58 PM

Trinity River Bottom

ok chris so we have our female picked . the longest one we can find. how do we pick our daddy ? any ole daddy will do ?

8/17/2010 1:48:21 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Don't worry about mis-typing kirk. At least you weren't trying to spell thumping melons. Missing letters can get you trouble on that one.

8/17/2010 2:01:45 PM

sevierville, Tn

LOL MMM, I remember that one !

Kirk, You pick based on the genetics you want to combine with that of the females. Think of it like this...the female will give you this years fruit. The cross will give you next years. Now if your growing an unproven seed, then you wont know the answer till at the end of the season.

8/17/2010 2:14:28 PM

Trinity River Bottom

i understand what you are saying. you are right the daddy will have no effect on the melon it pollinated. but will carry it's genes in the seed we will grow next year. we picked what we think was best female on our plant . by shape and length. how can we know what we are getting out of the father?

8/17/2010 2:26:57 PM

sevierville, Tn

Kirk, if the father is proven, then we know, if not, then we have to see what it produces. or choose another maybe.
its still all a gamble. But over time, we should get better melons just like the pumpkin growers did.

8/17/2010 2:48:28 PM

Frankfort Oh

Mr white -could you please read my last question ,looks like it got missed ,with all the other post

8/17/2010 2:49:20 PM

Trinity River Bottom

i know where i'm trying to go with this but i'm not getting there. we know that on any given plant we have all shapes and sizes of females. so we pick the longest female we can find. not just for this years melon but also for the genetics that will go into the seed. so i guess what i'm wondering how do we know if we picked a muscle man for a dad or a wimp? because all males are not created equal . just like the females.

8/17/2010 2:56:04 PM

Trinity River Bottom

sorry rob didn't mean to hog the thread

8/17/2010 2:58:05 PM

sevierville, Tn

Kirk,ok, i see what your asking. I think of a bell shaped curve distribution. Each plant has it own curve. So while you can get all shapes & sizes from any seed line, each will be prone to a different distrubution along the curve. We try to pick a male from a plant that has a curve we like. There is no way to tell if that male is wimpy. Well you could pick the big beefey males....but maybe thats going too far. I still think good genetics with good genetics will = good melons. We can skew the results in our favor by choosing good females !

8/17/2010 3:12:46 PM

sevierville, Tn

Rob, get your soil right...fert,composts,ph. Then with good seed its easy to get 200 lbs. If the plant looks poor as the season goes on, then add a little fert. 20-20-20
a good Spray program is important !!!
I thought you had some good ones this year that would make 200 ????

8/17/2010 3:17:52 PM

Wonder if northern seeds do as well in the south as seeds from the south. Will the genetics in the southern seeds perform better in the south and the genetics in the northern seeds perform better in the north?
Some pumpkin seeds do better in the heat than others are
melons the same?

8/17/2010 3:24:41 PM

Trinity River Bottom

ok it's somewhat of a gamble on the male part . but we can choose good genes for the male . and we can somewhat pick the female we want for shape and length. thanks chris and everybody. now all we need is 3 cm+ female and a arnold for dad.

8/17/2010 3:27:02 PM

Trinity River Bottom

oh frank. only one way to find out

8/17/2010 3:28:23 PM

Frankfort Oh

Chris I`m just taking notes ,think my soil is the best its going to get ,for now ,I just never get the length I want and I`M a liitle frustrated

8/17/2010 3:29:10 PM

sevierville, Tn

Frank, good question. I think the lines in these seeds are very short & intermixed so there probally isn't alot of differences. Maybe if there is a line thats been off to its self for a while. Know of any ????

8/17/2010 3:29:40 PM

sevierville, Tn

Rob, how long were the females if you know ??

8/17/2010 3:30:19 PM

Trinity River Bottom

300 lb is the next milestone for the watermelon world . anybody setting on one?

8/17/2010 3:47:19 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Rob - Fertilizer is a difficult question, since you will get many answers from many growers. I used to believe that you grew vine at some times and fruit at others. I now keep the vine growing process alive and feed in a goodly amount of N. I do not specifically do anything that encourages melon length other than pollinating the longest female that I can. I used to use a 5-50-17 during the fruit growing process, which is what I used for my largest melons of the past, but frankly I can't seem to get good water soluable high P fertilizer at a reasonable price anymore. Now I use what I can get and supplement with manure tea made from rabbit manure.

I really am a cheap grower. I have only about 300 dollars in my entire garden on any given year.

8/17/2010 4:08:22 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

And wow did this thread take off. Excitement must be building.

8/17/2010 4:09:35 PM

Trinity River Bottom

yep it a good thread . all yall setting on those 200+ lb. melons just hoping you can squeeze that last 40- 50 lbs out of them!!!!

8/17/2010 4:38:59 PM

Frankfort Oh

Chris averages on the 136 was two inches- 219kent- 2 iches ,228 pleasant 2inches ,others 1 1/2- just a rule of thumb i dont pollinate anything that does`nt have good length to it,With all that said ,MMM- I -IS SITTING ON MY PERSONAL BEST AS OF NOW-can`t wait to get it on a scale,P,s if a melon, starting to turn yellow ?is it done growing?

8/17/2010 4:55:34 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Yellow is a bad sign. That means it is done growing, probably starting to internally break down into mush. How's the melon structurally? Is there any rot on the bottom side?

My melons at this point are still very green, which is where I want them at this point. If I can get the weather to hold for another (can I ask) month, this would be great.

8/17/2010 6:01:30 PM

Carrollton, Ga.

What is the longest female any of you guys have seen?
doug
JN. 3:16

8/17/2010 6:34:10 PM

Frankfort Oh

James it is just starting to turn a yellowish color-very light ,structure is very good even all around ,my guess its around 140 Ilbs- i` VE GOT LIKE 15 DAYS BEFORE i CAN GET IT TO A WEIGHOFF ,SHOULD i LEAVE IT ON THE VINE? OR CUT IT ,?

8/17/2010 6:38:17 PM

Frankfort Oh

Doug 2 inches- is the longest I`ve ever seen on any plant -I FEEL- I, accomplished this with my own cross ,by crossing the 267 edwards witch had really good girth and crossing the 197 riggsby into it ,witch had 39 inches in length-everybody thats growing this seed has long fruits-sirpumpkin =Tony vavderpool,has three very nice melons growing on the 136 -all have long length and is gaining very well in girth -but we`ll see at the end of the season how this all pans out -wish I would have planted more of my own ,this season ,seems to be doing very well.P,S THATSgood for Tony hes never had anything due to rabbitts

8/17/2010 7:23:32 PM

sevierville, Tn

Rob, 2 inches ?? I use centimeters & the biggest i have had was 3.0 cm last year & 2.8cm this year. 2 inches would be 5 cm !!

8/17/2010 9:28:07 PM

sevierville, Tn

Rob, can you post a picture of the one thats turning. I agree that means its probally done. Is it still growing ?? My big one last year got lighter/yellow when it stopped.

8/17/2010 9:32:18 PM

Frankfort Oh

I`ll see if I can down load one tomorrow-ok
and yes im positive on the female blooms ,I taped with a pumpkin tape,and it only show inches

8/17/2010 9:58:43 PM

Frankfort Oh

And I just wanted to say thanks to all who posted to my questions on here today ,thank you ,it was a big help in understanding these watermelons!

8/17/2010 10:01:45 PM

Frankfort Oh

chris the girth is 30 inches and 51 cir, hasnt grow in three days- not sure if that long enough to make a call yet ,it is on your 219

8/17/2010 10:03:54 PM

Frankfort Oh

correction length is 30 inches ,girth is 51 , sorry I`m tired

8/17/2010 10:05:34 PM

Deep South, USA

I've got a small melon that is fading to yellow in the stem end left side. It's 46 days old, and OTT is only 72.25.

I've found squash bugs in the vicinity, and the feeder vine has dead leaves going back toward the stump. I suspect they may have seriously injured the vine. The melon seems good and solid on the outside though.

The tendril at the stem is also brown, but I remember last year have melons with a brown stem end that were still green. Should I consider pulling it? I wanted to let it go to at least 60 days, but if it's breaking down internally that might be too late.

If I pull it tomorrow @ 47 days, what are my chances of getting viable seed?

8/17/2010 11:19:14 PM

Bowdon, GA

James, I've got one with extreme length. Started out faster than any I ever had, but stump rot and heat has really slowed her down. It won't reach its potential, but is already 38 inches, still got some time if I can keep the plant alive. Maybe still be able to squeeze out 40 if I'm lucky.

8/18/2010 12:04:06 AM

Frankfort Oh

Chris I think I might have found the culprit- why my melon quite growing ,tell me what you think ,I was inspecting the vine and found two small melons behind the big melon will this stop growth ?because all the main vine still looks healthy

8/18/2010 10:27:47 AM

Frankfort Oh

Chris I think I might have found the culprit- why my melon quite growing ,tell me what you think ,I was inspecting the vine and found two small melons behind the big melon will this stop growth ?because all the main vine still looks healthy

8/18/2010 10:27:48 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

I have seen 3.5cm females. I try for at least 2.5cm. Anything less than 2.0 will turn out basically round.

I am jealous of growers with 38" straight length. I would love that type of length on my fruit.

8/18/2010 10:41:18 AM

Frankfort Oh

mmm-lol me too dido dido dido-etc etc etc

8/18/2010 11:00:44 AM

Frankfort Oh

P,S AFTER ALL THAT WINEING i DID YESTERDAY ,I RETAPED THE 228 PLEASANT AND ITS NOW 33 INCHES LONG-HADN`T TAPED IT FOR A WEEK ,BOY DO i FEEL STUPID-BUT THAT STILL IS THE LONGEST AS OF NOW ,FOR ME

8/18/2010 11:02:47 AM

formerly RGG

James, you are very modest. A new personal best for you equals a new Minnesota state record doesn't it?

8/18/2010 11:50:29 AM

Trinity River Bottom

i have searched and searched. they don't keep any records on watermelons in texas so i guess anything can be state record here.

8/18/2010 12:00:57 PM

sevierville, Tn

Rob, 2 melons would slow the main one down, especially if they get above 15-20 lbs on the same vine. If its still growing your ok, BUT the lightening of the color means your nearing the end as in 1-3 weeks.

8/18/2010 12:45:19 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Yes TD, it would be, but that's only speculation at this point. I also have to watch out for Dave B breathing down my neck, or who knows? Someone might just come right out of left field with another giant Minnesota melon.

8/18/2010 1:23:40 PM

Trinity River Bottom

probably a stupid question but who is dave b ?

8/18/2010 1:31:57 PM

Trinity River Bottom

disregard

8/18/2010 2:49:11 PM

Frankfort Oh

lol-@ KIRK WHOOWEE ITS GOING TO BE A LONG SUMMER

8/18/2010 3:08:35 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Kirk, Dave B, is Dave Bhaskaran. Dave is a great pumpkin grower often putting multiple fruit in the 1000 lb class. He has a huge garden bigger than most people's lawns. Just for fun he has been putting 10 or so watermelons plants with the thought of taking the state record away from me.

Dave is a technical grower, staying on top of all the latest techniques and he is not afraid of purchasing whatever he needs to improve his chances. I have learned a lot from him.

I should add that Dave is a neighbor of mine and a good friend. He also joins in here every now and then, but his love is really pumpkins.

I do hope he does grow the big one, since he does put in the time and deserves it.

8/18/2010 4:33:33 PM

James do you still want measuements of the pumpkins this
year for your records.?

8/18/2010 4:37:22 PM

Trinity River Bottom

thanks james

8/18/2010 4:37:33 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Absolutely.

Actual Weight, girth, straight length, EE OTT, SS OTT, and Circumference.

8/18/2010 5:10:21 PM

Grower Frank Mudd
195.5 Mudd 10
ss-44
ee-56
cir-85
length- 32
girth-56
grown on 178.5 Mudd 04 X 251 Mudd 08

8/18/2010 6:51:17 PM

sevierville, Tn

Thats great Frank, it looks like it went about 15 lbs heavy !

8/18/2010 8:34:53 PM

Frankfort Oh

Frank forget me not for a few of them seed A-CONGRATS YOU DESERVE IT!!

8/18/2010 8:56:39 PM

I entered 2 more in the Kentucky state fair yesterday but
didn't get the girth and length. When I pick them up I will
send the measurements on them.

8/18/2010 8:58:39 PM

Chris I have pulled 3 so far and all have went heavy.

8/18/2010 9:02:01 PM

Rochester, MN

Wow this is a long thread...as to length watermelons...I went out last year and got some 217 Vaughn seeds this was a 45" melon...this year...I have 2 melons on the same plant and they are doing well...one is at 34" and seems to growing at about 1-2" a week...I also have a 157 Bhaskaran that was from a 255 Mitchell x ??? (maybe a vaughn) and it is actually longer than my 34" Vaughn! My main problem on getting them big is plant disease and the Hail we got last Friday one in the morning and then again in the evening! Arrgh. Wishing everyone a big finish.

8/18/2010 11:28:07 PM

Bowdon, GA

Frank do you think it is genetics or methods?

8/19/2010 12:17:14 AM

Bowdon, GA

Where they over 60 days?

8/19/2010 12:18:08 AM

Bowdon, GA

Wow I just realized I had one last year with nearly identical measurements that only weighed 154. It did have a bad shape that probablly accounted for alot of its lightness but still. Something is right in Franks patch.

8/19/2010 12:38:04 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

Thank you for the measure on a great melon Frank. It weighed heavy, which is a good thing.

8/19/2010 9:13:24 AM

sevierville, Tn

Hope mine just goes to the chart with all the light ones i have had in the past !. Frank, your 178 i'm growing is doing well , just past 200 lbs est. Hope it goes as heavy as yours !

8/19/2010 9:34:52 AM

The 195.5 was 74 days old.
One of those I took to the Kentucky state fair weighed
199.5 lbs and was 63 days old and the other was 224.25 lbs.
and was 61 days old.
I believe it is a combination of method and genetics.

8/19/2010 2:11:17 PM

Trinity River Bottom

dang Frank that's pretty impressive !

8/19/2010 2:30:05 PM

sevierville, Tn

Wow, nice ones Frank ! They were young, had they stoped growing ?

8/19/2010 2:40:46 PM

Both had stopped growing or I wouldn't have pulled them. It seems when we get to much rain they stop. Might just be
coincidence. Vines are still healthy.
Chris hope the 178 does well for you.

8/19/2010 2:53:28 PM

The 199.5 was grown off the 255 Mitchell and the 224.25 was grown off the 251

8/19/2010 2:54:37 PM

formerly RGG

Congrats on the 224 Frank. That's the biggest one I've heard about so far this season. Did 224 pounds take first place?

8/19/2010 6:06:05 PM

Corryton, TN

Great job Frank

8/19/2010 8:32:48 PM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

Great Job Frank! Again.Your back getting sore?

8/22/2010 8:46:14 PM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

Well I have my longest melon ever as of now at 34 inches but not very fat around 83 cir. I thought it was a goner with all the rain and not much plant to push. I have fertilized it last week and it seems to be pushing new growth now and I even had to cull a watermelon. I usually cull all year but with the 50 inches of rain this year the plants do not set and the plants shut down.Maybe I will have something yet in 40 days.

8/22/2010 8:49:53 PM