From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Williamsburg,KY

Do you want to shade the melon or shade the melon and keep it dry from rain?

7/11/2012 10:45:34 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

I personally do not worry about keeping it dry from rain, but I do shade the fruit using gunny sacks and wire hoops. I do this to keep the skin of the fruit pliable and easily growing.

I put the melon up on boards to keep air flow around it, and then put the hoops and burlap over it to keep it mostly out of the sun. The hoops and burlap do not touch the fruit itself.

7/11/2012 11:40:52 AM

Alabama

I shade with light colored sheets for several reasons, It keeps the melon cool and stops the sunburn, nothing looks worse than a big melon with a burnt yellow topside. It keeps the crows and coyotes at bay, we have a very bad coyote problem here, last year I had one paw scratch on one covered CC melon while I lost every eating melon I had planted. As far as keeping the melon dry some folks use the blue tarps as shade and it will also keep them dry. I have built a 2X3 frame covered with erosion control fabric that I place under the melons. It allows them to get wet but dry completly within a short time.

7/11/2012 9:54:00 PM