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Dodge city

Has anyone ever grew the old standard type of watermelons. Like black diamond the original kind for competition growing and what about the yellow flesh version. What year did that watermelon appeared in public. Thanks.

12/30/2017 10:50:24 AM

Corryton, TN

Grew open pollinated Cobb Gem a few years back. Disappointing to say the least. Maybe 50-60 pounds Didn't take to a weigh off.

12/30/2017 6:25:59 PM

simpson,KS

Grew the African Giant four years ago. Damn thing must have been four feet long! 81 lbs. still have seed if you want some.

12/30/2017 10:12:50 PM

Dodge city

Ok

12/31/2017 10:34:27 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

Big melons,that is interesting.
What was the plant like ?

12/31/2017 10:35:10 AM

simpson,KS

Big normal plant, Little females were about 3 inches long at pollination.

12/31/2017 10:46:10 AM

simpson,KS

picks are on my diary soon as they pop up.

12/31/2017 10:59:00 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

2017 diary ?

12/31/2017 11:19:23 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

All I saw were your CC’s and your JBD cross.
The bi-color seeds are cool.
How did that grow ?

12/31/2017 11:27:17 AM

simpson,KS

It takes a while for the pics to show up. And the bicolor seeds are from the 165 BrightX251 Kent then the 350.5 Kent. Seeds are hard to germ . Will find out how they do this year .

12/31/2017 9:53:33 PM

Bethlehem CT

I love the African Giant picture. Where did you get your seed for them? I have never heard of them before.

1/1/2018 7:49:33 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

Good lord !
That thing is long !
I’m curious as well about the seeds.
Looks Like a jubilee.
Ever crossed one into a CC ?

1/1/2018 9:46:50 AM

simpson,KS

Never crossed one yet but may have to try it this year. Maybe graft it. Have plenty of seeds. That was my first year at growing the giants. Picked up my seeds from stores.

1/1/2018 11:14:47 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

Are all the melons long like that ?
Might be an interesting trait that could be incorporated into the CC line.
Ha.
Can you imagine the weights you could achieve with the girth of a CC and the length of that ?

1/1/2018 11:34:15 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

What do you think big moon ?
Grow the African giant and pollinate with a CC or the other way around ?

1/1/2018 11:37:14 AM

Bethlehem CT

That sounds like a good idea, it might be a fun experiment to make a cross. How did the African melons taste? It looks like it would be a good eating melon. Like ESheel said it looks like a big 'Jubilee'

1/1/2018 2:52:35 PM

South Arkansas

These watermelons are just extra long three-lobed Carolina Cross melons. Like bigmelons said, they get to about four feet long. Robert Worley of NC had a 46 inch one. Jerry Vaughn of MS had a similar one that weighed 217 pounds. There is a pollination problem growing extra long watermelons. For egg fertilization to happen, the pollen grains have to grow pollen tubes from each pollen grain at the blossom end of the flower to the egg cells throughout the length of the flower. The pollen tubes find the egg cells quickly in the blossom end but it takes a longer time for the tubes to grow to the stem end of the long flowers. Lots of time the pollen tubes get broken before reaching the stem end. That makes an odd shaped melon with lots of seeds at the blossom end and few developed seeds at the stem end.

1/1/2018 3:03:30 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Thanks Mr Bright.
So there is CC already there.
Thought I was on to something !
Lol.

1/1/2018 3:52:10 PM

simpson,KS

It did make for great conversation though.
And actually I do believe it was a Georgia Rattlesnake melon..
LOL.

1/2/2018 8:50:31 PM

50 Acres

Man, you could hollow it out and use it as a canoe.

1/2/2018 9:03:40 PM