On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 16:17:03 GMT, wrote:

On 2005-09-01, Steve wrote:
In article ,
Kira Dirlik !! wrote:
How can I tell when they are ready to be picked?

Most American cantaloupes (which are really muskmelons), are ready to
pick when they slip off the vine, i.e. the fruit comes off the vine
without cutting or hard pulling when you lift it with just a little
pressure. Smell is also a good indicator.

and to prevent rot, get them off the ground. A piece of board or a
couple bricks under them.
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

Yes, musk melons. Well, one is on the ground, and the other hanging
from my chicken wire fence. Once I realized it was not the expected
cucumber, I made a sling out of one of those plastic net bags that
oranges are sold in, to take the weight off the vine of the one
hanging on the fence. I have propped up the one on the ground.
Their stems seem pretty solid at this time. Thanks for the advice...
I will keep watching.
Blessed be: no rain for the past 2 weeks! I actually got a fig crop
this year... 14 jars of preserves, and another load still ripening!
It's been 3 years since I got any off the tree before they rotted from
rain and bugs.
Kira