"Zootal" wrote in message
In my garden, I have about a dozen watermelon plants. The plants got off
to a late start due to insects and cold weather, so I made a last minute
planting towards the end of June. The cold weather continued, and the
plants are still quite small, have maybe a half dozen leaves. What are the
chances that they will mature and set fruit? Around here (middle of the
Wilamette Valley, Oregon), the weather cools off about the middle of
September, sometimes as early as the end of August. Summer has barely
started, and it's almost over :-). Should I plow them under and use the
space for winter crops? Or is there a chance that I'll get some melons out
of them?

I sometimes (depending on the plant and my desire to harvest its produce)
extend the growing season by putting 4 bales of hay/straw round the plant
and covering it with an old window.