In article
,
sutartsorric writes
On 11 Oct, 11:20, wrote:

A-ha! *Cheers. *I would never have figured that one out. *I've always
encouraged the main stem to grow in a similar way to how the tomatoes grow!
Dammit.

Better luck next year, eh? *:-)

Yes, thanks Roy also from me. I always thought that the production of
female flowers must be governed by temperature, but maybe it is just
that higher temperatures stimulate more side shoots anyway.

I find that pollination by small paintbrush is my most successful
method.
Glad to have been of help.

I don't have a greenhouse as such, so I grow normally try growing
Sweetheart melons in large pots against a south-facing wall - not
normally with a great deal of success. This year I had some large sheets
of glass to lean against the wall and I strung horizontal wires to
support the plants. Most of the 7 or 8 plants produced a melon; some
two, and we had the first one last night. Delicious!

Another tip is to keep the area around the stem of the plant dry to
prevent it rotting away. Either raise the plant up on a little hillock,
or make the top inch of the growing medium sand. In my case I watered
only around the side of the pot.

Roy.
--
Roy Bailey
West Berkshire.