"Boron Elgar" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:08:29 +1100, "Farm1"
wrote:

"songbird" wrote in message
...
Farm1 wrote:

I'm growing mini watermelons for the first time and I have a few tiny
melons
that have set on my vines so in the current heat we are getting I
should
be
able to get them to harvest if I can keep up the water to them.

Does anyone know if theyd need anything at this stage of summer other
than
heat and water to keep them ramping along?

wish i were a melon expert.

so do I! It's never been reliably hot aroudn here for logn enough for me
to
become a melon expert and i love watermelosn and rockmelons (which you'd
call canteloups)

i'd say you're doing fine if you
can keep up with them.

will you have enough time yet to set
more fruit and get it to ripen? if so i
would lightly feed at the outwards nodes
with your favorite liquid fertilizer.

the biggest is now aobut the sice of my two cleched fists held together
and
they are supposed to be 'mini' watermelons so I'm hoping htye will hav
enough time to get to harvesting. We should still get a full 2 or even 3
more months with a frost.

I've been keeping the water up and I've given some food but not a lot. I
figure little and not too often might be better than too much food.

I'll let you know how they go.


1"- 2" of water a week, and a bit of a boost - compost tea or mild
fertilizer every 3 weeks or so.

Aha! That sounds close enough to what I'm doing now.

These are the instructions I have used..this has encouraged melons to
the point that the critters have found them irresistible. I never get
any. I gave up a few yrs ago after many tries.

I might have to put a plastic milk crate over the fruits then as they fet
nearer to harvest. I've not had any strawberries for weks and weeks but I
have several very fat and huge Blue Tongued Lizards hanging round my strawbs
so I know just what you mean about critters:
http://www.outback-australia-travel-...ue-lizard.html