Melon question
 

Hello,
My volunteer cucumber turned out to be a melon. I have never
before had any melons I've grown survive. They always rot before they
get ripe, but these two look like they may actually make it.
They look like they may be the type one sees in "quality" grocery
stores, like Weaver St. Market. In the store they are very large
cantelopes, light skin with the usual webbing, with lighter sides with
dirt where they have lain on the ground. They look much more natural
than the commercial cantelope, rock hard, dark green with beige
webbing.
Right now my melons are dark green. I thought they might be
small, rounder, watermelons. But last week they started forming the
beige webbing. They are much bigger than the commercial cantelopes.
My question is:
How can I tell when they are ready to be picked?
Thanks.
Kira

Kira Dirlik wrote:
How can I tell when they are ready to be picked?

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/c...935010165.html

Daniel B. Martin

Cantaloupes "slip" when ripe, i.e., they will easily pull from
the vine.
Raleighgirl


"Kira Dirlik" !! wrote in message
...
| Hello,
| My volunteer cucumber turned out to be a melon. I have
never
| before had any melons I've grown survive. They always rot
before they
| get ripe, but these two look like they may actually make it.
| They look like they may be the type one sees in "quality"
grocery
| stores, like Weaver St. Market. In the store they are very
large
| cantelopes, light skin with the usual webbing, with lighter
sides with
| dirt where they have lain on the ground. They look much more
natural
| than the commercial cantelope, rock hard, dark green with beige
| webbing.
| Right now my melons are dark green. I thought they might
be
| small, rounder, watermelons. But last week they started
forming the
| beige webbing. They are much bigger than the commercial
cantelopes.
| My question is:
| How can I tell when they are ready to be picked?
| Thanks.
| Kira

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.

--
Steve

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.

is a garbage address.

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