Growing melons

[Barriehie]

Mod.edit: This post and following 7 other delicious melon posts moved from What produce/ingredients did you buy or obtain today (2025)?

First shopping stop yesterday
$20 off smoked turkeys - what??!!
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also picked up a watermelon

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Wow! You know, this was the 2nd year I grew watermelons and the 2nd year I gave them all away. They were Sugar Baby variety supposed to be around 8 lbs. Mine all averaged 18 and wouldn't fit in the fridge... I think all together I gave away $300 or so.

All good, the people I gave them to missed growing them, they're too old now.

 

[Z-Cook]

Wow! You know, this was the 2nd year I grew watermelons and the 2nd year I gave them all away. They were Sugar Baby variety supposed to be around 8 lbs. Mine all averaged 18 and wouldn't fit in the fridge... I think all together I gave away $300 or so.

Wow! Looked those up and they look fantastic! Are they an heirloom variety?

We grew Tohono Oodam yellow watermelon a couple of years ago - first time ever growing watermelon for me - what a revelation! So good. Best watermelon I've ever eaten. Seriously.

 

[SoCalZone10]

Sugar Baby is a small variety, I never get any of mine over 2lbs.

 

[Barriehie]

Sugar Baby is a small variety, I never get any of mine over 2lbs.

I could only wish!

 

[SoCalZone10]

Maybe the seeds were mixed up.

 

[Barriehie]

Wow! Looked those up and they look fantastic! Are they an heirloom variety?

We grew Tohono Oodam yellow watermelon a couple of years ago - first time ever growing watermelon for me - what a revelation! So good. Best watermelon I've ever eaten. Seriously.

No clue if heirloom. I know I'm not growing watermelons again. Lots of space and zip for yield.

 

[SoCalZone10]

No clue if heirloom. I know I'm not growing watermelons again. Lots of space and zip for yield.

Wait, what do you mean by zip for yield, you did get a lot of watermelon right, I thought that’s what you posted.

I’m not buying any more watermelon seeds either, i never got a good one except the one came from my compost, go figure.

Here is a picture of my Sugar Baby, any year, they don't get bigger.

 

[Barriehie]

Maybe the seeds were mixed up.

I thought that too but seed control is a big deal, very regulated, plus it happened two years in a row. One batch of seeds from the local Home Depot and another batch from Minnesota.

 

[Z-Cook]

I thought that too but seed control is a big deal, very regulated,

You'd have thought so, but if plants are open pollinated or heirloom there are often deviations. Its really about how careful the grower is. I grew heirloom Marina di Chioggia pumpkins/squash couple years back and they were all over the place. I actually complained to the seed seller. I also dug around and found that one of the main original growers over here was (obviously, IMO), not super careful with his lines but was happy enough to supply a lot of seed outlets.

In these parts they're farmers of old lineage and there are ways, as everywhere, that seed lines are maintained to get consistent results eg planting only one variety per season. Problem is if there are close neighbors planting similar.

 

[Barriehie]

You'd have thought so, but if plants are open pollinated or heirloom there are often deviations. Its really about how careful the grower is. I grew heirloom Marina di Chioggia pumpkins/squash couple years back and they were all over the place. I actually complained to the seed seller. I also dug around and found that one of the main original growers over here was (obviously, IMO), not super careful with his lines but was happy enough to supply a lot of seed outlets.

In these parts they're farmers of old lineage and there are ways, as everywhere, that seed lines are maintained to get consistent results eg planting only one variety per season. Problem is if there are close neighbors planting similar.

My neighbors aren't close but then bees fly far...

 

[Z-Cook]

My neighbors aren't close but then bees fly far...

They do!
It only matters if you plan to save the seed!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'd love to know how the melons grow so big. It seems that you must have very fertile ground.

The soil here is very poor and sandy. I've tried melons just once and they were tiny. I don't remember the taste so it can't have made an impression on me, whereas there first cucumber I ever grew was amazingly sweet. I'd never tasted anything like it before.

So, what's the trick?

 

[Barriehie]

I'd love to know how the melons grow so big. It seems that you must have very fertile ground.

The soil here is very poor and sandy. I've tried melons just once and they were tiny. I don't remember the taste so it can't have made an impression on me, whereas there first cucumber I ever grew was amazingly sweet. I'd never tasted anything like it before.

So, what's the trick?

The soil has never been used and to keep it healthy I mulch, tilling it in, twice a year. The individual melon plants never got more than five fruits on them so all the energy went into a few instead of a lot.