Did my cantloupe hybridize?? - Expert Help Needed

[wifezilla]

I had a volunteer plant that looked like a cantaloupe so I let it go. It produced one melon. It kind of looks like a cantaloupe but...

- The rind is harder
- It has deep green ribs
- the netting is nonexistent in many areas. The skin is actually mostly smooth.
- it's small..around the size of my farm woman melons.

I went ahead and picked it even though I thought it wasn't ready because it was hard and the ribs still so green, but you could smell it 2 feet away. It smelled wonderful

Cut it open and it looks like a cantaloupe. Tasted it...it tastes like a cantaloupe...mostly. It was really delicious. Maybe a tad of a spice aftertaste??? Could it have crossed with my farm woman melon?

I'll post some photos when I can. I took some before I ate it. (Did I mention it was delicious?).

 

[obsessed]

Yummy! volunteer are awesome!

 

[TanksHill]

You think that's strange. Mixed into my bed of spaghetti squash and cushaw's I had a big old cucumber grow. Well I though it looked like one. Long, right circumference and a bit fuzzy. When I sliced it it looked, smelled and almost tasted like a cantaloupe.

Whats that about?

Did you save the seeds???

g

 

[wifezilla]

Did I save the seeds? Did I, uhhh.....Heellloooooo! Who do you think you are talking to?



(You would really think that was funny if you could see my kitchen counters that are covered with coffee filters that have a bunch of different kinds of seeds drying in them )


Your cucumberloupe sounds pretty nummy!

 

[TanksHill]

Coffee Filters I was using ziplocks and they kept getting moldy. Ok now I think it might work.

 

[obsessed]

So Tank, how did the cuke/canteloupe taste?

 

[TanksHill]

To be honest it had gotten kinda old before I tried it. i thought it was an over grown cuc. The inside had gone a bit mushy and clear like a cucumber would do. I tasted a bit like a cantaloupe.

I think I found the culprit.
http://rareseeds.com/cart/products/Metki_Painted_Serpent_Melon-220-37.html

Oh, maybe it was this one.
http://rareseeds.com/cart/products/Metki_Dark_Green_Serpent_Melon-219-37.html

I will have to try again next year.

g

 

[obsessed]

So did you buy those from Baker's Creek or do you think your sees got mixed. I usually like baker's creek but in my last order I was not so happy. I order some peas (Alaska or Wando. I think) And out of the whole pack I got maybe 10 plants. And usually I have such great germination with eveything. I usually kill the plants after gemination. Then I ordered gold beets and got zero germination. Absolutely nothing out of three plantings of about 15-20 seeds. And I am planting next to the bulls blood beets and they are sprouting. I was thinking of complaining.... but.... Hey how did I get off topic.

 

[TanksHill]

So far I have had great luck with everything I bought from Baker Creek. I planted those yellow beats in early spring. They were amazing and had great soft tender greens.

I think that melon actually came out of a pack of mixed seeds. It just got over run by the Cushaw.

I am sure if you call and mention you got zero germination they would give you new seeds. That just seems odd.

Off topic is good.

:coolsun

 

[obsessed]

I agree that it is totally odd. I have been ordering from them for 3+ years and am being totally just lazy about complaining.