How do I know when the watermelon is ready?

[vfem]

Hey Carol, I got a message from Mary earlier... I know, I'm so terrible about socializing lately! lol PLEASE forgive me!

My watermelon never got as dark orange as the pictures online show the melon on Baker's creek site. They got so very much of the 'white rine' which is totally edible up to like an inch even though its so very yellowish in color. I'm wondering when you planted it, how many watermelons were on the vine with it, and what you used to fertilize? We're so VERY hot here that I think that helps with growth on heat loving melons like watermelon. I also pulled any other melons sharing the same vine so it pull all its energy into that 1. When I usually plant, its in April here for melon to get a good LONG season. I also fertilized with fish emulsion.

This year I planted end of May. My melons are small this year. My orange melons are the same size as my crimson and none of mine are ready. I also have 2 melons on each vine. I'm hoping to pick 6-7 from our mix of watermelon. I've already picked all our different honeydews and cantaloupes. Those did awesome for us this year.

We'll pick them soon, because I need to clean out my garden, everything is pretty much done and fizzling out.

Thanks Mary for a kick in the pants. We didn't end up processing the birds tonight anyways because my daughter wanted to star gaze and I wouldn't process birds with her still up, so we put it off until tomorrow night.... unless someone wants to buy some Lavender Drake Muscovies?! We'll be eating duck soon!

 

[vfem]

Ooooh... I did some reading of reviews on the orange glo melons, and there were very specific mentions of the 'pale flesh' from the ones grown and sold in 2011 and 2012. I think it was specific to the seeds they sold at that time. Glad I did the research.

 

[Carol Dee]

Thanks @vfem
I would say these where ready and just a paler version of the darker orangeglo melons in the photos. The plants where started indoors in Feb or March! Set out in late April or May. All the signs show they where ripe. (I was just startled at how pale they where.) They are grown in raised beds with brand new garden soil ands compost. No added fertilizer. The summer has been a little cooler than usual until last week. ugh HOT. I think he plant 4 maybe 6 vines. Only 3 melons. Not able to tell if they where all on the same vine or not! Anyway, this is success for us. Look back in this topic to see the tiny melon we grew a few years ago!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

@Carol Dee, Actually your preemie melon isn't all that much smaller than the ones I got the one and only time I got any (though I have to know were there any viable seeds in that little thing). Wound up with two that year (both white fleshed) one the size of a baseball one the size of a child's bowling ball. Both rather unsweet (In fact I couldn't taste the watermelon until I actually juiced the things)

Richter's seed zoo also once had a watermelon called Lumbang Midget that was ALWAYS that tiny. At least I THINK it was (they had already sold out of it long before I found the seed zoo.