I planted a row of Sugar Baby melons on May 15th, give or take a few days, and the melons are about 5 lbs now. When will they be ready? How can I tell? What happens if I harvest them too early? Can I still eat them? And, do chickens and goats like melon rinds?
When will my watermelons be ready?
- Thread starter Raindance
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Hi RD! 
Sugar Babies take about 80 days, give or take a few days, so sounds like yours should be ready pretty soon now. Press a fingernail against the rind and see if it leaves a little indentation or not. If not, then it is a likely candidate for being ready. Also, the bottom where it sits on the ground will turn a creamy yellow. If you harvest them too early, well you could eat them I suppose, but I doubt they would agree with you! Chickens and goats love melon rinds, at least mine always have.
Sugar Babies take about 80 days, give or take a few days, so sounds like yours should be ready pretty soon now. Press a fingernail against the rind and see if it leaves a little indentation or not. If not, then it is a likely candidate for being ready. Also, the bottom where it sits on the ground will turn a creamy yellow. If you harvest them too early, well you could eat them I suppose, but I doubt they would agree with you! Chickens and goats love melon rinds, at least mine always have.
journey11
Garden Master
What bid said, plus I look at the curly tendril closest to the melon to see if it is dry/brown, a good hollow sound when you thump it and also (this is a weird one, but it works) take a soda straw and lay it on top of the melon perpendicular to the stem and if it "magically" swivels itself to line up with the stripes/stem, then it's ready. Something to do with magnetic force, I guess...don't know how, but it works!
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