EJ
Allotmenteer Extraordinaire
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Location: Essex
Posts: 1513
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| Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 10:45 pm Post subject: Growing Melons on my Allotment |
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A question really for our American gardening friends. This year I really really want to grow melons on my sunny dryish allotment. I grow masses of squashes of all shapes and sizes with no problems, but melons allude me! I have some germinated but struggling in the greenhouse, and today I bit the bullet and bought 2 more for a pound each from the garden centre, but even they look pathetic. What can I do to guarentee an umptious sweet melon or 10 come mid summer?
Thanks in advance everyone!
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Primsong
Flower of the Shire
Joined: 15 Apr 2006
Location: Oregon (Map)
Posts: 1770
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| Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:12 am Post subject: |
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Wish I could help you, but I've had no luck with them either. Like you, I can grow squash well, and beans but things that need a lot of sunlight and a longer growing season elude me and that includes most melons that I'm aware of. The one time I tried watermelons I got some but they were the size of large softballs.  At least they tasted good, even if they were nearly 'bite-sized.'
I've never tried them using a greenhouse - maybe that would do the trick.
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dooley
Official Garden Turtle
Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Location: Arizona, U.S.A (Map)
Posts: 3496
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| Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 3:53 am Post subject: |
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The last time I tried to go melons, the ants and bugs ate them before they got ripe. I even tried lifting them off the ground. I have a few small pots of them in the greenhouse but am stumped for a place to plant them as you can't grow them close to cucumbers or squash or they will cross pollinate and you get cucumber tasting melons. They sprawl so I can't put them in the herb area. The only other place is reserved for tomatoes. I'm not sure what I will do with them. I guess I should have thought ahead, but I found the seeds left from another year when I tried them so I put them in pots. I guess I can't help you much. Sure used a lot of words telling you that. Sorry! dooley
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jubabe296
Official Garden Fairy
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Location: south central Texas (Map)
Posts: 1180
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 4:56 am Post subject: |
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We try to grow melons every year but usually the racoons and deer eat them before we can!! This year we tried a different spot and they are doing horribly!! My aunt told me they should be grown in a more sandy sunny location.
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EJ
Allotmenteer Extraordinaire
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Location: Essex
Posts: 1513
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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hmmm, seems like I am not alone, altho I don't have the racoon problem! 
Well, I had a good sort out in the greenhouse this evening and I have 6 rather puny little melon seedlings. 3 watermelons, 1 sapo, 1 sweetheart and 1 cantalope. My sis has 3 sweethearts for me (I think these are the yellow skinned ones but I could be wrong). At the end of the month I was planning to move them to the allotment, but I think as they need loooooooooooong warm days, I might try 3 in the greenhouse. Let me know if you have any brainwaves about melons for me.
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eileen
Moderator & Resident Taxonomist
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Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Location: Scotland (Map)
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glendann
Official Garden Angel
Joined: 19 May 2006
Location: Texas (Map)
Posts: 7003
PlantStew: 219 |
| Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 6:04 am Post subject: Melons |
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Hi there,
Thought this might help you with your melons.
They do really well in deep sandy loam .They need lots of fertilize not compost ( They are not sweet when grown in mushroom compost) lots of sunshine and when the runners start don't move them around and let the grass make a bed for your melons and it shades them while they grow .
Get some hair clippings and spread them around to keep deer away .I found wide black plastic at WalMarts and went completely around my garden and the deer wont walk on it are jump it.Are put shiney pans and plastic jugs on your fence so they will blow and make a noise.
I hope this helps but never grew them in green house are pots .They might grow in tires with sand and top soil not sure I just might try it.
Glendann
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EJ
Allotmenteer Extraordinaire
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Location: Essex
Posts: 1513
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| Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for that. Although we do get deer on our allotment, they aren't that common - slugs and snails on the other had are a HUGE problem! I will encorporate plenty of sharp grit and sand into the planting holes when I plant them out and feed them well. That I can do...now what can I do about the sunshine that we don't seem to be having!
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Shanna
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 19 May 2006
Location: Texas (Map)
Posts: 395
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 4:41 am Post subject: |
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Well E.J. I'm so sorry . I I do wish I could send some of the hot Texas sun to you but you know how that is LOL.
It was near 100 degrees here today .Hot hot hot . Good Luck
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glendann
Official Garden Angel
Joined: 19 May 2006
Location: Texas (Map)
Posts: 7003
PlantStew: 219 |
| Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 4:59 am Post subject: |
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E.J. the reply from Shanna is from Glendann .I came home from work and
she thought she had signed out but hadn't so it shows from her Sorry.
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LoreD
Just Arrived
Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Location: Chicago Suburbs
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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Sometimes certain veggies and fruits just won't grow for certain people. I met an elderly man who was a retired farmer who after 50 years of farming couldn't get any watermelons to grow for him. He had to go down the road and get watermelons from his son, who had no problem with watermelons bur couldn't get his pumpkins to grow.
I try every year but I can't seem to get the trick of growing corn.
LoreD
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LoreD
Just Arrived
Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Location: Chicago Suburbs
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:45 am Post subject: |
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Have you tried to grow British melons. Hero of Lockinge melon is suited to cooler weather. Maybe the melons you are trying to grow are only suited to hot weather climates.
LoreD
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cajunbelle
Daylily Diva
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
Location: zone 8b Louisiana (Map)
Posts: 3042
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| Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:11 am Post subject: |
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We don't have luck with melons either. We can grow pumpkins but not melons. Good luck.
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Phil. 4:13
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