I tried these last year and had a major fail on getting them to ripen. We had a cold Summer and they just didn't do well. I am not even sure I got one to eat. So what ever rotted in the garden was left for "compost" and I found one volunteer plant this Summer. So, I moved that while planting up my cantaloupe patch this Summer and today I harvested the first fruits from them. While the size was small the flavor was superb. I will be saving the seeds from this and replanting them next year. Thanks Mart!
I too love volunteers. This year, we have several tomato plants, two Spaghetti squash, two cantaloupe, a few potato plants. Best of all, the Milkweed which came back in abundance this year from a lone volunteer last year. We haven't seen a Monarch anywhere near it, but it's here just in case they come.
Growingpains, I am glad you keep space for milkweed. You never know when a monarch caterpillar may show up! We grow milkweed too, or rather they grow themselves about our property! This year something is getting at them, the leaves are very pale green as though spider mites are sucking the juices. ?
I generally don't save any volunteers... I just don't have space, but this year I kept all the tomatoes that popped up in the first patch of greenbeans, the second patch of greenbeans and the cantaloupe. I have been delighted with the ones I have tried. If I didn't think it was worth saving I pulled it. Maybe next year I will have a few different things in the garden than usual. I am always on the lookout for good producing, good tasting and disease resistant varieties of anything. Hopefully the cantaloupe will be as good as this year, but it may be cross pollinated and totally not what I had this year. Growingpains, I kept my milkweed in the flowerbed this year and I did see a Monarch on it laying eggs, but I think spiders got the tiny caterpillars before they got big enough to see. I can see where they hatched out, but there weren't any when I went back an looked again. BUMMER! C, look for the telltale webbing of spider mites. It may or maynot be them. They may have a virus or something else, but usually not much eats/chews/sucks on milkweed.
Our Milkweed began in 2014, probably by bird droppings or the wind. There were only about 4 plants. Imagine my surprise when there were about 12 plants this year. I also noticed the common House fly was very attracted to the plant. I wonder if that kept Monarchs away.
Carolyn the cantaloupe I gave you seed for usually are good sized.. Could be they did cross with some others you had but who cares as long as they are good and sweet. I still have seed if anyone wants to try them. Just send SASE . I keep a lot more seed than I will ever plant. Main thing is getting a good growing year.
Mart I would love some new seeds. The ones I had last year and the ones this year are very similar in size. I didn't get any good ones last year because it was too cold and they didn't do well. What was there got left in the garden to rot. This was a tiny plant from the area where yours were growing last year, so I am assuming it is the one from you. These this year are about the size of baseballs/soft ball, but not any bigger. Dark green turning to tan with some ribbing on them. I had a friend bring me some small melons from a "flea market" place that sells veg/fruits and those were a little bigger, looked more cantaloupe like but the flavor wasn't nearly as good as yours. He paid 1.00 each for them. I cut my large one and let him taste mine and I cut that one and was seriously disappointed. The thing it had going for it was that it was lunchbox size. he took mine home with him. PM me your address, please and thank you.
Were they pretty round ? About softball size ? The man I got the original cantaloupe from gave me another old variety that were like that. Almost perfectly round,, less ribbing and lighter color than regular cantaloupe . I may have given you those seed instead of the traditional type,,but oh are they good ! Save those seed !
OK ,, I am confused. I can not find anywhere to send a PM when I click on your name Carolyn. Where have they hid it ?
Mart, are the small cantaloupes an earlier one? I ordered the earliest ones I could find and planted them but we can have frost here in August and I don't think the ones I planted will be ripe. If you have a few extra seed I'd would love to have enough for 2 hills.
No the smaller ones are later . The regular cantaloupe are a good two weeks earlier here if not a little more. Would be happy to send you seed just for sase,, I do not keep a lot of stamps here . I can PM you my address. How early can you plant ? You would probably be better starting the seed yourself rather than like we do,,just plant seed straight in the ground.
