Melon experiment update

Last year I tried to grow melons for the first time.  Some came to fruition, some didn't, some I didn't like.  Here's an update.

Red-Seeded Citron seemed to come to fruition but I couldn't tell because it isn't an eating melon. It has to be cooked before it is edible.  Won't try this again.

Unsuccessful - Moon and Stars, Queen Anne's Pocket Melon, Golden Midget, Charentais, Delice de Table.

Successful - Prescott Fond Blanc, Minnesota Midget.

This year the melon wish-list includes Charentais, Prescott Fond Blanc, Golden Midget, Noir Des Carmes.  I followed some of the advice offered by successful melon growers, but the cloudy cool weather we've been experiencing is everything melons don't like, so success is not a given.

From sapling to firewood in 10-12 years

Last week we had to remove two trees from our property.  One came down for natural reasons -- the maple in the backyard was infected with Verticillium wilt.  Rather than watch it die a slow death and spread the infection to the rest of the yard, we had it taken down.  As it turns out, the subdevelopement master plan called for planting a tree along the pathway behind our house so the landscapers positioned it about 8 feet from our maple.  These two trees would have been trying to occupy the same space long before they reached maturity anyway.

The other tree, a Purple Robe Locust, died for reasons that could have been avoided.  We picked this tree off a list of 5-6 at the same time we picked the bathroom tile.  10 years later we learned the hard way that this tree shouldn't have even been on a list in a high-desert neighborhood that requires lawns.  Purple Robe Locust is  drought tolerant. Plant it in a Kentucky Bluegrass lawn (also came with the house), a cool weather grass that requires a lot of water to stay green in 90-110 degree temperatures, and it's a recipe for tree-death.  The tree grew too quickly, lost three major branches in our frequent high-winds, and this year gave up the ghost.  Down it came.  We're looking around for a different tree, but the HOA will have to approve our choice.  More later!