How to tell a melon is ready to harvest

Watermelon is ready to harvest when:

"the small leaf and curlyque located at the top of the stem is dry"

"The underside of the fruit that makes contact with the ground turns from white to buttery yellow"

"Thump the watermelon - "ping" is unripe, "pong" is ripe, dull "thud" is too late.

2008 watermelons imature in September. Start 6-8 weeks before last frost -- mid-April to early May