Growing melons

Perfect melon growing latitude is 30N to 35TD; Spanish Springs is 39 to 38' 57" N

January - try to buy 75 day varieties

Melons like it hot and bright: sunny days in the eighties, nights in the sixties. Melons Mature 80-120 days after seeding: some watermelons need about a month longer (up to 150) says. None of the melons take kindly to frost, but if you don’t have a decent interval between spring and fall freezes, there are ways to stretch the season.

Soil light, deep and well drained: sandy loam is best. Amend soil in the fall with leaf mold and compost, green manure or cover crop.

September – set up next year’s melon bed. South sloping to promote warmth, small enough to work in without stepping on growing area; protected from N and/or W wind.

Rotate your melons to a new area every year, especially if the soil is infected with nematodes or Fusarium.

Watermelon does well in acidic (ph 5-7); melon prefers basic or alkaline (ph 7-8).

Root systems are large but relatively shallow.

Melons hate soil compaction and water logging. Protect from wind, especially N and/or W, but don’t block out the sun.

Plant after threat of frost has passed and soil temps are at least 60. Four inch transplants should work just fine and produce fruit.

April - Nick and soak watermelon seeds; start 4 inch pots with 4-5 seeds each, 2-4 weeks before Memorial Day (find out when air temps stay above 60 at night -- can I plant three weeks prior to that if transplants covered with Agrobon); keep in a dark moist place until seedlings emerge in about a week at 75-85 degrees. Watermelon can take longer because seeds are tough, scarify and soak first. Once seedlings emerge provide 16 hours under grow lights, keeping them 2-3 inches from the light. Thin to three plants per pot; feed with diluted fish emulsion once or twice a week until they’re ready for the garden.

Six millimeter black polyethylene is helpful.

At planting, mix a shovel full of well-rotted manure into the soil and plant melons in “hills” a grouping of three or four. Sprinkle soil with diatomaceous earth for slugs; use Bt for caterpillars. Cover with Agrobon for 3 weeks until plants are established

Remove any leaves that show signs of disease, cull (prune out) defective fruits to 2-3 per vine; wrap fruits in Agrobon bags to deter cucumber beetle.

September to-do

Fruit trees:

Check soil moisture; start cutting back on water
Clean up wind fall fruit at least weekly
Harvest apples - fruit ripe when seeds are dark brown to black

Neighborhood fruit - quince

Some are ripe in late September, watch for more in October. Used some to make apple/quince jelly yesterday. Pretty!

Melons - how to tell they're ready to harvest

Melons
When trying to determine a melon’s ripeness, look at the condition of the stem and skin color. Cantaloupes “slip” from the vine, leaving a scar where the stem was attached. The bottom, or end opposite the stem, will be soft and fragrant. Their straw-colored skin should be bright. A ripe honeydew may remain attached to the vine, but should also be soft on the bottom side, opposite the stem. While on the vine, watermelons will have a small, curled tendril extending from the vine opposite from where the stem is attached to the vine. This tendril will turn brown and dry out when the melon is ripe. The stem should still be green and difficult to remove from the vine. The skin touching the ground should be buttery yellow. All melons continue to ripen after they have been removed from the vine, and should be stored in the refrigerator or a cool place.

From an article by Leslie Allen, Aug. 16 for Aug. 23, 2007 publication in the Reno Gazette-Journal

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

Apple trees - September

Cooler temperatures mean less evaporation and transpiration, so check your soil moisture and adjust watering time/volume.

Some apple varieties are beginning to ripen. A ripe apple will have dark brown to black pips (seeds), comes off the tree easily when slightly twisted, and yields to the pressure of the end of your thumb when squeezed.

Many apple trees are starting to drop of their fruit now. Some are ripe, but many have codling moth damage. Remember, apples that have lain on the ground or in the grass for more than 24 hours may contain bacteria in and on them. Windfall apples are not safe to eat raw or to make cider.

Apples that have fallen and been on the ground for more than a day should be picked up and disposed of as they may still contain the codling moth larvae. The best way to limit future codling moth damage is to remove fallen, damaged apples a soon as possible after they fall. So, rake up those fallen apples a couple of times a week and dispose of them. I will clean up the fallen apples, then check twice daily for windfalls to use for pies.

For those of you who would like to taste different varieties of apples, you might want to plan a trip over the hill to Placerville or Sebastopol. The Sebastopol area has several orchards and roadside stands with Gravensteins (the area specialty) and several other varieties of apples. The Sebastopol crop ripens early but should still have apples now; try http://www.kozlowskifarms.com/ for more info. The town also hosts a cider maker http://www.acecider.com/.

In September and October, join the crowd (hordes on weekends) at Apple Hill near Placerville. Numerous orchards have pies, cider (fresh juice), lunches, and many varieties of apples. The larger places stand out, but try some of the smaller growers on the back roads. If you’re able to get away on a weekday, you will avoid the crowds, but Apple Hill is a worthwhile trip even on a Saturday or Sunday. Be sure to try an Arkansas Black, a Mutsu, and an Esopus Spitzenburg. For more info, go to http://www.applehill.com/.

For those readers who have lawns, fertilize in mid September to help grass promote root growth for the winter.