Produce > Edible Plants
Growing Melons
saddad:
Emir has worked well for me for the last few years... so I'm expecting it to drop off the lists!
cudsey:
I checked the seeds today on the allotment and they are Outdoor Wonder very happy with how many fruits but will need to taste them to see before final thoughts
Vinlander:
Excuse me for taking a glass-half-empty approach, but if you can't beat, trounce, drub & marmalise the flavour of what's in the shops then it's pretty pointless - there are much better things to grow (especially if the shops sell rubbish - eg. their plums are either near-tasteless asian species or sold grossly unripe, so growing gages is my top priority). NB. I only grow parsnips because they take less work than walking to the shops.
Any fruit that ripens well off the tree/plant requires some clear thinking before you bother growing it.
For example - take pears. There are several good varieties in the shops (when the season starts properly) so they aren't worth growing unless you love a specific variety that the shops don't provide.
I would love a Doyen de Comice tree, but Concord can be found in shops and is a DdC cross with quite a bit of its parent's flavour.
The worst fruit to bother with IMHO is aubergines. They don't really like it here and only do well under plastic, but then they are an absolute magnet for spider mite. If you do manage to get a decent crop you will find that while you were thrashing around for your first fruit, the season got well into full swing and they are cheaper than chips in the supermarket and even cheaper at the street markets. OTOH the round Turkish species dodge spider mite and aren't in the shops, though they are a bit small to make fritters
Melons aren't much better - I've grown some pretty good melons, but after I succeeded (with a lot of time, resources and effort) I realised the best ones in the markets tasted better (if you learn how to find the most perfectly ripe one - there is a fresh floral scent at the blossom end - the sweet part of the scent shouldn't overpower the floral or it will be sweet without flavour and will be moving towards mealy).
Cheers.
Beersmith:
but if you can't beat, trounce, drub & marmalise the flavour of what's in the shops then it's pretty pointless
No arguing with that!
Paulh:
--- Quote from: Beersmith on August 14, 2021, 22:01:23 ---but if you can't beat, trounce, drub & marmalise the flavour of what's in the shops then it's pretty pointless
No arguing with that!
--- End quote ---
Except that there are some things (like melons) which offer a challenge for a few seasons - the pleasure in having grown one, even if it is not as good as you could buy!
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