Melons

[cleo]

Well the harvest is home and they tasted sublime--------------but------only 4 decent fruit from 3 plants.

Considering the space they took up I do wonder about growing them again next year-maybe I need to go back to school and get it right?

Variety-Jade Lady, grown in soil in a polytunnel

[cleo]

[Doris_Pinks]

Well done  ;D
mine never made it, the slugs pole vaulted across the blue pellets! :'(

[cornykev]

Another no go from me.  :'(

[saddad]

We have half a dozen sprawling giant plants in our exhibition "Schools" Greenhouse but the planter hasn't stopped them... loads of flowers but no fruit!!!
???

[mc55]

I've got six babies off three plants, three are promising but the plant with the best two has died.  I will definitely try again next season.

[Deb P]

I grew 8 plants, all got to the flowering stage and then mildew struck.....I have one little melon about the size of a tennis ball left..... :'(

[Rosyred]

I have a three fruits forming one a little larger than a tennis ball and two golf ball size and i'm hoping that they carry on forming well. These are off two different plants.

[Teej]

I've got 5 plants - Sweetheart, Passport & Tigger - 1 with 2 golf-ball sized & 1 smaller, 1 with 1 tennis-ball size & 2 golf-ball, 1 with 1 about twice the size of a tennis-ball (surely must be nearly ready now!) & 1 golf-ball, 2 plants (including my Tigger melon!) with absolutely nothing but flowers.  I had an absolute beauty a few weeks ago but we went away for a few days & when we got back it head been half-eaten by a slimey something - NOT happy!

I'm just a bit worried now about whether there's enough time left for them to ripen properly.  They're in an unheated greenhouse so I was wondering if it was worth getting a small heater in there - any ideas from any melon experts out there would be welcome.

Will deffo be growing them again as hopefully next summer we'll actually get a summer!

[saddad]

These are they...

::)

[mc55]

well they look really healthy.  I wonder why they've not set fruit ?

[antipodes]

Maybe I will try again next year as mine all died, rotted to nothing in the wet. I will try if WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SUMMER next time tee hee, which was not the case this year  :'(
even the courgettes gave up the ghost and that is unheard of in my book
but congrats to those of you who managed to get some melons or squashes anyway!

[Rosyred]

Guess what I did.... Could see a dead looking plant pulled it up along with two melons :( that were forming but not ready yet, i'll be more careful next time.

[Jeannine]

Might be teaching grandma to suck eggs, but they do need hand pollinating under glass.

[saddad]

Exactly why Jeannine, but as they are not mine...  I did do a few while I was tidying it up...
::)

[cleo]

Humm-after all these replies maybe I didn`t do so badly? And they were pollenated by hand in a rather `in your face way`-male inserted into female, but I did talk them at the time and say "this will be fun" ;D

Yes I know I`m using double entendre and it`s hardly 3 in the afternoon yet but the method does work and saves all that time messing around with a rabbit fur brush.

The tricky part is getting both sexes to flower at the same time-I lost at least half a dozen fruit due to there not being males and females around together

[Old bird]

Hi

I planted about 6 plants in my new polytunnel - growing away a treat!  They, I think were hit with the blight that my tomatoes all died of - lost nearly the lot - left with two one the size of a small ish plum - t'other my new lurcher picked as she thought it was a tennis ball - she tried it and took a chunk out! I wrestled her for it and enjoyed one - even then only one but the taste was SENSATIONAL!  Will definitely grow more next year!

Love the greenhouse Saddad!  What I would do for one of those!!!



;D

[Jeannine]

Saddad, I am not sure I understand your question, are you asking why they need hand pollinating ? XX Jeannine

[saddad]

Sorry Jeannine not clear reply from me. I am certain they haven't been pollinated as required...

[Jeannine]

Saddad,I think in your super large greenhouse you may well have sufficient bugs etc, but in the usual scheme of things under glass they do need hand pollinating if bees etc cannot get to the blossoms.

Below is one I harvested today

[saddad]

Right now I am definitely sulking Jeannine!
;D