Melons - minnesota midget

[anemone]

Has anyone grown these ?

I have a plant with a few tiny melons on it, they are around 2-3 inches wide. After googling I was waiting until they were 5 inches wide. However today the biggest one seems to have rotted from the bottom up leaving a big hole. Should I have picked it earlier ?? I don't want to miss the timing with the others.

I was so excited to see the little melons growing - I've tried growing them before but never got an actual melon and this time I have 5 growing on one plant!

[anemone]

[PurpleHeather]

I always collect melon seeds and grow at least one a year. In the UK, even in a greenhouse I have never actually got what I would call a 'decent melon'. Loads of mini ones over the years. (oops have I opened floodgate here to some one who grows some regularly?)

It is a fun thing to do but like with every thing else, we have to get a crop then we must sort out the too big, too small, mis-shaped and infected.

Much the same with all sorts of species in the reproduction game. 

The UK climate is certainly not geared to growing tropical fruits and there are a lot of things we can grow, THEY can not. Leeks and sweet peas to name two.

I suppose we will all have to wait until we die and go on to gardener's heaven where there will be the perfect conditions so that we can grow everything we want to with total success..................

[Spudbash]

Anemone, I've just had my only outdoor Minnesota Midget, and I wonder if my experience is of any help?

My MM was about 2 1/2 inches wide and had developed a hole in the end. On closer inspection, I saw that ants had found their way inside; the flesh was a goodish, pale orange colour and smelled properly melony. There was a crack at the stalk end, which I believe is a sign of ripeness. I cut away where the ants had been and cut the rest into wedges - they were delicious, but didn't go far, between five of us!

I have a Minnesota Midget plant indoors and the two fruits are much larger, more like a conventional melon. Nowhere near ripe, though, as far as I can see. I'm quite proud of their size, but the anticipation is getting to me!  ;D

I also have two Prescott Fond Blanc plants indoors, but have had trouble pollinating them and the melons are still tiny and may not have enough time to ripen, I fear.

Have invested in more varieties of seeds for next year (cut-price ones, of course!) and hope to compare notes with other melon growers when possible.

Is anyone else growing these luscious fruits?

Spudbash  :)

[anemone]

Thank you both. I don't mind them being tiny really - I'm just too pleased to have melons ! I did cut away the bad part of the one melon and the flesh was just as you described and tasted good :) The tip on the stem cracking is useful I will check the others when I go up tomorrow, and stop waiting for them to reach 5 inches. 

Are there any other tips to see if they are ripe? I read online that they smell obviously like a melon but I really couldn't tell this with the one that went too far - it is quite hard to reach the tiny things to smell in the middle of my bed anyway.