Asian Melons

[JimWWhite]

I know that by now many of you have received your garden pornography catalogs and have been drooling over the Baker's Creek one like I have. My question is has anyone tried the Asian and Russian melons they have in there? I'm thinking I'm going to order a couple of varieties of seeds to see if they're all they say they are.

 

[wifezilla]

I ordered Rich Sweetness 132 melons for this year. They look cool so I hope they taste as good as they are supposed to

Last year I grew collective farm woman melons. Those are yummy!!!

 

[digitS']

Asian melon, Jim? Are you talking about the Sakata Sweet in their catalog?

Sakata is a very old Japanese seed company. I enjoy their cucumbers and some other veggies. But no, I haven't tried that Asian melon.

Baker Creek (why do I always want to type "Baker Street" ), doesn't carry them but I have grown Honda and Golden Sweet. Their early maturing dates are what I attracted me to them . . . also, that they are different.

Golden Sweet is golden but isn't sweet. At least it wasn't in my garden :/. Honda is a very nice little melon. Anyway, I hope Sakata would turn out more like Honda for you, if you decide to grow that one.

Sprite is an Asian melon. I sometimes see it in the supermarket here. My understanding is that lots of Sprite melons are grown in your state and it was developed by North Carolina State University. Seems like Asian melons should like it in your garden.

Steve

 

[silkiechicken]

I can't speak for all Asian melons, but the Golden Sweet one, if that's the golden colored striped ones I get in the Asian markets, are never that sweet really... they are sweet compared to other Asian veggies though, that's for sure. LOL

They have a different flavor and texture compared to the standard melons you find in American grocery stores. The Golden colored striped melon is VERY popular among the Korean community. With my American taste buds... it's not that great no matter how many I split open to eat... maybe it's just too dry for my likings? Gushy sugary fruit tastes better than a dry sugary fruit.

Granted, the Asian friends who I have that came to the US as adults can't stand the baked goods or candy bars here because they say they are sweeter than eating pure sugar... which is probably true. LOL So as a banana I am, I can enjoy cadbury eggs to the fullest, while my buddies who did not grow up here would probably have a seizure upon sight of the mass of sugar. Speaking of which... I need to buy some.

 

[digitS']

Much of it must be what one expects, Silkie. With some folks, most anything unexpected nearly sets off a seizure.

Golden Sweet (not striped, just gold) are very like Armenian cucumbers IMO . . . Now there's a veggie with a very everyday name, cucumber. But, it grows to look like something Klingons would serve at the table!

Then it turns out that Armenian cucumbers are Cucumis melo, so . . . they are melons! Maybe Golden Sweet and Armenian cucumbers are more closely related than appearances suggest.

Some of the Asian melons are really very attractive. It would seem appropriate for them NOT to taste like a cucumber! Why aren't they as sweet as a ripe French Charenais? Honda comes part way down the road. And, who gave it that name: Honda??




I am waiting for Jim to grow that Sakata Sweet and tell us it is the most heavenly sweet thing on earth! I know that it is possible! After all, Europe is just an Asian peninsula!

Steve
edited to add a YouTube to the picture . . .

 

[JimWWhite]

Ok, Ok!!! I'm ordering three varieties from Bakers Creek today and I hope to get them in the ground by middle of April. I'll keep everyone posted as to how well they do and how they taste if we get them that far.

 

[vfem]

I am such a sucker, if I see it now I want to try it....

But I will be doing the new popular NC melon (the sprite melon) they'll be available country wide by 2012, for now they are local. I picked one up at the farmers market last year and saved the seeds... planted 2 in August to test if they grew true, and they do! Tiny melons, with tiny vines.... no mess or tangle. Fabulous for room, and the melons are very sweet, about as hard as honeydew. About the size of a baseball, and I got 2 per vine.

 

[barefootgardener]

I have grown Sakata's Sweet the last couple years. The first year I tried to grow it up a trellis in my garden, and while the plant did pretty well, I did not get any melons. I planted late in the season though..They need a longer and hot season to produce full size....So get some started early..

Last season 2010, I finally had a GH...I threw some SS seeds in a large hanging basket just to see what happened...I had a beautiful plant that produced six small melons that were about three inches in size..(normal for SS)..They were a beautiful soft green in color and took a while before they turned partially golden before they were ripe..They are supposed to be all golden when ripe, but mine werent..They were really good. The skin was crisp, the flesh was sweet and slightly mild, and refreshing. I am growing it again this season, but up a trellis in my GH, and also trying again outside, but will start the outdoor seeds..inside at least four weeks early..

I grew the Armenian Cukes up a trellis in my GH last season..And boy, did that plant get huge..Climbed over the top of my GH...Ended up with some very nice cukes/melons...very nice, crisp, taste,,slighttly sweet and mild..The Sakata's Sweet has a bit more sweetness and flavor to it!

I have pic's of the AC..I will post..and only one or so of the SS hanging basket I will try to post..

Ginny

 

[barefootgardener]

Here is the Sakata's Sweet in a hanging basket..Just at the soft green stage, before turning slight golden..later in the season. Some of the leaves from the vine were starting to turn brown at this stage..

 

[barefootgardener]

A few Armenian Cukes/Melons..