In the melon patch, what has worked for you?

[digitS']

Here's one that's worked for me - Burpee's Honey Girl! I've grown it over 3 seasons now and it hasn't failed me yet ! It ripens melons continuously over quite a few weeks.

Until I grew Honey Girl, I had made half-hearted attempts every few years and, basically, always failed. Nights that are just too cool are the problem here. Even with all the blazing sunshine thru the long days of July and August, it is just so darn dry and clear that the temperature plummets overnight.

The plants would come up near the time of first frost in September and any melons would just sit there - green. With luck, I could proudly display a ripe fruit the size of a softball but BIG DEAL !!

Honey Girl is a French Charentais melon. It is a true cantaloupe and, oh, so sweet !! There's another Charentais that is supposed to be as early - Edonis (Thompson & Morgan). Encouraged by my experience with Honey Girl, I grew a few more short-season melon varieties last year and they ripened but none were as nice as Honey Girl. I'll grow a couple of these other melons again in 2008 and expect to try more! In the melon patch, what has worked for you??

Burpee describes the melon as, "Solid, deep orange flesh is richly fragrant and intensely sweet. Fruits weigh 2 lbs., ideal for breakfast or lunch. Burpee exclusive. Ready to harvest starting in 75 days."

 

[Hencackle]

It must be nice to have the low humidity you have, digitS'.
I don't know if using a frost blanket--at night--will help you grow the larger melon varieties.

I found that Fastbreak melon works for me. They're small, with a fragrant orange flesh and netted exterior, it's just the right size for 2 people. The days to maturity is 69 days, according to the catalog.

Fastbreak Melon The picture shown on the website is actually a picture of Amy melon, not Fastbreak.

I've tried growing Moon & Stars watermelon--no luck. Guess I will have to try something like Sugar Baby instead.

 

[digitS']

By the end of the season, I look baked - maybe even fried . . . The melons shouldn't require being tucked in every night, Hencackle. Dog gone it!

But, I think I'm with you 100% on Fastbreak. I grew it for the 1st time last season and it's a nice melon and produced well. The most important thing? It ripened ! Good to see there's another thumbs-up on that one!

What about Passport? With the border so close, I felt I needed one!

Steve