I don’t like cantaloupe much either but I grow it for others. I will say that the homegrown cantaloupe is much better than what you get from the grocery store.
I grow melons in Phoenix AZ plants love our 115° hot blistering summer sun. Desert soil is powdered rock it has zero food value for plants 15-15-15 fertilizer is what I use to grow melons plus lime to prevent BER = bottom end rot. It is easy to grow 35 lb. melons. It is very common for each plant to grow 20 melons.
I like to grow the old timey seeded watermelon. I don’t have a problem with the seeds but really prefer their flavor. Last summer I planted cantaloupe. The first two ripe i washed and cut up for the fridge. Had cantaloupe for breakfast. Oh my they were just plain good. Take care of mama hoss’s cantaloupe. I really enjoy your videos on melons. Thanks for your help. It’s one of my favorite summer treats 🍉
That's what I do too. I put down a thick layer of cardboard, wet it down and then pile on the compost about 5 inches thick and plant right into the compost. No wooden sides, no boxes just on the ground. I learned that from Charles Dowding right here on RU-vid, although I was doing it 45 years ago but didn't know what it was called. You don't even till the soil or disturb it in any way, just put the cardboard on top of the ground and then the compost. I like that no dig, no till. It's the easiest way in the world to garden. God bless you Jude, from Kentucky ✝️🐴🌿🇺🇸⚒️🇺🇸
I'm growing these now , I purchased these from yall last year, and they were wonderful, I just planted them on hills ,like my cucumbers 🥒. I'm looking forward to how many we get this year . Mrs j Montgomery County, Texas 🙏
Thanks for giving me the idea of putting my drip irrigation under the weed fabric, I also plan to put shavings on top of my weed fabric to make the ground darker and cooler.
Like you I'm also a watermelon farmer along with cantaloupes and banana melons. What I do differently than most is this: When I plant the transplant, I put a small stake at the root ball so I can find the roots later. I plant the melons 12 inches apart . Then allow them to grow until they are about 12-24 inches in length. Its here that I deviate from the rest of growers. I make sure I have 2-3 good vines going. (max of 3), cut away the smaller ones (if there is more than 3) Then I gently stretch out the 3 vines so they are straight. Cut away any suckers (like you would on tomatoes). Then just let these vines grow nice and straight., always cutting away the suckers which can be a daily choir. Each vine will produce one nice sized watermelon, occasionally 2. You can expect each vine to grow 8-12 feet long. It is so easy doing it this way, weeding is a breeze because you simply along the vines and weed. I fertilize heavy when transplanted and again when fruit begins to grow. I use weed control cloth around a 3 foot perimeter of the root ball for weed protection.
I just watched the other melon video and was juuuuust about to recommend something like this because I tried it with my watermelons for the first time last year and it worked great. It kept the weed pressure down and since the mud splashing up on the leaves after it rains causes a lot of other problems, it eliminated that completely. Now I'm off to order some of the melons you recommended in the other video! Congo, and some cantaloupe and honeydew which I haven't grown before for the same reason as you but my wife and daughter love them so here we go...🤷♀😆
Hi Brad ( Bill Mac from the Wickershire Project ) I'm also growing melons this year. My 1st time. Whats your soil and set up like? Plans for feeding them as they grow. Let me know if you read this! Any and all help counts. I'm growing 16 different species this year (semi new gardener). Our set up ( I think I got it tweaked) We have trucked in 900# of aged compost, perlite, biochar, peat moss, sand. I have Organic blood and bone meal on hand for feeding monthly in 5 gallon grow pots, solar drip lines and a netted trellis system.
I can’t believe yall already planting water melons! We just started ours yesterday. Going to try that this year and see how it goes instead of direct seeding them
Last year I was very successful in the Canary melons cantaloupes, a regular watermelon. I’m gonna try to grow a yellow skin watermelon this year plenty of squash , pumpkins But I am watching you because it’s always good to learn. I’m only been four years in gardening first year was horrible but I’ve been successful from now on been watching a whole bunch of y’all.
This was an irrigation video, not a grow melon Video. I grow in the Mohave Desert. Altho we share the same grow zone 9, it is a very different beast in the desert. EVERYTHING needs a mid-day watering and say goodbye to flowering in July & August.... but it returns like the mother of all flowers when it starts to cool down in September.
My nephew grows melons in the brutal desert of south Texas. He uses shade fabric over his entire garden. It let's enough sun in to grow, yet shades enough to protect. He also uses wood chips as a deep compost, saves watering issues.
@@Oldskooltrucker No sun Shade fabric with me in Las Vegas. Just good ol afternoon watering practices. That is required for a beautiful harvest. It is a mandatory practice if you want to grow in the desert.
Very happy with your great, tough trays. Worth ever penny. As are your tools and seeds. Here in the deep, deep South (on the border with Mexico), it's best to direct seed unless seedless.
I have found that watermelon helps me in the summertime with the heat. It helps way more than water or Gatorade.so I'm interested in growing some and maybe juicing some
Another fine video! You were sweating on this one.... I swear I'm gonna buy a lazy garden kit sooner or later... but I think im slowing down.... back issues and everything else issues
I have trouble growing melons here in n. Idaho with a pretty short season up here in the mountains. But will start them early and see if I can get a few of the small watermelons going! Have to try growing on pots so will see if it works. Only place I can grow them is in my flower gatden on the eest side where the darned deer get into stuff. Hope the deer away spray works better this year with a new one!
HOSS I Need HELP I am a new Melon grower. 7a Central TN (51-53 inches rain yearly with 1 month of drought mid summer. We have plans to test 16 different melon species. Planting date April 24th After the frost. I will be seed starting now in doors ( to test germination ) ( Banana, Madhu Ras, Rocky ford, Minnesota Midget, Ha'Ogen, honey rock, Charentais, Prescott Fond Blanc, Piel de Sapo, Tendral Verde Tardif, Sierra gold, Green and orange flesh Honey dew, All sweet, Blacktail Mountain, and Kleckley's Sweet) I have 2 year old aged Farm manure from a clean farm. Checked the grazing ( open field grass on 600 acres). We have peat moss bales, perlite bags, Organic blood and bone meal to make the soil. I will buy bags of sand soon. I'm growing in 5 gallon grow bags. ( 3 watermelon species will be ground vined due to space issues ) I bought a solar run drip irrigation system , weed barrier, bug netting w/hoops, T-posts for the trellis ( 5x30ft). How much Bone and Blood meal per 5 gallon? I'm thinking 1 1/2 teaspoons of each to start. Not sure if we re-apply the following months with 1 teaspoon of each once the plants get going. Are those feedings just top dressed and watered in...? Suggestions? Most of these are 95 to 120 days ( 3-4 months ) What is a reasonable feeding schedule? Much Love, The Wickershire Project Off grid P.s. We're also doing the normal herbs, peppers, tomatoes, beans, flowers, eggplant, cucumbers, carrots and Brassicas once the weather cools down in fall. I may pick up, Alfalfa meal and kelp meal soon. ( Just optional ).
For new plantings, add 1-2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 2.5-5 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface once each month during the growing season.
I had crossed a old seeded watermelon with a yellow one. The new one is great but I can same to get the fertilizer timing right. I think I may be giving them to much nitrogen
Man I grow orangeglow,moon and stars,golden sweet,crimson,and some yellow flesh ones been doing it for 4 years started as a joke now I got 3 acres of watermelon lol but man each variety has its own quirks and stuff they like and don't
Sorry this isnt a watermellon question. I am and do very good with my sweet corn every year. Ive always planted Incredible this year I ordered temptress from you. Will I be happy with the flavor?
How do you get rid of cucumber beatles because they affect all vining plants , I get cucumbers but 😂don’t get watermelon , squash or pumpkin to grow to full growth because of the Beatles.
Seedless watermelons are grown from seeds produced by crossing watermelon lines to create plants with an odd number of chromosomes. This results in sterile plants that do not produce mature seeds
You're asking a question that has a very long answer. If you're interested in plant breeding there's info out there that explains how it all works. In short though the seedless trait skips a generation so between generations growers get melons full of seeds that will grow seedless watermelons. Seedless watermelons are still able to produce 1-5 mature seeds through a genetic mutation, they would grow the generation of seeded melons but you could harvest the seeds and they would then grow seedless melons. Seedless watermelon plants need to be pollinated by regular seeded watermelons in both their seeded and seedless generations, so where there are seedless for sale there will always be seeded for sale on the side as they grew side by side.
I know y'all probably have slugs at your place, here in Kentucky they're about to eat up everything I plant. Does anybody have a REAL answer on how to get rid of slugs, something that will actually work?! I've tried everything that anybody suggested here on RU-vid and anywhere else but I swear these slugs know every trick in the book. I'm sick AND tired of replanting, my back is not going to hold out much longer. They're destroying everything!!! I HATE SLUGS!!! Did I mention I hate slugs? I am seriously about to give up. God bless all y'all Jude, from Kentucky ✝️🐴🌿🇺🇸⚒️🇺🇸
