Will buy them, if you ship or will trade tomato plants. My plants are fairly small right now but in good shape.

Wayne, Disease is always a problem and wilt is a problem I deal with each year. I lost 6 plants under the netting due to wilt, it seem to went straight across in a line down the middle. I also lost one of my Stone mountains. I am completly Organic and I choose not to spray anything even organic sprays. Mainly I choose this approach because I don't have the time to spend worrying about each problem that arises and spending time and money trying to battle it. Instead I choose cultural practices to minimize the effects of insects , birds, deer ,rabbits, coons, squirrels and ever bacterial, fungal and viral microbes out they that want the vegetables and flowers of my garden. I have found the more I learn to let nature take its course and creat a garden inviting to beneficial insects and keeping the ground covered at all timeswith the use of mulches, cover crops, and employing tactics to ward off critters, including vigilant trapping of some pest such as squirrels the garden takes care of it self and I have more time to enjoy my garden and I feel a lot better about the produce I eat and raise. But wilt is probably my worst problem with melons and roatation is the key. I too have grown melons for years but not as long as you have especially in this garden spot. Hopefully I can continue to get a sweet summer melon for my troubles. Frank if referring to the Missouri yellow meated it is a big melon the one pictured is probable 35lbs I picked one the other day and that 's what it weighed. It was devine juicy and sweet. This was the first year growing it. Rodger

Blacktails and Sugarbabies have a bright yellow bottom from the start so don't go by that clue. The yellow bottom clue works well for larger white bottomed melons. Besides the brown tendril and other good clues posted above another one I find useful (esp for small melons easy to turn over) is to look for tiny black specks on the bottom that don't rub off. These are mildew specks and indicate that the melon has sat on the ground for a long time, long enough to be ripe. These black dots show up after the tendril has browned. The black specks are very small (smaller than this period . ) and are found grouped up in a patch of dots. If you ever buy a melon at the store it's the one clue to look for (within the yellow bottom) since no tendrils are attached.

There have been several versions of the Stone Mountain over the years. The original introduced by Hastings was a large green, white seeds with black tips. A lighter shade an bit more oblong than the Black Diamond that replaced it. This was the one also called Dixie Belle by some seed companies. A good melon that was a mainstay along with Dixie Queen for hill country growers. The only version I can find today is the "icebox" sized version, which is vended by Wetzel out of Harrisonburg, Va. Several retailers do Wetzel seed by mailorder. Among them http://www.merrifieldgardencenter.com/products.php?openparent=1089&pid= http://www.roxburyfarmgarden.com/products.php?openparent=1089&pid=