When To Expect Harvestable Melons

11 years ago

I started imperial 45 cantaloupes, crimson sweet watermelon, and honeydew melons almost two months ago in containers. I have 3 watermelons in a container with a trellis and the rest in containers on the ground (I also did the same with the cantaloupes and honeydews). I have one watermelon per plant in the containers and they seem to be growing pretty well. The oldest one has been growing for about 2 weeks since the flower first appeared and it is almost 5 inches in diameter and slightly over 15 inches in circumference. I tried to weigh it with my digital fish scale and it said 2.5 lbs, but I couldn't really weigh it properly (it really feels at least 5 lbs.). The other two melons on the trellis are not far behind this one. About when can I expect them to be ready for harvest? I read somewhere that they get about 10-12" and 10-25 lbs. And since it is so early here in Florida can I expect to get a second batch of melons from the plants (I understand they might not be as good)? I have supported my melons on the trellis with hammocks made out of old shirts. Was this a good idea or will it slow down the growth of the melon if there is a shirt holding it in? I was also wondering these same things for my cantaloupes and honeydews. I have a couple cantaloupes that are about the size of fists and some honeydews that are just starting to set. Has anyone else grown imperial 45? I guess they get 8-10 lbs, which is a bigger cantaloupe than I'm used to getting from the store. Sorry for all the questions. I'm just in love with melons (especially honeydews).

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Comments (8)

ltilton
11 years ago
What a beautiful, healthy-looking melon bed! The only disadvantage to trellising them like that is they won't develop so clear a ground spot, which is one way to tell when they're ripe.
digdirt2
11 years ago
Imperial 45 is an 80 day melon. So approximately 80 days (+/- 10 days) from when they were transplanted to their final growing place in the garden.

Dave
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simplyoranges
Original Author
11 years ago
I've noticed that since the melons quickly grew to this size,they haven't got much bigger in the last few days. Is this typical? I'm just not sure if my hammocks are constricting them.
digdirt2
11 years ago
They may be to a degree but there isn't anything you can do about it if you are going to grow them that way. Suspended fruit that normally grow vining along the ground just don't have as good a circulatory system supply as those grown normally. Gravity works against them.

But that said, close monitoring for hourly or even daily growth is usually a waste of time; if it was even possible to see. It's the "a watched kettle never boils" approach to gardening as opposed to letting things progress normally.

Dave
simplyoranges
Original Author
11 years ago
Okay. I've got some growing on the ground as well, just in case. They each have only about one melon per plant. It seems like even when multiple female flowers bloom on the same day, one just seems to suck the energy from the rest. Not a big deal though. I should still have more watermelons than I need. My honeydew and cantaloupe melons seem to have no problem growing multiple fruit at once. I have about 4 honeydew melons on one plant and more that keep trying to grow. Not sure exactly how many of them I should do per plant. I've heard 3-5 is the average.
dhromeo
11 years ago
What a neat idea, I had never thought to grow watermelon like that! Is the trellis strong enough to support several 25 pounders? How many melons are you letting develop on that set up?

The best way to tell when the melons will be ready is to search for the Growing Degree Days for yout type of melon, and then find out how many GDD have gone by since planting them. GDD is incredibly accurate for predicting readiness and growth. You can find GDD online for your area, just be sure you aren't looking at heating or cooling degree days, that has to do with energy usage from homes, and calculating energy needs from power plants.
simplyoranges
Original Author
11 years ago
The trellis is very sturdy. Wood working is my first hobby, so I have faith in its durability. I only have three melons on it right now and that's probably what it will stay at until the fruits mature.. I found my GDD since planting, but I can't find the GDD for my melons. Do you know where I can find this? The watermelon variety is crimson sweet.
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
11 years ago
The harness won't restrict growth in the slightest. Also gravity won't adversely affect their growth. My only concern would be if they roll out of their support.

There is really no advantage to this system unless one is restricted on space. And it's not well adapted to a long harvest season.

I've harvested watermelons from the same plants for as long as 4-5 months. But around here that requires careful watering, additional nitrogen fertilizer, and spraying for leafspot and mildew. One hill of three Star Brite watermelon plants stated in March gave nearly 1,000 lbs averaging 27 lbs from June thru October. The final size of those three plants started as one hill was nearly 30 ft diameter.

When To Expect Harvestable Melons

Comments (8)

ltilton

digdirt2

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When To Expect Harvestable Melons

Comments (8)

ltilton

digdirt2

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digdirt2

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dhromeo

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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

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simplyoranges
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simplyoranges
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