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Vegetable Gardening

Update on volunteer Mystery melon!!! (pics)

16 years ago

I poster earlier about some volunteer melon seedlings that popped up in the garden a couple months back. My suspicions were correct; they turned out be be Orangeglo! It was the best watermelon I've ever had!!! Unfortunately, the heavy rains we've been having ruined all but one melon that was still on the vine... same thing happened last year. :(

{{gwi:104346}}

Ain't it a beaut?

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Comments (11)

raisemybeds
16 years ago
I'm not to shy to request some seeds, Phantom. Looks very good indeed. Can you describe the flavor?
phantom_white
Original Author
16 years ago
Well raisemybeds, the flavor was exceptionally sweet with a bit of a fruity background; simply superb to say the least. It beat out the sweetest red fleshed ones I've tasted, buuuuut you must know the majority of the melons I've had were from the supermarket. I'll send you some seeds as soon as they're dry; how many would you like?

Abby
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I don't remember what the melons looked like when they were young, but we were surprised to find the green flesh in the webbed-skin ones and orange flesh in the smooth ones. They were from store-bought fruit we'd thrown in the compost - that house we only grew tomatoes in a small bed at the end of the deck but when we found these plants growing in the compost we took a couple and planted them along the foundation to figure out what they were. After having LB last year we were meticulous about clearing out all the tomato and potato plants, every single leaf, root and fruit, NO volunteers in the beds this year and we trashed the residue instead of composting it. But DH just threw some rotten red potatoes and sprouting Russets(both storebought) in the compost, I hope we don't have problems from those.
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We are in the SF Bay Area also. We just plant the seeds directly into the ground. They take off quite fast. I think we usually plant in March but this year we have alot of rain so I think it will happen later. After all these years with this melon it seems that it doesn't really matter if we do a headstart in pots or not. The plant actually seems hardier when it is sown outdoors. HwLee... our very first year we grew these were from 4 seeds that were given to my mom. We harvested well over 200 melons that summer and autumn! I did tend to the vines often with Miracle Grow etal...Since I didn't remember where the root of it was I sprayed the entire plant every 2-3 weeks. As the years past I didn't even bother to fertilize or even water. It grows like a weed! We barely watered them after the vines were about 3 feet long. And my mom has even cut up and dried some of the melons. They actually make a much tastier stock. Though they are darker in color. Wellspring... These melons if they are fully matured can keep for years. The way my mom has taught me to check for fully matured melons is to check the hardness of the skin. It is full ripe if you can't put your thumb nail through the exterior. We just leave them until I can see the stem of the melon starts to turn brownish. And still you can use the seeds from that same melon to dry. I have done this frequently. You can also use these melon like a hairy gourd melon when they are young. I think in a similiar thread somebody told me his Filipino wife harvest shoots and stirfried them. I'm a bit leary since they seem so hairy! Good luck your SFM this year! I was trying to post some pics but the files are too big for GW.
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Beth, by the great people, you must be talking about me, and the corn must be Jeanette. Right?!?!? I live about 3 1/2 hours drive from Council Bluffs. From Des Moines, I live 50 miles north on I35 and 15 miles east. Yes, our state is larger than you would think. And not really as flat as most people think, either. Yes, there are flat places around the state, but also many nice, small rolling hills. Plus some of the best dirt in the whole world. Oh, by the way, I received the squirrel box today. Just thought I'd bring that up here. :) Jeanette, thanks for the squirrel. Gee, I hope you got one, too. My friend, where DO you find these treasures? I do love it because it came from you! Jeanette also sent the following nuts still in the shell: Brazil, almond, English walnut, pecan, and hazelnut. She also included more peanuts--except these are the larger orange candy ones that are shaped like peanuts plus more Reese's PB cups. Besides all of this, she sent Hershey's n' more creamy fudge, caramel, and marshmallow cookie bars. Yummmm mmmmmmmmmm.....Thanks so much, number 1 angel. I won't be able to get this box out til Thursday, but I will let you know when it goes. Thanks for a VERY fun swap, Beth, Jeanette, and everyone! Mellen
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I routinely get cantaloupe seedlings in my compost pile. Pumpkins too. Never seen watermelon seedlings, though all have seeds dumped there. Do you compost, and did you apply to that bed? If you grew cantaloupes there before, and didn't take care of the developing fruit, they will rot on the vine once mostly mature, and you'll have seeds left there.
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veg_grower964
16 years ago
phantom' bet you are glad your mystery mellon popped up'or you wouuld have missed out ion a good watermelon.I have been growing red flesh every year until this year i planted some orange tendersweet and WOW!! what a difference there sweeter and fruity like flaver. it's been a good season for watermelon growing on the tenn alabama state line. my second crop got pollonated 3 weeks ago and are doing great.

good Luck.

james
raisemybeds
16 years ago
Abby - check your email.
ediej1209 AL Zn 7
16 years ago
Sometimes the unintended surprises are the best. Looks really wonderful. Congratulations on your find!!
phantom_white
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everyone! Ya know, a couple years back I planted Orangeglo and they didn't do squat; didn't even get big enough to have mature seeds in them!!! That's why these melons were such a surprise this year!
veg_grower,
I have one small Orangeglo left and a rather large Chelsea melon too; I don't have much luck with watermelons... this year must've been a fluke. Muskmelons on the other hand, now that's different story all together. Those things are crawling up my sunflowers as we speak! Here's a pic of those; I don't know what they are, but I did plant these. Maybe they're Ambrosia...
{{gwi:104347}}

Abby
veg_grower964
16 years ago
thats what i'm talking about now ' them look great.
it's a shame our climate won't allow us to grow year round.I prefer fresh mellons over eggs and bacon any morning';';;

james
cecilia7
16 years ago
Hey there Phantom,

I'm in upstate SC zone 7 and I can i.d. this melon as either a relative or maybe even the very same orange fleshed heirloom watermelon that I'm attempting to grow from seed in my parent's veggie garden. Our plants were started from seed around the end of June and have yet to produce fruit of any substance:( ! I did stress them quite a bit in their first weeks, but I'm nursing them along now and there are babies on the plants about 2 inches long!! I'll check the seed packs in the a.m. tomorrow (sat.) and let u know what mine are...yours look like I hope mine will soon!! Happy gardening! -Jenn
paveggie
16 years ago
Can't ID your muskmelon, but am reasonably certain it is not Ambrosia. That does not usually have that netting pattern.
phantom_white
Original Author
16 years ago
Hmmm... I wonder what they are then? I've ruled out the Hollybrook considering they look nothing like those round ones, and I know they can't be watermelons. The only other seeds planted in the patch were Eden's Gem and Schoon's Hard Shell.
westtexan
16 years ago
I would say that those are Ambrosia melons. I just compared this pic with the ones growing in my garden and they look identical. Now the leaves are another story...yours look way healthier than mine after the aphids had a go at them. I don't seem to have the aphid problem anymore so maybe my plants will survive.

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