Melon Update & Honey Orange melon review (pics)

14 years ago

Last thursday I went out to check on my melons and found this one had split. Boo...i had watered them lightly the day before and now know not do do that again. You would think I would have learned my lesson from the split charentais I had 1.5 weeks ago.

I was a little bummed because this melon did not have a very frangrant aroma and was still a little fuzzy so I thought I was not going to be ripe or very sweet...

Boy was I wrong. I was delicious. An awesome melon. It has honey undertones and a great texture.

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On Sunday I picked another one to share with friends. They all thought it was a great melon.

Yesterday (monday) I picked the final honey orange from the cinderblock garden. It was not fuzzy and was quite smooth. I read that this is an indication that the melon is ripe as it does not slip from the vine. Also the tendril closest to the melon was brown, which is supposed to be another indicator.

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charentais in cinderblock garden. I have eaten 1 and have 4 more on the vine.

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Charentais grown on trellis with 4 melons.

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honey orange grown on trellis with 4 melons.

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Here is a link that might be useful: 1st year gardening blog: tomatoes, melons, peppers, cukes, zukes, mangos

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Comments (11)

melon_grower
14 years ago
Great pictures. I'm glad to hear that you didn't turn off the watering and the melon still taste great.
tammysf
Original Author
14 years ago
Melon grower. You may want to try this next year as it ws recommeded by the nursery because it did not need a lot of heat to ripen.

San mateo master gardeners grew a bunch of melons and did a taste test and this was one of their top pics.
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melon_grower
14 years ago
Tammy, I just ordered some honey orange melon seeds. I need to be able to tell when the melon is ripening. This melon has a nice fragance so that should help me.
lantanascape
14 years ago
Those look great. How large of a fruit are they?

I grew Jenny Lind and Minnesota Midget this year, but would like to add something different next year.
tammysf
Original Author
14 years ago
Melon_growers. Mine were not that fragrant. Charentais and arava were more fragrant but when outside looked creamier and less fuzzy they were ripe for me. The unripe melons have this fuzz on it and it gets smooth when ripe. It did smells if I put my nose right up to melon.

This melon was really tasty. Sweet with firm flesh.

Lantana: they are supposed to get 3-4 lbs but I don't have a scale but biggest of the melon I am growing (charentais and arava). About 5 inches long and heavy.
sprtsguy76
14 years ago
Nice looking melons. I bet they taste great. I got a honey dew melon and a cantaloupe going in a swc. I'm anxious to see how they taste. Dont know if your into watermelon but I've been growing Blacktail Mountain for three years now. The great thing about this watermelon is it ripens just fine in cooler weather and their only about 8-12 pounds. But the best thing about Blacktail Mountain is the taste and texture, just awsome, really sweet and crisp flesh. It never lets me down after three seasons.

Damon
tammysf
Original Author
14 years ago
Damon

That's the watermelon my local nutsery recommended so I am gonna try it.

Can you control water in swc to sweeten up melons?

What kind?

Post pics when ripe please.
sprtsguy76
14 years ago
The SWC is kind of an experiment with the cantaloupe and honey dew, so I'll see how everything tastes soon. I cant really control the water cut back in the SWC's containers. As far as the Blacktail Mountain goes, I grow that in the ground every year.

Damon
melon_grower
14 years ago
Tammy, here is something to brag about, NOT. I picked a green honeydew because the vine is dying. Oh it was so bland, just a little bit sweeter than a cucumber. I did turn the watering off on this vine but I don't know what happened. Not sure I want to grow this type of melon next year(I have tons of seeds left).
tammysf
Original Author
14 years ago
Melon_grower

That's how I felt about the arava. The 1st one was not that sweet so I let the others stay on a lot longer. They sweetened up a bit but still did not compare to honey orange or charentais.

I think I just prefer orange flesh melon to green flesh.

I am picking a charentais for dessert tonight ;)
sprtsguy76
14 years ago
Tammy- here is that honey dew & cantaloupe in a swc. I'm worried about the flavor because as you already know I have not control over the water.

Damon
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Melon Update & Honey Orange melon review (pics)

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Melon Update & Honey Orange melon review (pics)

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