Hi Highplainswoman Welcome to Garden Web and The Seed Exchange! I thought you might like to know there is no email link on your member page, thus no way to email you. To set up your email link, just go to the bottom on any page here, and click on Member Pages Then click on Edit your Personal Information, Page, and Preferences You will then probably be asked to login in again. Then check the box Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site. That will place a link on your member page, making it handy for members (potential traders) to reach you in the future. While there editing you might want to also place your state abbreviation in the one box provided for garden zone and location. (see I am zone 5/6 S In) It is beneficial info to have when trading for many reasons. Additionally, there are some traders (myself included) who often do not respond to many posts where the location of the OP is unknown, but that is moreso when trading plants. By putting the state abbreviation in your zone box, it will be listed in your Member Page, and it will also automatically be displayed each time you post. And last, but not least, when you start a thread, there is a box that you can check to receive the follow up replies via email. It is handy to check that, so you don't have to check back on your thread so often. Many members will just post to the thread, and then won't email additionally (particularly if there is no Member page email link) but will wait to hear back from you. Happy Gardening and trading. Sue

You can always try saving hybrid seed. It may not come true to the parent, but in some cases it may. After all that is how breeding new varieties is/was done. Cross breeding and then selecting for desired characteristics over several generations. There also are some varieties which are labeled as hybrid but are not. I've always suspected that it was done to keep people from saving seed. Anyway if you have the watermelons growing now, might as well save some seed and give them a try next year. It may or may not work out, but you have little to loose other than some wasted space in next years garden.

Willhite is an excellent source for watermelon seeds. While they carry diploid hybrid versions of Crimson Sweet (Raspa) and versions of Jubilee ( no Starbright) You might consider Jube-ette . http://willhiteseed.com/products.php?cat=83  Twilley carries diploid hybrid versions of Crimson Sweet (no Raspa) but I have grown Shiny Boy, They do carry many Jubilee types including Starbrite, Summer Flavor 720, and Vista. all of which I have grown http://www.twilleyseed.com/Products.html

We had wild volunteer watermelons growing at the office one year and I picked them all once they got ripe because people that were not from our building were stealing them. I forgot how many there were, maybe 8 or 10. I kept them in a dark room that was cool and dry on an AV cart. AC climate controlled. I'd chill one every few days and cut it and share it with the office for the morning snack. They survived 2 or 3 weeks. Probably would have survived longer. I actually washed each with soap and water after chilling and saved the rind off of several of them to make pickles with. Wonderful! Can't recommend trying them enough. If I were doing them at home, I might suggest washing with a 10% bleach solution and drying them, and then storing in either a spare bathroom in the tub, or in a basement, or spare bedroom on a plastic sheet just in case something happened. Maybe even on newspaper on the plastic. As long as there is plenty of ventilation. Roll them every few days.