Burpee's Early Crenshaw hybrid is my favorite melon of all! Once I have enough of it, I'll branch out and try some others. This year I decided to finish planting my Ambrosia seeds and finished the patch with the Crenshaws. I'm also growing a yellow watermelon and OrangeGlo. And a Tahitian squash, seeds given to me by Gonefishin'. He said they were sweet enough in the fall to make pies with! Wish I could tell him how they're growing.

vgkg: I think you have it more right than most. Tendril turns brown? Easily several more weeks before it is ripe. Thumping? Not very reliable. If it sounds really hollow, it is probably overripe. I have only been growing them four years now, so I am not expert in telling when a watermelon is ripe. The first one we harvested this year, the nearest tendril had been brown for a week, it "thumped" good, and the end (my crimson sweets seem to sit on the blossom end rather than a side) was just yellow, rather than white. Wasn't quite ripe. Edible, but not really good. I think the tendril thing is not the best indicator. The next one I was willing to harvest after putting off "nurse" for 10-15 days weighed 35#. Way obese for a crimson sweet. Was the sweetest, juciest watermelon I ever tasted in all my years. I could not eat my share of it (temperature and sweetness sensitive teeth). Before it went bad in our refrigerator, "nurse" took some to the old ladies home. They loved it! We have since harvested several good ones. With crimson sweets (all I grow now, since it was developed here in Kansas, and have not had good results with others), I wait until the ground-spot is tan, and it is near the top of the weight range for the species. The seed companies say 20-25# is the range for a crimson sweet. In my experience, I think the best method of determing watermellon ripeness is, when it reaches somewhere near the upper range of growing size, and the ground contact spot is TAN, pick it and hope for the best. Tom

Christie, interesting comments on that link. The lady who called holes hills reminded me of a piece I read long ago about dry country gardening. The idea was to dig out a below level garden to keep hot dry winds off the young plants and to catch rain water. I believe New Mexico was mentioned...it had to be sandy soil or you would have a lake when the rains come. When we first cleared the trees and brush off this old homestead garden area after 40 years of abandonment, we had to shallow till and rake the 4 inches of soil into French Intensive style raised beds. No sides...just pulled the soil up into planting areas about 3 feet wide leaving a walking path in between. Once the tree/brush roots had decomposed after 3 - 4 years of tilling with a big Troybilt horse, we were able to get back to "normal". After reading that link, I would say normal is any bodies guess. ;O)

Yes Windberry, After doing an image search for yellow melon, I too am leaning towards Korean yellow melon. The fruit is relatively small. size of a large mango. when it is completely yellow, I should cut it & taste it,I live in Frisco, Texas.