Watermelons produce about one lb per sq ft. So your area is big enough to produce one small melon. That only takes one plant. Either that or they need more room, out or up. My watermelon area is about 30ft by 30 ft. If I can keep them producing from July to October I might get 1,000 to 1,500 lbs. To produce that long takes careful watering, fertilizer, and spraying for foliar disease. What it really boils down to is that your area isn't big enough for watermelon. If you can't let them spread out they need to go up, as sated above.

Melons like loose sandy soil and lots of room, and full sun. I till my patch every year and add whatever a soil analysis says that it needs. I direct seed around the 1st of May, and when the plants start to run, I give them a high nitrogen fertilizer, and feed them nothing else. Since i have limited space, I plant mine fairly close(4ft. centers), and keep the plants well watered, if there is no rain. I don't remove any flowers at all, nor do I prune the plants or remove any fruit. I leave them alone. Don't worry about the wasps, because they help with pollination. I don't hand pollinate. You should have ample, bumble bees, honey bees, and wasps to do the job for you. The ones that you've lost because they turned brown and mushy, were lost because they were poorly pollinated, and are naturally aborted by the plant. Once the melons have started to develop, and nature does not provide any rain, I water the plants at the base in the morning only. Watering melons in the afternoon will tend to cause them to split in the field. I also limit my selection of melons to ones that I personally like to eat and I know will grow well for me. I find that variety selection is one of the most important factors as to how successful you will be.

"Hello again," to anyone and maybe especially maybe to akamainegrower, if you happen still tobe around this forum... Due partly to my having as yet not been able to get much of any reply to somewhat extensive inquiry sent the past year or so to two (I think--having various inquiries and "feelers" out there to various places, it's a little hard to keep exact track) heavily involved in blueberry research , I've elected for now to try contacting that other type of place you mention: Christmas Tree Growers' Association (s). But, so far , a few weeks later, no response. Of course, the timing isn't necessarily the greatest, being around tree selling time, as well as apt to be time already of some freezing already of the ground. That University of Maine department which you mention, also may be of interest. At the same time, maybe "if" I could , before contacting them, run a test myself to , hopefully, get some sort of actual proof begun, of one or more of my specimens actually being immune-maybe that might help make my inquiry to them or to whomever, more intriguing? Sure seems like it couldn't hurt; and in these days of easy photography and easy communicating, maybe I could at least visually document my efforts doing such actual test. But , besides that the bushes involved are somewhat "well out" in the woods...under a foot of snow and ice I guess, around now...I still will have to somehow come up with a few young fir seedlings or young plants that have the disease (to use as source of disease spores to expose the blueberry bushes to...inside on my big plant-growing window sill, I guess). Maybe --by some longshot chance--someone here would happen to know of and have access for digging up ,of a few young "infected" firs trees (any kind of firs, although if it'd be wild firs rather than tree plantation ones, seems to me it'd most likely end up being "balsam" firs). Young or seedling firs "infected" with this fir-blueberry rust, that is...(the Pucciniastrum goeppertianum one...the one that causes broomlike growths on blueberry plants, and I guess as to on the firs, causes just small yellowish or whitish spore capsule happening on some of the needles . I maybe should stress, in case I haven't mentioned it before, about the "other" kind of witches broom happening with fir trees: the "other" kind does make broomlike growth happening on the firs themselves...but that's a totally separate disease, if/when "that happens". The only ones I'd be interested in are young or seedling firs happening to have gotten the first type of "witches broom " disease, the one wherein it's only the blueberry bushes that get the brooms, with the firs , again, just getting some kind of small-to-tiny tag growths on their needles. I do think that likely as not, patches or areas of firs of most any kind , happening to be very near (especially within maybe 50 to 100 feet[ of a bunch of wild highbush blueberry bushes or a patch of lowbush blueberries, IS by my guess, at least pretty likely to be involved with the blueberries with infection of this disease happening between them. Given these two types of plants growing nearby one another, the infection of this disease that I see as likely, might be easiest to spot the likelihood of, by checking whether the blueberry bushes have any if the broomlike growths showing. There would be pictures readily available (I think I'll also see if I can get hold of some images and post links here, assuming that's allowed and that I can figure out the procedure) to check further what to look for, online such as at Google Images, Yahoo Images, etc. (searching for , probably: witches broom, blueberry. or: fir blueberry rust). Which, especially as to possibly making available to me, a few of these prospective "infected" young firs--would be "going some", I realize. Therefore, here's what I think (hoping there's no proscription here "against" it) I think I can offer (if anybody's not already been too bored , here, to read this far): If anyone can find and have or get access (for digging) such an instance of little fir trees and blueberry bushes growing together, or adjacent, such that it's resulted in the occurrence of this disease, and would be willing to try to dig three or so of the infected firs for my use: than, while it'd be apt to need to be "first come, first served " and maybe only one deal available: I believe can try to make it worth your while, monetarily (make an offer?) Pictures "first," please...of the plants on the site, showing infection (typically very obvious when it happens) of some of the blueberries on the site, with the broom-like growths. Also, if possible, pics of the evidence of the disease on the little firs that would be dug. Maybe send COD, for no risk? or otherwise, putting them for me on Ebay? I'll try to follow here, of course, for replies...while I believe my profile page does have a link for privately emailing me, if anyone wants. "Thanks" to all.

dangsr2- All you need to do is: - highlight the string of characters (place pointer on one end, left click and go towards other end). - while its still highlighted, right click & press copy - then open a new window, right click inside the address bar and press paste - then hit enter or click on GO. Then it will show the picture. Herman the link just worked for me so maybe you're doing something wrong??? Anyway, someone else just posted the pic for me! TY! (how did you do it?)