Hi Wayne, yesterday I picked 3 Orangeglos hoping they are ripe, was going to pick them last week but decided to wait a bit. Loaupes here are doing good but the early patch is heading south. The early melons surprised me this year and sprung back to make even more melons. I may have to sacrafice a few of them as those vines will have to be ripped out for fall crops next weekend. It's been a pretty good year overall even though we've had some dry spells. Got about 20 asst Wmelons under the leantoo now with 12 more in the fridge. Got that many even though I've been giving them away fairly constant. Same with the tomatoes of course, VgQn has passed her canning limits so everything goes. Late cukes ready to kick in for pickling, and my late pumpkins (planted on a whim July 1st) are setting now so I may actually have some on Halloween for a change. Sweet potatoes are all over, looking forward to the late harvest. Even got some grapes this year, figured I'd have to retire first...

Wayne, Disease is always a problem and wilt is a problem I deal with each year. I lost 6 plants under the netting due to wilt, it seem to went straight across in a line down the middle. I also lost one of my Stone mountains. I am completly Organic and I choose not to spray anything even organic sprays. Mainly I choose this approach because I don't have the time to spend worrying about each problem that arises and spending time and money trying to battle it. Instead I choose cultural practices to minimize the effects of insects , birds, deer ,rabbits, coons, squirrels and ever bacterial, fungal and viral microbes out they that want the vegetables and flowers of my garden. I have found the more I learn to let nature take its course and creat a garden inviting to beneficial insects and keeping the ground covered at all timeswith the use of mulches, cover crops, and employing tactics to ward off critters, including vigilant trapping of some pest such as squirrels the garden takes care of it self and I have more time to enjoy my garden and I feel a lot better about the produce I eat and raise. But wilt is probably my worst problem with melons and roatation is the key. I too have grown melons for years but not as long as you have especially in this garden spot. Hopefully I can continue to get a sweet summer melon for my troubles. Frank if referring to the Missouri yellow meated it is a big melon the one pictured is probable 35lbs I picked one the other day and that 's what it weighed. It was devine juicy and sweet. This was the first year growing it. Rodger

I live near Haddonfield, in Camden county, NJ and am trying my hand at growing figs for the first time this year. I got one tree (variety unknown - maybe Celeste?) at a local farmer's market last September. Per instructions I left it outside 'til the leaves fell and then wintered it over in the basement - but it started growing! Anxious to get it in the ground I made the mistake of planting it in the side yard (western exposure) in early April. We'd had some quite warm weather that fooled me into thinking spring had come early. It had not. The tree suffered terribly in a windstorm with sustained winds over 40 mph and the snow that hit a week later. losing all its leaves and killing the growing tips of all the shoots. The good news is that the tree sprouted new shoots from four of the five "trunks". It is now doing just fine and enjoying a bit of a growth spurt, although I'll be surprised if it yields any fruit this season. Today I purchased a second fig tree. This one is a Hardy Chicago from Lowe's. I put it into a 12" plastic pot where it will stay for at least the first year or so. I plan on bringing this one into my enclosed but unheated porch next winter. A friend and neighbor also has a fig tree of unknown variety that has survived one winter outdoors. I'll try and get a cutting or two from her to plant next year. I look forward to seeing which one performs best for me.

Nice photos! Looks like you lucked out with some healthy trees. I have an English Brown Turkey from Burnt Ridge. I got it last year and it produced one very late fig which tasted good. The same tree produced about 12 figs this year with the quality exponentially better. Only the figs are medium size and not large like the catalogue describes. You're right about Desert King producing brebas but your trees are still very young and therefore fruit production on the Desert King is just delayed this first season. Hopefully you'll get some ripe fruits before the end of the season and if so, don't be surprized if they are smaller than expected size for Desert King and the flavor, suboptimal. You have to give these immature trees two or three seasons to start producing quality fruit. I have a Violette Sollies which is two years old and produced two figs this season. One ripened two weeks ago and the other one is just now swelling. The first fig was medium size and tasted pretty good for being relatively immature. I know for a fact that next season, it will be even better! You did well by ordering from Burnt Ridge. They rank with places like Paradise Nursery.