The reason trellised melons don't seem give off as much fruit is because people trim their vines to fit the undersized trellises.

Melon vines can reach up to 8' long and typically the blooms on the bottom couple feet are non-fruiting males. The flowers high up on the vine in the 4-8 ft. range are the real fruit bearing blooms. If you go with a strong 8' trellis you could see almost twice as much fruit off that vine.

Thanks, arjo,
Would panting the melons in a long 8' x 2' box and letting them stay on the ground still work with Mel's mix, you think?

I have a really long ranch home with full western exposure, but lots of windows so I can't really do the trellises. If I built a long box along the foundation, I'm just wondering if I could do that with the mel's mix, or if it would compact too much.

Also, any idea how many actual melons 1 single plant will yield if I do trellis it up the wall?

Thanks!
-k

I'll respond to the parts that i may have something to contribute.

"Broccoli, does one broccoli plant keep going all season, or do you only get the main head and a few side heads before you pull it and start over? I mean, do you stagger broccoli for harvesting? And how much does 1 square of broccoli produce? "

On the flat, broccoli will last until hot weather. you get a big main head and then side shoots for several weeks until the heat does it in. it makes a great fall crop. i've found that one plant per square foot is pretty crowded. i grow premium crop...others might work better.

-"-Chard, same question... do you stagger your plantings or just keep harvesting the same plant? And how many to plant? "

I do both. the leaves make great salad fixins.

"-melons, I'm so excited about growing these because we LOVE LOVE melons in the summer."
i do a seperate bed for melons, and i don't trellis because of a severe raccoon problem. i have to keep the melons covered. i've grown melons for a long time and i don't see how they work in a square foot scenerio, at least IMO.

"-peppers, I've never grown these before. Are they as prolific as tomato plants? I have been buying those little mini sweet peppers at Trader Joes by the bucket and spending a small fortune, so I may end up with a few of these plants. "

I think peppers are difficult to get to harvest. Mine have never been as prolific as tomatoes, but i do it anyway. 1 per square foot seems to work.

"-basil, how big do the basil plants get in SFG? (I had a friend with a traditional garden and her basil would get to 5' tall and wide.) "

Genovese and sweet basil are big plants! i stick mine in between tomatoes, and keep them out of the beds.

"-strawberries, I'm going to put these in their own box (separate from the 80ish SF I mentioned previously) but am wondering how many plants to get. I can make a box that is up to 2'x8' devoted entirely to strawberries (I'm going to run it along one whole section of my foundation), but is that too much space? "

you can never have to many strawberries, no...thats not to much space...maybe not enough. a seperate bed is almost a requirement for strawberries.

-
"-peas... Mel's book talks about sugar snap peas but we all prefer the shelling peas. "

sorry, i haven't grown anything but sugar snaps in years.

"-grean beans... I am PRETTY sure that 1 square of a variety should be plenty of yield for us, right? For fun, we'll probably add an extra square with a second variety of bean just for some interesting flavors. "

Well...i like green beans and usually do an 8x4 bed of them. i also do a fall crop. one square foot wouldn't do much for me.

"-cucumbers, we're not huge cuke eaters but I'll probably give it a square so we have some for salads."

this is a good plant to trellis.

"-flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums I'll include in the extra squares for pest control and pretty decoration."

i like marigolds in the garden also. good choice.

hope some of this helps you.

rich

Rich, your answers were JUST the type of answer I was looking for.

First off... RACOONS. OMG, well... that seals it for me. We've got those here and it didn't occur to me they'd climb a trellis to get a melon but that makes sense. I may copy you and do them flat. Do you think a 2' x 8' bed would be sufficient. Or like a 3'x6'. Since you've grown them, can you tell me about what kind of sunlight requirements they have? Do they need or like shade? I have to figure out the best place for them. Thanks!

i grow both muskmelons and watermelons. i have a dedicated bed that is 16 foot long. i start 2 hills at each end, and muskmelons in the middle. they need good light, even constant moisture, and at least in watermelons case...good luck. it really depends on what you want to grow and the variety. 2x8 would certainly handle most muskmelons, but you'd only get a couple of plants i think.

in san francisco, i wouldn't think you'd want to give them much shade...watermelons in particular like heat but blacktail mountain is a variety that was developed for cooler climes and shorter growing seasons.

hope this helps

Hey Flatlander,
I'm actually about an hour inland so we get quite warm summers and near constant 85-95 degree days in late July and August. Last year we had several days UGH over 100. I have a house that is full western exposure, too.

I guess I was worried that the heat and sun, up against and reflecting off my house, would be too much sun for the plants. But if not, then I'm going for it. I love muskmelons and that's what I think I'll start with.

And finally, you say I'd probably only get a couple of plants... but could you guesstimate the yield from a single plant. Is it like 1 melon per plant, or much more than that.

Thanks!
-kristi

my favorite is ambrosia hybrid although i grow a some heirlooms also. i usually get 4-6 melons per plant. i think muskmelons are a more reliable crop than watermelons, but i just can't keep from trying every year. if you're inland and have some heat, try ali baba watermelons.