Ruby, The av's are planted in nursery plastic pots. They are those plain green things 3" tall with a 4" diameter that you can find at Home Depot et al. I paid 9 cents apiece. They fit the soup cups with about 1/4" gap around the border. The teacup is 2.5" tall with a 3" diameter. The av in that is planted in a cut-down yogurt cup with holes punched in the bottom. The soup cups can be found in many household stores. I got my plain white ones (they also come in bright colors and I have a blue one holding a pink av) at Kitchen & Company for about $4 each. The one with the design was a Christmas gift (there are two) from a friend. I'm glad you like my flowers. And my apologies again for my initial incompetence in uploading the pictures. Krys

We are in the SF Bay Area also. We just plant the seeds directly into the ground. They take off quite fast. I think we usually plant in March but this year we have alot of rain so I think it will happen later. After all these years with this melon it seems that it doesn't really matter if we do a headstart in pots or not. The plant actually seems hardier when it is sown outdoors. HwLee... our very first year we grew these were from 4 seeds that were given to my mom. We harvested well over 200 melons that summer and autumn! I did tend to the vines often with Miracle Grow etal...Since I didn't remember where the root of it was I sprayed the entire plant every 2-3 weeks. As the years past I didn't even bother to fertilize or even water. It grows like a weed! We barely watered them after the vines were about 3 feet long. And my mom has even cut up and dried some of the melons. They actually make a much tastier stock. Though they are darker in color. Wellspring... These melons if they are fully matured can keep for years. The way my mom has taught me to check for fully matured melons is to check the hardness of the skin. It is full ripe if you can't put your thumb nail through the exterior. We just leave them until I can see the stem of the melon starts to turn brownish. And still you can use the seeds from that same melon to dry. I have done this frequently. You can also use these melon like a hairy gourd melon when they are young. I think in a similiar thread somebody told me his Filipino wife harvest shoots and stirfried them. I'm a bit leary since they seem so hairy! Good luck your SFM this year! I was trying to post some pics but the files are too big for GW.

This is a great thread. We all love what we collect and isn't it wonderful that most of us collect something different? I collect blue and white Staffordshire Transferware from England, early to mid 1800's. I have over 100 Cup Plates, a little more or less than 4" diameter. They were used as a coaster with the handless cups with bowl shape saucer of 6" from the 1820-1850 period. Often confused with a child's plate from a toy tea set. I also have many patterns of dinner ware pieces of a specific potter E. & G Phillips, Longport England. American butter stamps, butter churns and English cream pots with dairy names stamped or transfered on the pot and numerous other things too many to list. I am just addicted to antiques and collectibles. I also clean and repair and resale and upgrade my English china. So my life is a constant buy, clean, repair, resale, collect more upgrade..etc. I tell my husband I am recycling and being green! I love,love, love what I do. I cannot imagine not ever being able to buy and also resale to share my knowlegde. I also have an extensive library of reference books and love researching everything.

Loved the story about your Mom. I can just picture her 'hunting' those dishes down. What a treasure of a memory too. I can relate to your Mom scouring the Thrift Shops, before it was the thing to do..I even laughed, cause I can remember my Mom doing the same thing..in the 60's. I was so shocked and kind of humliated (naive) when she brought 'her treasures' home. Then, one day, shortly after I was married, she showed me two Pressed Back chairs,some Blue Willow dishes and a McCoy Indian Head Cookie Jar (which we didn't realize its value one day) that she 'found'! That was it...I told her to take me along so I could find these things too....and so, the begining of MY addiction for old things..especially Blue & White China and Ironstone....With endless trips to the Salvation Army (Sally's Ally) filled with wonderful dishes and glassware..Tag Sales and Thrift Shops..Estate Sales and Auctions...I quiver as I write! I agree, as long as we're not hurting anybody with our 'habit' >>> :) > I say go for it! jane