How do you select a watermelon?

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Yesterday I saw the old guy with the melons on the way to town to sell eggs and get groceries. I really wanted one more good melon before fall so I stopped on the way back.

I felt really bad for the old guy. He didn't know he had a load of bad melons. I didn't know him personally but knew of him, recognized his name when he told me, by all reports an honest man.

He'd stood out in the alabama summer sun for 2hrs, soaked in sweat... for nothing. Not to mentions all the work he put into growing the melons.

The melons I grew were the same as his, pitiful. I cut one of mine about a month ago then plowed the rest up when I realized what happened to them. It was a horrible year for growing melons... Planting was delayed about a month because of a cool spring followed by a really wet summer.
 
Thought I should give this thread a bump! Using only the tell-tell indicators discussed on the previous page... They work! 1. I checked "shiny or dull" appearance 2) checked the white spot 3) checked for pollen tracks 4) and my favorite. the thump test.

I've bought 3 watermelons in the last 2 weeks. Each of them was a great tasting melon. The first one I bought is a common variety here in the south known as a "Sugar Baby". The last is the big one I cut tonight... Another great melon. Forgot to ask the variety.

Sugar Baby sm.JPG


melona.JPG
 
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I will be planting a yellow flesh watermelon this year.
 
I bought a watermelon a couple weeks ago from the store. It’s a bit too early here for melons, in my opinion. Also, too early for peaches but I want a wonderful peach really bad. So bad I could taste it. 🤣
 
How'd your yellow meats do? Hope you had the right weather.

We've gotten a bunch of new members of late, thought I'd give this another bump. Maybe one has a new method.
Old seeds that my brother had & they did not make.
I bought seeds this year & will try again. I am trying many melons this year.
When I buy melons from a market, I get the biggest one in the cart, cause they all the same price.
I have seeds for new & old melons: Emerald gem, midget melon, Seminole pumpkin, Sugar baby, baby doll, moon & stars melon, canary yellow, hales cantaloupe, Crenshaw, Casaba golden beauty & two gourds.
 
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So, basically the same way I grade liberals... ;)
 
I like moon n stars yellow meats. I was trying to remember a yellow meat melon last night that I haven't seen since I was kid. The rind color was like a "Missouri Yellow", which is a long melon. This melon was called a Mississippi Yellow, it was round. Couldn't find photos or that name listed. That's just what it was called locally, so who knows the real name?

Here is a little chart that will get folks in the ballpark of a good melon. After that it takes experience to find the perfect melon. The first indication is a little silly, only applicable if you buying a round melon.

Last is a pigtail for anyone who hasn't heard the reference.

melon choice.jpeg
m pig tail.jpg
 
Not selecting to eat, but I am going to plant Moon and stars watermelon in the garden one day soon.
I grow the red variety. I have never seen the yellow or the orange. After years of eating tasteless seedless watermelons, these are refreshing.


Image of moon and stars watermelon

Image of moon and stars watermelon

Image of moon and stars watermelon

More images
Moon and Stars watermelon

Description. Moon and Stars watermelon sports dark green skin speckled with yellow spots of varying sizes. The vine is compact, making it ideal for small gardens. The flesh of the fruit is commonly red, yellow, or orange. The rind is thick and good for pickling, and the flesh has a sweet flavor.

How to grow moon and stars watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
 
Moon and stars are very good. I've grown them at different times. Wasn't planning to this year, but since I have seed and haven't planted mine yet.....well maybe.

A yellow one I used to grow and liked a lot was Pony Yellow. Haven't saw seed for them in several years.

We stopped at a produce market today and they had some oblong and some round ones. A few sounded good and ripe. But at $10 each, I let it slide
 
We grow some good ones around here. But the early one are late July or August. The real early ones usually don't have any flavor either. I'm gonna try some nurtrient stuff this year to see if I can have any affect on flavor
 
I'm interested in trying watermelons here, just haven't gotten around to it... still so much home rehab work to do and summer is coming on, ya know? Maybe I can bag some seeds this week, if it's not too late to start... I have all this room on my property, I'd like to put it to better use, but I'm roped with all the other stuff going on, lol. I need some sort of "gardening bot" to do all the planting and maintenance with fruits & veggies... ;)
 
I'm interested in trying watermelons here, just haven't gotten around to it... still so much home rehab work to do and summer is coming on, ya know? Maybe I can bag some seeds this week, if it's not too late to start... I have all this room on my property, I'd like to put it to better use, but I'm roped with all the other stuff going on, lol. I need some sort of "gardening bot" to do all the planting and maintenance with fruits & veggies... ;)
Let me know if you don't find some. I've got several types saved from past crops. I'd be glad to share some
 
I paid $8 for good florida melons on thursday. I get them from a little mom n pop produce store. The lady orders melons from the same growers she's purchased from for decades. They are consistently good and at a reasonable price. But even good pallet of melons will have a range of ripeness and quality.

That's where a short list of items to check comes in handy.

Sort of funny on Thursday. I'm thumping melons in the crate, my tried and true method, always start with it first. Some putz leaving the store decides he must stop and explain to me that I can't tell if a melon is ripe using a thump. It does not work! Then he went on to explain he's grown melons in his garden... blah, blah, blah.

Finally I said, "Do you mind?" "I can't hear with you talking". He gave me a dirty look then walked away mumbling something. Putz!
 
Watermelon margarita time!

5 cups of seedless pulp.
1 cup of your favorite mixing tequila.
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar,
Serve in a salt rimmed glass.
 
Is Hope Arkansas the watermelon capital of the World?



Image result for who is The Watermelon Capital Of The World
Not only is Hope, Arkansas the birthplace of that “quirky” ex-president Bill Clinton, it also has lots of other seeds to spit out of its mouth, including the world's largest watermelon festival and a replica of the world's largest watermelon

Where is the World's largest watermelon farm located?



Image result for who is The Watermelon Capital Of The World
GREEN RIVER, UTAH – The tiny town of Green River (population 929) may not be big, but it is home to the “World's Largest Watermelon.” The old wooden wedge is kept in storage in a hangar in the Green River Airfield and makes appearances at events like Green River's annual Melon Days Festival.

Cordele

Cordele, also known as "The Watermelon Capital of the World", is a city in Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,608 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crisp County. Cordele is located along Interstate 75, 140 miles south of Atlanta and 100 mile north of the Florida state line.

CORDELE, GEORGIA – Cordele is located in Crisp County, which is the number one watermelon-producing county in the nation’s number two watermelon-producing state. Cordele has an annual Watermelon Days Festival and an auto-racing track called the Watermelon Capital Speedway.

HOPE, ARKANSAS – Hope has a lot to brag about. Besides being the birthplace of former President Bill Clinton, it’s also where some of the world’s largest watermelons are grown (including a then world record holder in 2005). The town holds an annual watermelon festival and even features watermelon in its municipal logo along with the Hope slogan, “A Slice of the Good Life.”

WEATHERFORD, TEXAS – The north Texas city was once one of the state’s biggest watermelon growers (not so much anymore) and once featured an oversized watermelon sculpture outside its courthouse.

GREEN RIVER, UTAH – The tiny town of Green River (population 929) may not be big, but it is home to the “World’s Largest Watermelon.” The old wooden wedge is kept in storage in a hangar in the Green River Airfield and makes appearances at events like Green River’s annual Melon Days Festival.

NAPLES, TEXAS – A lot of watermelons are grown in Naples, and the town has a watermelon festival. That’s about it, really. Oh, the watermelon festival also includes a rodeo. That’s pretty sweet, right?

BEARDSTOWN, ILLINOIS – While other towns call themselves the “Watermelon Capital of the World,” Beardstown only calls itself the “Watermelon Capital.” And for good reason: The town is one of the most prolific watermelon-growers in the state.

RUSH SPRINGS, OKLAHOMA – Rush Springs fulfills all of the usual “Watermelon Capital” requirements. Grow a lot of watermelon? Check. Got a big annual watermelon festival? Check. Actually, that last one is a big check. The Rush Springs Watermelon Festival is one of the state’s most popular festivals, attracting more than 20,000 visitors and serving nearly 50,000 pounds of watermelon each year.
 
I've grown melons that were ready by the 4th of July but it's not possible every year. I think one of my books says the ground temp must be over 60 degrees for the seed to germinate. Most get ripe in around 75 days.

This year the soil stayed cold until May. I'll have melons in late July.
 
Should this go in the Jokes and Humor section?

When do you go on red and stop on green? :dunno:

When you are eating a watermelon. 🤣
 
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