Melon flowers

[ameno]

Checked today and I have three more melons swelling, all on Collective Farm Woman plants.
Still nothing from the Banana melons.

[peanut]

It's not very late yet. In warm climates, melons take around 30 days from pollination to ripening. Even in this country, they should be ripe within about 50, possibly less if yours are in a greenhouse or polytunnel.

Goodness, 30 days, is that all, I thought it would be months! Oh that would be so good.
They're in a greenhouse so fingers crossed I might get one after all!

[ameno]

Finally have some fruit set on my banana melons. I found two sausage-sized fruit today hiding in amongst the leaves.

[peanut]

Look what I've got! My first ever Melon.

[ameno]

You're growing Emir, right?
Since that's a netted skin variety, be sure to water regularly. The skin of the fruit of netted melons naturally cracks when nearly ripe, then those cracks callous over and that's how you get the netting. But if it is watered erratically it can just split open instead developing lots of tiny cracks, and then the fruit will just rot.

[peanut]

You're growing Emir, right?
Since that's a netted skin variety, be sure to water regularly. The skin of the fruit of netted melons naturally cracks when nearly ripe, then those cracks callous over and that's how you get the netting. But if it is watered erratically it can just split open instead developing lots of tiny cracks, and then the fruit will just rot.

Thanks Ameno, yes Emir. Should I keep the compost damp to the touch?

[ameno]

Thanks Ameno, yes Emir. Should I keep the compost damp to the touch?

Try to, yeah. As long as the compost is reasonably well drained you are unlikely to waterlog them, as any excess can just drain out the bottom of the pot.

[Penellype]

I'm growing Alvaro, Emir and Magenta, 1 plant of each at the allotment and one pf each at my friend's. At my friend's, where I have grown melons successfully before, they are rubbish. The Emir is in the greenhouse and is a huge plant with loads of flowers, but absolutely nothing has set despite attempts at pollinating. The other 2 are outside under a plastic cover and are only just starting to flower.

At the allotment I have Alvaro and Magenta in my growhouse - Alvaro has 2 decent sized melons and 3 more have set in the last week. Magenta was planted later and has just set a couple of fruit. Emir is outside and has covered the 2m x 1m hotbed completely. There are dozens of flowers which are regularly visited by bees and the fruit are starting to set at last.

Last year from 2 plants I got 15 fruit (mostly Magenta), the largest of which was nearly the size of a football. Even if they only grow to tennis ball size they will eventually ripen - I cut them off and bring them indoors when the plant shows signs of dying due to cold.

[ameno]

I now have three banana melons set (although one has some worrying slug damage), and two more possibly set (too small to tell for sure).
I also have 7 or 8 Collective farm woman all on one plant, although some of the stems on the plant seem to be dying back, for some reason, so I may end up with several tennis ball-sized melons.

[peanut]

Look what I have found!

[ameno]

I'm discovering new banana melon fruits by the day, and I also have three watermelons set.
They are all still small-ish, though, so how many will actually ripen in time, not to mention how many will survive the slugs (already lost two of the developing fruits to them, and several more have minor damage), remains to be seen.

[peanut]

Is there a fool proof way of knowing when my Emir Melons are ripe?

[ameno]

Is there a fool proof way of knowing when my Emir Melons are ripe?

They fall off.
That's the case with most melons, actually. When properly ripe the detach on their own from the plant.
Also, Emir are a musk melon, so you should be able to tell by the smell when they are ripe (from several metres away).

[peanut]

They fall off.
That's the case with most melons, actually. When properly ripe the detach on their own from the plant.
Also, Emir are a musk melon, so you should be able to tell by the smell when they are ripe (from several metres away).

Perfect! Thanks Ameno.

[ameno]

if you haven't already, make sure to net it (assuming it's hanging and not just resting on something). If you don't, it may fall off prematurely under it's own weight, and it will certainly be badly damaged when it hits the ground.