growing melons

[ophiopogon]

imy foto de avatar is a foto fo melon ogen en spain un my father in laws fields it was taken today

you can also see a picture in my foto album

[irisgirl]

Oh dear, now I don't know whether to bother at all!! So nobody grows "Sweetheart" then which my book says is small and very tasty. Think I'll have to price up the seed and work out if it's worth it. Thanks for all the info everyone. (And sorry Purplekat for butting in to your thread!!)

I bought a Sweetheart and Ogen from my work but have also seed grown two Emir plants, that grow well in an unheated GH and outdoors if we have a hot summer.
My Sweetheart has suffered shock from being planted in a bigger pot. I hope the wilt passes.
My Ogen has flowers and mini melons on already.

[tamsin]

My melon has been flowering like crazy for two weeks but none of the flowers look different or look like they have a mini melon behind. Do the female flowers come later? If so how much later?

[Jax]

I planted melons a while ago now (sugar baby) and there doing quite well now althoguh i think the weather may have slowed down the growth but fingers crossed. Good luck to everyone we shall have to compare results lol

[Llamas]

I'm going to try growing melons this year but think I'll need a heated propagator as packet says it need a min temp of 28c - my house is nearer 18c.

I did manage to germinate all my butternut squash seeds last year with just one of those mini greenhouses but I don't think it needed to be a warm for those.
Any recommendations for a good propagator? Is it worth getting a thermostatically controlled one or will a normal heated one be fine?

I grew two by accident. I was stuffing my face in the greenhouse and a few seeds fell into the compost!

[irisgirl]

I'm growing Ogen, Sweetheart and Emir in my GH. I'm growing them in 2ltr ring culture pots in growbags. I didn't have any well rotted compost ready at the time of planting, so instead used a mix of organic fertilizer granules and a sprinkle of superphosphate. They are going great and I'm feeding them with a mix of tomorite and organic seaweed a couple of times a week now they are flowering.
I'll be better prepared next year and will mix in well rotted compost into the soil.

[ophiopogon]

if anybodys growing ogen try pinching all the shoots and i pinched mine two weeks ago and its starting producing female flowers the three plants have now got nine female flowers because of pinching
before i did not pinch it and it produced male flowers only

i do have an advantage because i live in valencia where its 35 degrees everyday.

[nigel.hicks@tesco.net]

I recently bought a honeydew melon. I washed and dried seeds approx 12 days ago and
planted them in smallish pot out doors. They seem to have taken (even in this inclement weather) as shoots are about 1" and look hardy enough to seperate and repot. Do you think they will actually fruit??
Regards

Nidge (new member)

[tamsin]

Picked the first fruit off my shop saved seed melon .. doesn't much resemble the original melon but still tasted good Might be a bit late in the year to start now though? I sowed mine end of January.

[Sue]

Nigel
Hi and welcome to the vine.
I think you should change your name which seems to be your email details? otherwise you may get grapevine intruders using your details.

I also think it's too late for melons THIS year but try, try again seems to be the motto of this gardening lark and there's always next year.

best wishes
Sue