Some pics of my melons 4 identification or comments, ta

[ukmastiff]

Hi, I though I should be less lazy :P and post some actual pics of them.

The hand is there for scale of course and if anyone could shed some light on the variety I would appreciate it. As you can see I have grown them up those incredibly versatile " mini greenhouses " that I now use without the rotten ripped covers that lasted ten minutes. I just use them as greenhouse staging really great for inside my full size plastic greenhouse heehe.

Enjoy !










Cheers Mas

[dexterdoglancashire]

Congratulations! How did you get your melons to fruit? Im growing them for the first time, but only have flowers on at the mo. I've also got loads of shoots, where, when and why do I need to cut them off?

[Herbie]

Oh well done, I am also growing them for the first time this year. Lots of flowers and a few fruits starting to form.
I think you have to remove the growing point at 6ft to encourage side shoots to grow which are then cut back to 5 leaves. Then cut the subside branches to 2 leaves beyond the flower. The also recommend 2 to 4 fruits per plant depending on growing conditions and varieties.

[ukmastiff]

Hi, no I did nothing to them no pinching or cutting just put the in to growbags in the plastic greenhouse and let them go for it growing in any direction as they please. What I did do was keep the door all the way open on sunny days so plenty of bees could get in to do their job.

Best of luck

Mas

[markinessex]

As you are showing off your melons, I thought I would show you mine :-)



It's the first time I have attempted to grow them, and have 3 fruit, all about fist sizes at the moment.

[tamsin]

Here's mine as we're showing off



It's a cantaloupe.

[Herbie]

Mine are looking rather pathetic compared to yours, so think I will also let them do their own thing

[dexterdoglancashire]

Thanks for your advice peeps. Mine are defo looking weedy - none-existant to be exact. Hope the beeds come in and do their stuff.

[perkin]

yup, that's left me feeling a bit inadequate also... First time in growing melons this year and have 2 'Outdoor Wonder' plants on the go. They're both about 10 inches across now and have a few small flowers on them so fingers crossed!

[ukmastiff]

I'm not even sure I want to say this but Tamzin and Mark you both have very attraticve looking melons there. Mine are just plain old green , lets hope they are super tasty though

[tamsin]

Lol, thank you!

[annacruachan]

yup, that's left me feeling a bit inadequate also... First time in growing melons this year and have 2 'Outdoor Wonder' plants on the go. They're both about 10 inches across now and have a few small flowers on them so fingers crossed!

I know how you feel, Perkin. My two Outdoor Wonders are outside, after being cossetted indoors, and have had lots of sun and rain at night, plenty of bees, in fact everything they could wish for, and still they have only produced two pathetic coffee bean size fruits that are going yellow and about to drop off! Plenty of flowers too. I suspect it's a bit late up here for fruits to mature, even if more appear. Perhaps I'll try some in the conservatory next year - indoor ones, that is.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Am pleased to say, having played around in my greenhouse this morning, that there was a bee and a wasp buzzing around, hope they did their bit!

[tamsin]

My melon started smelling like a melon yesterday and today it's gone yellow!



How do I know when it's ready to pick? It's from a supermarket melon which I think was cantaloupe but it has smooth skin not rough. I thought the melon it came from was green too

[NOG]

Very nice Melon....give the base a squeeze and if it gives slightly and if it smells of melon its ripe.