for SR - a picture of one of my melons!

[frost]

Hi Manda
Sorry no pics at mo, I will try and get some, the green house is a bit of a jungle (I will try and fill every inch, can bare to throw out extra plants I,ve failed to give away lol) but I'll see what I can do.

Lou

[smallblueplanet]

Thanks Lou - our greenhouse is a jungle too! Which was why I was hoping for a piccy, so I could see how much room we'd have to give to the melons. There's never enough room in the greenhouse mainly because of my love of aubergines, the rampant cucumber and lots of toms.

Just to double check what type of melon is Sweetheart? I've seen photos on various sites of the melon itself and the pictures don't always show the same type of melon!

[frost]

Hi Manda

Yes its sweetheart we have grown, our first attempt from seed, only ever bought the plants at the garden centre before, chuffed to say we have had better success with these an bought ones.

Growing red egg aubs from seed this time too, only one so far though not too good from 6 plants, the flowers just seem to die off and nothing happens, any tips?

[smallblueplanet]

There are a couple of aub threads with piccies on here

how do your aubs grow?

when to pick aubs?

I'm not really sure why the flowers drop. On ours it does happen to some on each plant, but quite a few have set too, it also seems to happen if its too cold. Have had a reasonable crop from all the plants so far, but lost the applegreen, that was in the bucket, to over-watering/mould - I think the drainage wasn't enough, there obviously wasn't a hole in my bucket!!!

[frost]

Thanks Manda

I did wonder if its because we,ve grown them in window box type containers rather than grow bags, we gave up grow bags this year and put everything in pots ( just the cues in bags in the cold frame), we had Sommerfield bags last year they were rubbish, had to feed them loads to get the plants up to scratch, so far pots seem to work well.

Lou

[smallblueplanet]

I would have thought they'd (aubs) want at least bucket size as they become quite sizeable plants - we have a couple that are heading for the shelf that the melon is growing along!

[frost]

Hi Manda

Managed to get a couple of pics of the sweetheart melons.


Lou

[smallblueplanet]

Ohh nice melons Lou!

Ours grow like that too, up the bamboo pole and along the metal shelf. How many melons do you think you'll get from each plant?

[nick the grief]

Ohh nice melons Lou!

I can't belive you said that SBP

[smallblueplanet]

I can't belive you said that SBP

I had to save SR from himself!








just kidding SR

[frost]

Hi

At last getting a final count on how many fruits we will finally have off our sweetheart melons, we have averaged 5 per plant .

Got a small prob with OH .......he thought he'd have a tidy up in the green house while I was out, he cut all the dead leaves off the melons...I must admit they did look lovely... then came the question.....if you cut the wrong bits and stick the cut ends in the soil will they reroot themselves? 4 very healthy looking melons the size of golf balls!!

Guess who,s now band form cutting anything but the lawn from now on! lol

Lou

[smallblueplanet]

Sorry, bit confused, what happened to your plants frost?

We went on our hols for a week, when we left we had 2 largish (rugby ball sized) green unripe melons. When we got back we had two yellow/golden melon-smelling fruit - tasted quite nice and sweetish. I would never have left them so long and picked them when green colour, but they wouldn't have been ripe I don't think. So interesting result - oh and a fabulous holiday!!!

[smallblueplanet]

- Another melon picture!

[SueA]

You've got some whoppers SBP!
I think what Frost means is that her O.H. cut off the dead leaves & also accidentally cut off some bits with tiny melons still on! He didn't just stick the ends in the soil & hope you wouldn't notice did he Lou? I don't think you've got much chance of them rooting now but you've nothing to lose & if they shrivel up & die you've got an excuse to get him to do something to make it up to you!

[smallblueplanet]

You've got some whoppers SBP!....

Oy! Cheeky!

It was amazing how much difference a week made. I didn't need to squeeze them, but I did smell them! The melon smell is very strong.