Watermelons...Yum

[Bird]

The vines in this picture were about 120 days old and still looked pretty good.

How many pies would that pumpkin make?:laughing: And those kids look like they're having a good time, too.

 

[firefighter9208]

How many pies would that pumpkin make?:laughing: And those kids look like they're having a good time, too.

Quite a few. I am the asst. principal in a school and brought it to use with our fall decorations out front. Some people asked if it was a "real" pumpkin.

Abby and Garret love living on a farm.

Chris

 

[ray66v]

We probably grow a lot more than you do, but this would also work for you. We start spraying out pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, caneloupes, etc... when they are 2 days out of the ground. We then spray them every 5-7 days. If it rains we respray the day after it rains. Ex: Spray on Monday and rains on Tuesday then we respray on Wednesday. It's important to keep the fungicides on the plant from the time they pop out of the ground until harvest.

With a garden and just a few vines it wouldn't be hard to dedicate a 2 gallon hand sprayer to fungicide. Just make sure that you shake it up good before spraying and coat the plants. You can buy a liquid (mixable) fungicide at the co-op or even WalMart.

On 3 acres of pumpkins I apply 6 pounds of Manzate in a 100 gallon air blast (orchard) sprayer every 5-7 days. It gets kind of expensive at $20.00 (a 6# bag) but you can't harvest the pumpkins, watermelons, etc.... if they don't stay on the vines long enough to make. By the time I add my two pesticides to the sprayer I have $50.00 in spray every 5-7 days ( on 3 acres) from early June until late September.

The key is to keep the powdery mildew out of the vines and keep the vines healthy long enough to let the "fruit" make.

Here is a picture of my two kids with a 215 pounder that was taken last fall (September) right before harvest. The vines in this picture were about 120 days old and still looked pretty good. I planted on May 15 last year and harvested right after this picture was taken on about Sept. 15.

Thanks, for your help. I have used copper dust, and sulfur and copper dust. But not as liquid mixture.

I have also not started from day one. But I do start before the first sign of trouble.

I will try your methods, and hope for better results.

I have also been suggested to add sulfur to the soil, when planting to kill the fungus, while it is in the ground. I will see if anyone else thinks that will work before I try it.

 

[firefighter9208]

Thanks, for your help. I have used copper dust, and sulfur and copper dust. But not as liquid mixture.

I have also not started from day one. But I do start before the first sign of trouble.

I will try your methods, and hope for better results.

I have also been suggested to add sulfur to the soil, when planting to kill the fungus, while it is in the ground. I will see if anyone else thinks that will work before I try it.

Here is a link to liquid fungicides that are readily available at Walmart or Home Depot. http://www.gardenfungicides.com/ .

A link to the fungicides used professionally by farmers: Bravo (brand name) Syngenta > Products & Services > Labels, MSDS, AQIS & EPGs > BRAVO FUNGICIDE
Manzate: Manzate Pro-Stick Fungicide (6 LB) - $43.95 : KeystonePestSolutions.com, ~ Lawn, Garden & Deer Food Plot Pest Control Products
DuPont? Manzateｮ Pro-Stick? Home

There are many others...

When spraying with a fungicide you need to wet the plant to the point of run-off. Top and bottom of leaves. That's why we use an airblast sprayer, but it can be done in the garden with a pump sprayer. I have a 25 gallon atv sprayer that I use at times with small areas. It seems to work pretty well.


Chris

 

[ray66v]

Here is a link to liquid fungicides that are readily available at Walmart or Home Depot. http://www.gardenfungicides.com/ .

A link to the fungicides used professionally by farmers: Bravo (brand name) Syngenta > Products & Services > Labels, MSDS, AQIS & EPGs > BRAVO FUNGICIDE
Manzate: Manzate Pro-Stick Fungicide (6 LB) - $43.95 : KeystonePestSolutions.com, ~ Lawn, Garden & Deer Food Plot Pest Control Products
DuPont? Manzateｮ Pro-Stick? Home

There are many others...

When spraying with a fungicide you need to wet the plant to the point of run-off. Top and bottom of leaves. That's why we use an airblast sprayer, but it can be done in the garden with a pump sprayer. I have a 25 gallon atv sprayer that I use at times with small areas. It seems to work pretty well.


Chris

Thanks, Chris.

 

[firefighter9208]

No problem.

Chris

 

[ray66v]

No problem.

Chris

I just picked up some Ortho liquid fungicide, to use for now.

I tried the pump sprayer, and after reading your posts, I realized that was the problem.

So, I got out the BIG sprayer.

6 gpm at 180 psi. Now I know how to get the spray on the bottom side of the leaves. :thumbsup:

 

[firefighter9208]

Sounds Good!!!

Chris

 

[Duffster]

They are ripe now!

This is some of the best watermelon I have ever eaten. :licking:

 

[jinman]

Wow! Duffster, that is a nice looking melon with very thin rind. I can almost taste it. Yum!:licking:

 

[ray66v]

My Crimson sweets are averaging 25 lbs this year. They are also red, and sweet all the way to the skin. :licking:

Everyone thinks I cheated somehow, because they say that a watermelon can't be that sweet.

I am still waiting on my yellow watermelons.

 

[Duffster]

Wow! Duffster, that is a nice looking melon with very thin rind. I can almost taste it. Yum!:licking:

I was rather surprised with how thin the rind was. It is also very good right up to the rind unlike some I have had.

I was told after I planted them that watermelon doesn't grow in WI.

 

[Duffster]

How much watermelon can one eat in a week before you blow an o-ring? :laughing:

 

[keegs]

The Times had a video recently on the do's and don'ts of picking a good watermelon. The objective is to choose one with sweetness and a firm texture. Getting the perfect combo is pretty much a crap shoot though.

One of the most important things to look for regarding ripeness/sweetness is a good ground spot. A good ground spot indicates the wm has had time to ripen in the sun....makes sense...

Thumping on or tapping a watermelon doesn't tell you much they say.

I like the seedless kind. I almost always keep it in the fridge. Nothing like a cold piece of wm on a hot day. I usually share a piece with the dog ...he loves it too. I take it to work as a snack. Makes me pee allot though.

 

[jinman]

Thumping on or tapping a watermelon doesn't tell you much they say.

I always love it when people tell you that thumping doesn't work. That means that they can't tell the difference, so it must be bogus. Sure, you use all the signs, but there is a definite difference in the sound and feel of the thump on a ripe melon. I just used that method to distinguish between melons in my garden this year and it worked perfectly. Of course, I didn't have a field full of melons, but I had been thumping these melons for a couple of weeks and when the sound changed to a deep "thud" instead of a sharper "tick" sound, I knew they were ripe. Maybe my thumper is better calibrated than most.:laughing:

Duffster, every year I grow watermelons and cantaloupes I have the same problem. They all get ripe at the same time. I eat melon for breakfast, snacks, and desert. By the end of the summer, I don't care if I never see or taste another melon. Then, after not having any for a couple of weeks, I start thinking of how good they are and wish for some more.:licking:

 

[keegs]

Well...this morning before I left for work I cut open a WM I purchased using the Times method and as soon as it was cleaved it was apparent to me that I'd picked a mellon...NPI...

In spots the flesh was dark and watery. I threw most of the bottom half away and the top half only looked slightly better.

5.99 ...what a disappointment...

 

[ray66v]

I had a friend that said if you pack a watermelon in dry sand, and put it in a cool place, they will keep.

He used to eat one for thanksgiving ever year.

Perhaps I will try it sometime.

 

[jinman]

I had a friend that said if you pack a watermelon in dry sand, and put it in a cool place, they will keep.

If it doesn't work, you have your start for the next year's patch. Just water in the spring and act like that's the way it's supposed to be.:laughing::thumbsup:

I see melons here all year long, but they are not domestically grown. Most are from Mexico or Central America.

 

[Chuck52]

I wonder if blended up watermelon would freeze well and taste good. I know that a lot of the goodness of watermelon is the crisp texture, but if I had an excess I'd at least try freezing some slushies for later in the year. If nothing else, they'd be the main ingredient in some interesting rum drinks maybe?

Chuck

 

[jinman]

Chuck, you can buy frozen melon balls, but I don't know of anyone who sells melon puree or paste.