Larrapin's First Watermelon!
Originally uploaded by larrapin67.
Well, it's actually the second watermelon. I picked the first one and it wasn't ripe! What a disappointment. To make matters worse, even unripe, it was delicious to nibble. These are Tendersweets from Baker Heirloom seeds -- an orange/yellow variety. Before picking, I did study up on how to tell a ripe watermelon: thunking sound when tapped, white spot on belly, brown tendril above the melon... No dice. I think now the whole stem should be browning instead of just the tendril?
I've got two more chances coming up soon since two are getting pretty large on the vine. The vine is a monster -- taking up about 96 square foot right now! Of course there are two vines planted together, and also a french melon on the same raised bed. I ran the vines on a tarp beside the bed to keep down weeds....another learning experience, it holds water when it rains so I had to lift the melons up on little wooden pedestals to keep them safe...
Nothing makes you appreciate a vegetable or fruit --even the storebought kind -- once you know what a challenge that part between the seed and the table can be!
1 comment:
Leigh... if I haven't messed up.
I've always had good luck using a hint an older neighbor gave me a few years ago at least in the case of a Crimson Sweet melon... after all those other signs you mentioned are apparent: dull thumping sound, yellow/white bottom, dried tendril (never a dried stem)...
press firmly down on the melon and if you can hear a cracking sound inside (reasonably quiet surroundings) it's a pretty safe bet that it's ripe. I'll wait a couple days to press again if no sound is heard. Seems to be pretty reliable unless the melon hasn't developed correctly... say with large hollow sections.
Just a thought...
Sincerely,
RD
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