Watermelon & Melon -- 2021 Season

[UnderDawgAl]

Let’s get the new year started! What with the pandemic, I see several online seed sellers have sold out early of a number of watermelon varieties.

This year, I have ordered the following from Twilley Seed for planting in early May here in Zone 7a.

(1) SummerFlavor 720, a hybrid
(2) Sangria, a hybrid
(3) Orange Krush, a hybrid
(4) Georgia Rattlesnake, open pollinated

In addition to those, I’ll plant a couple Jubimax, which @stephen03 graciously sent me.

Anyone else decided yet what you’ll plant?

[Fusion_power]

Not decided, but have completed seed inventory. Here is what I have currently available.

Blacktail Mountain
Bradford
Cream of Saskatchewan
Dixielee
Early Midget
Giza Edible Seed
Grover Delany
Halbert’s Honey
Jubilee II
Jubilee X Congo
Kholodok
Kleckley Sweet
Ledmon
Moon & Stars
Yellow Baby Doll
Royal Golden
Strawberry
Vietnamese
Whitley’s yellow
Wibb
Yellow Moon & Stars

I’m leaning toward Yellow Moon & Stars since I need fresh seed. I may also manage to get some Ledmon grown in another garden. I grow for seed production as well as eating so don’t grow more than one variety in a location each year.

[jerryrva]

I am doing an early planting of Bradford from my greenhouse as transplants to get seed from. Direct seed will be:
Black Mountain
Dixielee
Ledmon
Orangeglo
Sweet Princess
Wibb

[castanea]

Does anyone have seed for the Illiniwek Red Seeded Watermelon? It is supposed to be one hell of a watermelon.

I tried to grow it years ago using seeds from Grin, but never got any watermelons that reached maturity.

https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail?id=1578438

[jaypeedee]

For March planting direct and transplant:

Big Stripe
Starbrite
Summer Flavor 720
Gold Strike
Dulce
Charlene or Charleston Grey
OrangeGlo
Truck Buster
Maybe? Sangria

[ctduckhunter]

I got all my seed in a couple weeks ago, I’m going with the following this year:
Starbrite
Summerflavor 720
Sangria
Big stripe
Jade star

I would have never grown most on this list without the help from people on this forum, I really appreciate the help. Starbrite will be new to me this year, but the others were all winners last year in my location. I might grow a few hills of Charleston gray, but not full rows. Crimson sweet, jubilee, jubilee improved, and black diamond are getting cut from my list this year.

[Fusion_power]

Find time and space to trial Yellow Moon & Stars. It is one of the best flavored watermelons I’ve grown.

[JeremiahT]

Nothing but Strawberry. For the past three seasons, it’s been the best-tasting, best-performing watermelon I’ve ever grown, bar none. And I have seed already! I will probably start saving some seed, too.

I’ve given up on C. melo. The battle against cucumber beetles/wilt is a losing one here as far as honeydews, muskmelons and the like are concerned.