I wouldn’t normally post pictures in this thread as I can’t compete with real watermelon growers with my mini melons on mini space. But this year my sugar baby decided that one kid is plenty, and only set one fruit. Here it this “Baby”
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First ripe watermelon of the year at my patch here in Kansas. This is a crimson sweat and it is really good! About 75 to 100 more crimson sweat, black diamond, Charleston gray, jade star, jubilee improved, and sangria yet to come. First year trying to grow watermelons. Sure enjoy reading this topic and look forward to trying to plant some of the varieties others have posted about!
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That’s a nice big Sugar Baby! You’re definitely a real watermelon grower. 
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It’s fortunate watermelons are resistant to bacterial wilt—or I’d probably just throw in the towel! Of course, if it weren’t for bugs and diseases and lousy weather, there’d be no real challenge to gardening, would there? At least, that’s what I keep telling myself . . . . 
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Freaking deer are eating mine unripe! I’ve got plenty though, since I planted a ton, only ~55 days from transplant for Verona, Little Baby Flower and Sorbet Swirl F2s. Lopes are all getting belly rot, only had two make it so far 
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Lopes will go from ripe to rot in just one day, so you have to
watch them every day. It also helps to place each on top of something,
in order to keep it off the ground. Verona is a good variety, but haven’t
grown it in a long time.
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I strung fishing line around today, hopefully that keeps the deer out. Looks like coyotes are also getting in on the action though.
I set a bunch of lopes onto 2 stakes to keep them off the ground, but there’s just too many, so I checked the rest, pulled 4-5 that were starting to detach rather than waiting for them to do it themselves, one that was not but was going soft on the bottom, it was still OK, and flipped any that looked close to ripe over onto a new spot on the ground cover with the ground spot facing upwards to dry out… hopefully that helps.
One of them had this going on, not sure what causes it.
And a correction to my last post, Sugar Baby was ripe in ~55 days, Looks like only one Verona that will be about 20#, 2x the size of the SBs, and still a week or so away from ripe.
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Dessert King in all sizes! Best melon i had this year! My mother and i are feasting on pears and watermelons! Some from the drought are cantaloupe sized and others are 20 pounds!
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First watermelon of the season.
Charleston Gray. I did not weigh it but guessing around 15-18lbs.
Very good taste, not super sweet, but probably would have sweetened up a bit if I left it sit another 4-5 days since there is no rain in the forecast.
My wife and I both observed that it was much smoother and juicer than store bought and as a bonus, you could eat right to the rind with no loss of melon flavor.
I’m still waiting on my Georgia Rattlesnake to ripen. I may pull one tomorrow to try as they are right around their 90 day mark.
-Jim
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Great observation, and great job on the melon! Regarding the flavor, there simply is no comparison between a store-bought seedless and one of these homegrown melons.
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I love the look of that desert king. Hard to beat a yellow-flesh melon!
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Sorry for three posts straight. We continue to have a good season this year. Here’s a Raspa we picked the other day. Man, it’s hard to describe how good these things are when chilled. Sweet as candy.
After slicing up the above half melon, we went out to pick some more. Below are a Tendersweet Orange on the left, Moon & Stars in the middle, and Big Stripe on the right. 85 lbs total.
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My mostly dead, wilt-afflicted plants did yield one little Kajari melon. A lot smaller than some of the ones that set earlier but which didn’t make it. Perfumed kind of like a “plum granny.” Flavor was surprisingly nice for a melon from highly stressed vines—a very good, sweet little honeydew. And if hadn’t been for the bacterial wilt they would’ve been very productive, too. Bummer.
Anyway, will try again next year. Maybe persistently applying kaolin spray (+ spinosad?) to the plants from the get-go will discourage the cucumber beetles and prevent wilt?
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How did the black plastic mulch work for you this year. It looks like you mounded it up down the center. I was wanting to do something like this knowing the melons like this warmed up ground in the spring, but didn’t know if 105 degree weather in July would cook them?
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26lb unknown volunteer with some moon & stars in it. A black diamond @ 15 lbs and. 17 lb Georgia rattlesnake.
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Hi! New member here. Was reading previous years melon posts and couldn’t believe bad Janosik reports. It’s been our most productive and best tasting melon here in MN. No ripe ones yet this year but soon! Have about 30 of them growing. Also trying Bingo and Crimson Sweet this year. Here are some pics of last years 25 + pound Janosiks. !
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