Good morning edweather, I have grown Schoon's Hardshell for many years and here in zone 7 it has done great with very good flavor. It is a "must grow" every year. cannot remember the company I got the seed from but it was listed as an heirloom. This is not info but I hope it helps. Glenn

Rocky Ford is an improved version of the Netted Gem The Netted Gem dates into the 19th century. Rocky Ford is a little larger and was quite popular in the 40's and 50's. Green fleshed cantaloupes began to lose favor about that time and have just began to come back. Eden's Gem is a new name to me, but at least one company states that it the Rocky Ford Netted Gem. Willhite ( http://www.willhiteseed.com/) carries the Rocky Ford and this would be the commercial version developed and grown in Rocky Ford, Colorado.

Thanks for the Schoon's confirmation. I'm anxious to try it this year. I'm in zone 5 and get full sun. I tried "Hearts of Gold" last year....about 18 plants...and got at least 50 good fruits. They grew really well. I was surprised!

See....that's what I mean....."Netted Gem" is another name that I haven't heard of. Here we go again! It's very interesting because it gets my curiosity going, but at the same time it makes choosing more complicated. Seems like Rocky Ford is connected with more than one melon, but I could be wrong. Thanks for the info.

Cornell University suggested Rocky Ford as a good one for NY, but it opened a can of worms.