Watermelons almost ripe

18 years ago

I've picked my first watermelon a few days ago and have about ten more that are almost ready but now this cooler rainy weather has hit. I think they'll still ripen but hot dry weather would've made them taste better. Wish I had planted them a week or two earlier than I did.

I noticed wilted leaves on some of the vines back before it rained and went out to water them but the wilted leaves didn't perk up the next day so I decided to see which plants they were going to. I followed the vines and found the problem. They weren't attached to anything! Something chewed through them about halway between the end of the vine and the base. Two of the vines had watermelons on them and those will be wasted. There were three more wilted vines that didn't have any melons growing on them. I don't know what wouldn't done that. It doesn't look like anything has been chewing on the leaves.

I need another week or two of warm sunny weather and whatever chewed through my vines to go away and then I will have several watermelons to enjoy.

I planted Moon and Stars, and Sugar Baby from seed and the striped melons are a mystery. They were plants that I bought at Wal-Mart and supposed to be a yellow meated melon but they're pretty big (30+ pounds). I think they may have been mismarked.

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Comments (3)

helenh
18 years ago
I have wilted leaves on cucumbers. The vine died over night; I think mine is a common borer problem. We went from hot summer to fall suddenly, but hopefully your melons will be fine.
gldno1
18 years ago
That sure is a pretty marked one.

I mowed down my vines when I decided to "weed" the garden...didn't think I had any melons....wrong! Cut up about three with the mower.

Hope yours get the ripening weather they need.

I have some cantaloupes almost ready.
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christie_sw_mo
Original Author
18 years ago
Sorry to hear about your cucumbers Helen. I got seeds for one called Straight Eights I saw recommended, but misplaced the seed packet so I didn't plant any cucumbers this year. My dad planted a burpless type last year that had very few seeds inside and a wonderful flavor but they were mislabeled so we don't know what they were.

I didn't plant any cantaloupes this year either. What kind did you plant GLD?

I have a short wishlist of seeds from Baker Creek but they're out of stock on all of them right now. I guess it's too early. I'm determined to try Orangeglow Watermelons and Ali Baba.

I may start over in a different part of my yard with a new melon patch after having my vines eaten in two and I also have a strange looking melon that I think may be diseased. It's mottled looking but not rotten or anything. It may just be some weird cross but I doubt it. I decided to let it grow to see what happens. It's a little bigger than a bowling ball now but not ripe yet.
{{gwi:102311}}

I posted the same photo in the Vegetable Forum a few weeks ago but didn't get any definite answers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Post in Vegetable Forum