Crimson Sweet is quite good.

I like Raspa.

I like Big Stripe

It's Crimson Sweet for me!

Gold Strike & Rapsa. I used to like Yellow Doll but over the years it didn't seem to be as good as it used to be.

I'm trying Moon and Stars for the first time this year. Only type I've ever had success with is Sugar Baby and they were just OK.

Some have done well with Crimson Sweet. for some reason they have not done well for me.

Re: Sugar Baby. It's not picnic-sized, which is why I didn't mention it, but I love them for a smaller melon. My first year with Moon & Stars, too - no clue if they will ripen well in my zone, but hey seed is cheap so might as well try.

What I DON'T like in any way, shape, or form is seedless watermelons. I pick up an aftertaste from them. Pass.

Concur. The seedless types are getting better, but still fall short tastewise. Even the diploid ( seeded) hybrids don't have any advantage over a good OP except for uniformity and some resistance to specific disease. Good for commercial growers who can't sell off size or misshapen melons. Best flavored diploid that I have grown to date is Sweet Favorite.

Sweet Favorite is quite good. The very best I have ever raised has been Raspa...tried about 40 kinds.

Hey Wayne, the last time I ordered Raspa seed (Wilhite) they offered small and large seed, do you have preference? I think my last order was the large seed. Raspa is still a favorite of mine but last year the Gold Strike beat it hands down. It may have been due to having the wettest year here since the 1890s and GS just handled it better.

I like big seed. Raspa was a bit down last year here too.

I had a really top notch Gold Strike once, but more often not super. So things vary by weather and perhaps different seed lots.

Gold Strike is a hot weather melon and always does

well for me. IMHO It and and Orange Glo are the best

yellow meaters.

I think that Orange Glo could be an example of a variety that varies in the strains and seed lots. It is an old variety with lots of strains likely. I find that it is the most healthy grower of all the variieties that I have planted, but it often is too grainy for me. I remember the single plant I raised in 2010. I kept pulling off young melons...about 20, and it still produced 11 that produced 234 pounds of melons and was going strong at frost.

Orangeglo can be quite good but it has three major drawbacks for me. 1. Short window for best quality. It gets over ripe too quick. Probably what Wayne is describing as graininess.

2. It is fragile to extreme. Have to handle it with kid gloves. No problems with splitting, But trying to move in a wheel barrow, truck, even a car results in busted melons. 3. It a big melon that does not size down 30+lbs. very good. smaller melons decrease in quality fast. Good big melon if one can handle big melons. Today I prefer one that I can fit in the refrigerator.

farmerdill, Thanks for the very good critique.

Don't forget to eat the seeds!

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/watermelon-seeds-new-superfood

I've always swallowed the seeds when eating watermelon -- I think it's kind of weird that people don't, it's part of the watermelon eating experience...but that's just me :0)

Sorry to bring back a year old thread. Several of you above mentioned Raspa as being one of the best flavored watermelons. I'd like to give it a try but can't find seed anywhere (including Willhites). Anyone know where to order seed?

Willhite developed Raspa so if they don't have it, likely no one does.

Gotcha. Thanks for the response. Maybe they’ll have it back next year.

That is strange, just went to the Willhite site and "raspa" doesn't even show up in their search mode. Usually their catalog will still list a melon even if it's in the "crop failure" category. I still have a very few seeds left from an order of 4 years ago but over the past couple of years Gold Strike has done better for me than Raspa. I also agree with other's comments that seeded melons are sweeter than seedless, as well as being much more productive (for me anyways).

PS, I counted less than 30 varieties of WM at their website but in the past their catalog offered many more than that. I sent them an email asking about Raspa, will post their reply if I get one.

great! I’ll be interested to know what they say

Here' is their C&P reply below.....

Willhite Seed

12:18 PM (4 hours ago)to me

No sir, that variety will not be available until possibly 2021

Have a blessed day.

Missy Dickinson

Accounts Receivable/Payable

Willhite Seed Inc.

Ph: 817-599-8656

Fx: 817-599-5843

I stumbled on this thread looking for some Raspa seeds. looks like they still do not have any available for purchase on their site.

Are seeds saved any good? if they are - i have a bunch of different watermelons and melons i could trade a few seeds for. i probably have at least half the varieties of all the melons Baker creek sells.. shoot me a message if interested.

Watermelon seeds last many years if stored decently.. Wilhite has subsituted Sweet Heart for Raspa.

My "are saved seeds any good" comment was more directed at Raspa, and if it wasn't a hybrid, i would have been interested in swapping some seeds with someone.

I believe Raspa was a seedless hybrid. I can't remember for sure. It was a very good watermelon though, quite tasty. Sangria was also very good. I got the Sweetheart from Wilhite for this year and Florida Giant to try.

Raspa isn't seedless, it's a large oblong melon and when Willhite did have it in stock they sold it as a choice between large and small seeds. I always bought the large seed but I just planted the last of what I had on hand for this season. Even though Raspa is a very good melon I still prefer Gold Strike (orange fleshed) as my #1 favorite for sweetness, texture, and flavor.

vgkg, Gold Strike is a good grower. One year it made about 120 pounds on one plant. I found it to be extra good or sometimes not that good tasting. I suspect it may be a melon that needs extra heat. Many do not need exceptional heat.

I wonder why they have Sweet Heart as a Raspa substitute.. they aren't clear if it's an improved version or just a replacement due to some other issue.

I am growing both seedless and seeded. i realize the cons/pros of seedless, but i just love eating Watermelon at times without having to remove seeds.. if anyone recommends a seedless i'd like to hear.

Watermelons i am growing this year (first time):

Ali Baba

Oranglo

Golden Midget

Blacktail Mountain

Lemon Drop

Ultracool (Hybrid seedless)

Triple Crown (Hybrid seedless)

Sugar baby (Hybrid pollinator)

Next Year consideration (no room currently):

Allsweet

Borries Yellow

Brandon, did you try out the Willhite Sweetheart last year? How was it? I'm looking for a good new red watermelon to try and Willhite still does not have Raspa, and they're out of Big Stripe, both of which have been recommended several times here.

I took a chance and ordered Willhite's new "Sweetheart" seed for this year, I ran out of Raspa seed. A few years ago their catalog advertised Raspa as the new name for their Sweetheart seed (a copyright conflict?) so not sure if they finally won the naming rights or if it's some new hybrid? I'll know for sure by next summer.

If you are looking for a good OP besides Crimson Sweet. Willhite's Legacy is topnotch for me.

Cool - Thanks. I'll give both Sweetheart and Legacy a try this year.