My Dad always used the "thump" and the yellow spot method. He never failed. :)

Good luck...nothing better than a "just right" sweet piece of Watermelon!

None of my melons are shiny, including the one I picked. ) :

Try editing your first post to cross post to Harvest and Fruits & Orchards.

Here's some advice from Mr. Clint from Fruits & Orchards:

MrClint

7 years ago

<Checking for watermelon ripeness:

- Wait for the spoon leaf to dry up (tiny leaf nearest the melon). Not all melons have this.

- Wait for the closest tendril to dry up (also called the curly-cue near the melon). Crimson Sweet definitely has one.

- A creme colored patch were the melon rested on the ground.

- With an ear on the melon, flick it with your finger, you want to hear "punk, punk" and not "pink, pink."

- All of the above are good indicators, but if you're still not sure wait another day. >

Well, I picked another unripe one, not the big Moon & Stars but a Blacktail Mountain that had a dry tendril and was dull in color. It was hanging off a grow bag so no yellow spot. I'm so sad. lol.

Kathsgrdn, good luck. I'm having the same issue with honeydew melon, I can't manage to get it right. They are either too ripe and mushy or they are not ripe and are bland.

I'm giving up, they take up too much space to just become chicken food. I'm not doing much better with cantaloupe than I did with honeydew.

I've gardened for nearly 60 years and still have never managed to figure out when a melon is ready, geez.

Annie