Bush Sugar Baby Watermelon

My first ripe Bush Sugar Baby watermelon was ready yesterday. It had a hollow sound when I thumped on it and it had some yellowing on the part that touched the ground. Blemish free on the outside. Sweet smelling inside. My father was here to share it with. It was the perfect size for two people. Although it looked and smelled great, I thought it was a bit bland. On the other hand, my father thought it was good. It has been a particularly rainy season which might have something to do with the lack of flavor. These vines took up very little space, so I will give them another try next season to see if the yield and flavor improves. This vine only yielded this ripe melon. There are two softball-sized melons still outside, but wilt has pretty much desimated the foliage and vines.

Melons

Iroquois Muskmelon
I am still waiting for the giant in the front to ripen. It just sits there tempting me. I can't believe how large it has gotten. It almost spans the edger is sits upon that is 12 inches wide. These can grow to around 7 pounds! Wow! Maybe next year I'll find seeds for a smaller muskmelon. An heirloom or open-pollinated variety. Maybe Charentais or Petit Gris de Rennes. Those both had delectable descriptions. That way I may get a few more per vine, and they would hopefully ripen a bit quicker.

Bush Sugar Baby Watermelons

I'm still waiting to try one of these. The largest on the middle right has appeared to slow down in growth while the other two are taking off. I'm hoping that's a sign of its impending maturing.

Melons

Bush Sugar Baby Watermelon---

Yesterday I was trying to train the watermelon vines back into the boundaries of the back garden when I saw something that truly made my day...um...perhaps my entire season. My very first watermelon! It's about the size of a softball. You can see it to the lower left of this photo. To the left is another picture of my little "Baby" watermelon. I've never attempted to grow any type of melon before. I just thought that for some reason they would be difficult, so I was surprised at how easy it was. Even though these are the bush form of Sugar Baby, they still need quite a bit of room. Right now they are covering around 9 square feet and growing! They appear to be disease and pest-resistant.

Minnesota Midget Muskmelon---

An open-pollinated muskmelon. Vines are compact (3-4 feet long). They produce sweet, 4" melons with orange flesh. I have one growing in a large container climbing up a wire tomato cage. They have been really easy to train. Just guide them back onto the cage if they want to spill out over the edge. They are absolutely covered in blossoms and bumblebees really love them! Foliage is clean and healthy. No pest problems.