Your favorite watermelon and pumpkin

AlwaysHotinFL 2017-07-16, 08:50

Have a favorite disease/pest resistant, productive, flavorful watermelon and/or pumpkin?

I grew organic sugar baby- only got 1 before the plant succumbed to disease. Haven't grow pumpkin yet.

Curious to hear your favorites!

**sanderson** 2017-07-16, 14:51

Do you know what disease did them in? I'm wondering if summer is just too deadly for melons and pumpkins in your area. Maybe start some now and see how they do for your "fall."

Mikesgardn 2017-07-16, 19:02

AlwaysHotinFL wrote:

I grew organic sugar baby- only got 1 before the plant succumbed to disease.

I typically only get one fruit per melon plant (or pumpkin) anyway. I've noticed that the plant will produce more than one fruit initially, but seems to put all of its energy into one of the fruits, while the others whither away.

AlwaysHotinFL 2017-07-19, 14:28

Not sure what disease, but it was a bad one. Mike, good to know to expect low yields from those plants.

Still curious to hear people's favorite varities!

meatburner 2017-07-19, 15:44

Casey, we have grown a small melon called "Minnesota Midget Melons" for the third year now. They are about like a small cantelope and look and taste similar as well. They are exceptionally juicy and full of flavor. As Sanderson suggested, maybe try to grow them now as a fall crop in your climate as they are fast growers. We get the seeds from Baker Creek and save the seeds. They are really good.

audrey.jeanne.roberts 2017-07-20, 15:55

If you're growing pumpkins for eating rather than decorating, my favorite "pumpkin" is actually a squash. We grew them last year for the first time. They're an heirloom called "Boston Marrow."

They grew between 20-40 lbs. They have very sweet and smoothly textured meat and made incredible pumpkin pies. Our family won't let me grow anything else now, lol!

Made great soups. We dehydrated a lot and used it for soups and stews over the year. It also sauteed up nicely for meals.

I got the seeds from here:
http://www.rareseeds.com/boston-marrow-s/?F_Keyword=boston%20marrow Your favorite watermelon and pumpkin Squash10

Your favorite watermelon and pumpkin Squash10

**sanderson** 2017-07-21, 16:59

Audrey, I don't have room in my little backyard for a marrow fruit much less for the whole plant! Wink

Had the first Petite Gris cantaloupe today. The blossom end split and it looked like the ants were interested, so I cut it off the vine. As the hulls stay green, I wasn't sure if it would be any good. I had to literally cut the strong vine as it was just shy of ripeness. Cantaloupe flavor, crispy and juicy and sufficiently sweet enough to enjoy for breakfast. Thank goodness! The other half will be for dinner. Your favorite watermelon and pumpkin Cantal10

Your favorite watermelon and pumpkin Cantal10

gwb1865 2017-07-24, 06:25

Check with your county extension office. They can tell you what varieties of melons and squash have been successfully grown in your county as well as the best planting dates.

stealthmayhem 2017-07-24, 06:37

sanderson wrote:Audrey, I don't have room in my little backyard for a marrow fruit much less for the whole plant!

Had the first Petite Gris cantaloupe today. The blossom end split and it looked like the ants were interested, so I cut it off the vine. As the hulls stay green, I wasn't sure if it would be any good. I had to literally cut the strong vine as it was just shy of ripeness. Cantaloupe flavor, crispy and juicy and sufficiently sweet enough to enjoy for breakfast. Thank goodness! The other half will be for dinner.

I'm more interested in what variety of tomatoes were in the metal bowl.

**Scorpio Rising** 2017-07-24, 17:47

gwb1865 wrote:Check with your county extension office. They can tell you what varieties of melons and squash have been successfully grown in your county as well as the best planting dates.

Good advice! Florida you will have a ton of options with your long hot growing period, anything I tell you will be short season, like Meatburner suggested, maybe a quick season with MN Midget, but it is a muskmelon.

I would grow a long season big old traditional seeds and all watermelon! They are the best tasting IMHO.

Here, we grow quickies: Blacktail Mountain(sweet, tons of seeds) and Stars and Moons (new to me!!!!). These mature quickly.

**sanderson** 2017-07-24, 21:59

Stealth, Do you mean the striped tomatoes? Black Vernissage from Baker Creek. Quite prolific and hardy here in the hot Valley.

AlwaysHotinFL 2017-07-26, 10:23

Great comments, might have to try some of these. Boston Marrow looks like a fun challenge!

TCgardening 2017-07-29, 10:35

Casey,
I haven't done much with watermelons but they need to get started in Feb or Aug. I had great success with Seminole pumpkins. Very good eating like a butternut squash or you can use in a pie. You can get the seeds from Baker seed.
Seminole pumpkin

Survival Gardener Seminole pumpkin project

Hope this helps
Craig

AlwaysHotinFL 2017-07-31, 12:27

That's the second time the Seminole Pumpkin has been recommended to me. Will have to check it out!

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