Moon & Stars Watermelon

MasonGarden 4/1/2011, 6:27 pm

I am planning to plant Moon & Stars heirloom Watermelon in my new SFG, and to trellis them to save some space. The plant produces small, sweet, 6-lb melons. Does anyone have any experience/advice for this variety? Thanks!

**camprn** 4/1/2011, 6:31 pm

OOOOOOooooooh I bought some at farmers market last year. If it was me, I would choose a wire trellis as multiple fruit will weigh a LOT. I was thinking something in the way of the arched cattle panel.

MasonGarden 4/1/2011, 6:35 pm

The arched cattle panel . . . hmmm! I guess I'll google that! Wink

**camprn** 4/1/2011, 6:38 pm

yeah and then click on images
Wink

genes 4/1/2011, 6:40 pm

was this not a favorite of ander217?

**camprn** 4/1/2011, 6:43 pm

genes wrote:was this not a favorite of ander217?

Genes, I believe you are correct! Very Happy

MasonGarden 4/1/2011, 6:52 pm

I like it! okay

myhouseofBOYS 4/1/2011, 7:13 pm

I thought moon and stars was a 20-40 pound variety? Linkie to the midget ones?

**camprn** 4/1/2011, 7:22 pm

MasonGarden wrote:I like it!

Isn't that sweet? cheers

Ohh, the melons I saw at market were about 6-10 pounds. But we had a very dry summer last year.
http://www.ehow.com/info_7806745_should-moon-stars-watermelons-picked.html
and this link from one of the best books EVER. Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening

MasonGarden 4/1/2011, 11:12 pm

Great info Camprn!! Thanks for sharing! thanks

MasonGarden 4/1/2011, 11:42 pm

Actually, now I am confused about the size. My seed packet says that the watermelons weigh 6-15 lbs, but the seed company's website says 30-40 lbs!!!? A huge difference. I have sent them an email asking for a clarification. The company is "High Mowing Organic Seeds".

:scratch:

**camprn** 4/2/2011, 8:12 am

The melons that I bought from the farmer's market originated from Highmowing seed company. Please do let us know what they write back to you. Very Happy

nancy 4/2/2011, 10:18 am

I'm doing moon & stars this year, too. I bought my seeds from Baker Creek. The packet says they can grow to over 40 pounds. They are getting their own 4x4 bed and I am going to let them spread. I plan to put them in the 4 innermost squares and their box is on the outer edge of the allotment. I got 2 packs of the smaller size and I will trellis those. I'm really excited! Will spring ever stick around?

quiltbea 4/2/2011, 11:20 am

I nearly bought some Moon and Stars this year and then read the size of them. I wanted something much smaller.

Let us know how they taste. I hope you do well with your trellising.

Glendale-gardener 4/2/2011, 11:42 am

I bought a pack of those too! darn, Cincy girls, we should have split a pack! Laughing

I got my pack at Delhi Flower and Garden Center and all it says is "organic cert., an amish heirloom recently rediscovered in rural Missouri..." nothing abou the size. I was going to put it in one of my beds and trellis it but I think I might put it somewhere else now just in case! I orig. started 3 plants , but my 5 year old has given 2 away, but the one left is still doing well!

kjenkins82 4/2/2011, 1:00 pm

I bought Moon and Stars for the first time this year too and my seed packet refers to them as medium sized, 25 pound melons. Although I'm in the process of doubling from 2 4 x 4 beds to 4, I'd hate to give up too much of my precious space. One whole bed is already dedicated to strawberries. I have some large Smart Pots with nothing planned for this year--any chance this would work as a container plant in another part of the yard where I could let it sprawl out as much as it wants? 40 lbs seems pretty heavy for my trellis! I got some Sugar Baby watermelons too because I knew the Moon and Stars weren't as practical for my space, but I just couldn't resist those yellow splotches. Very Happy

MasonGarden 4/2/2011, 2:07 pm

I received a response form High Mowing Organic Seeds regarding the discrepancy between what is printed on the seed packet (6-15 lbs) and what is on their website (20-40 lbs). Here is what they said:

The package description, which states 6-15 lbs, is a misprint, but I must advise you that the average weight for Moon and Stars is about 15 lbs. It CAN grow as large as 20-40 lbs, though this is not always the norm. I have researched online that this variety can actually grow even larger fruit than that, but you certainly cannot count on each fruit being this large. The growing conditions have a lot to do with size, not to mention that genetics can play into it as well. With open pollinated heirloom seed, genetics are not as uniform as they are with hybrids and this can often result in a large variation in fruit size. It would probably be in your best interest to do a little research on this variety and maybe you will learn some of the tips people have used to acquire the larger fruit size, but remember that genetic variation is out of your hands. I hope this information is helpful.

Needless to say, I am either going to switch to a smaller melon (I really wanted to grow a smaller variety that matures faster and can be trellised), or add another bed just for the Moon & Stars Watermelons and hope for the best.

Anyone have any success with the smaller varieties that can be trellised??

**walshevak** 4/2/2011, 4:17 pm

Has anyone tried the Sugar Baby watermelon. I've never tried to grow melons, but thought I'd try trellising these this year.

Kay

quiltbea 4/2/2011, 6:12 pm

I grew Sugar Babies last year. Great melons. Sweet. The family loved them.
The package said they avg 6 lbs but mine were 6 Lbs to 15 lbs and all very sweet.

front to back, 7.5, 8 and 15 lb Sugar Babies.

Here's an earlier 14 lb melon cut open.
I grew mine at our local Organic Community Garden last year where I had lots of room for them to ramble over the garden so I can't say how they would do with a trellis.

I'll be doing the same again this year. I didn't know how to check for ripeness but have learned a bit more now. I left them on the vine a little longer while checking around for information on picking them, so they grew larger.

nancy 4/2/2011, 6:23 pm

I also bought White Wonder and White Sugar Lump from Baker Creek - both of which are ice-box sized. Both have white flesh and are between 3-10 pounds. There are 15 seeds / pack. I'd be happy to share if anyone wants to try a smaller melon. There is no plan on growing 30 mini watermelons this year! =) Plus the Moon & Stars. I plan on trellising both of these.

It sounds as if we can expect our Moon & Stars to be around 12-16 pound melons. I vote on keeping this thread going and posting our results here as the summer progresses. It sound be great fun (for me) to compare.

MasonGarden 4/2/2011, 11:04 pm

Nancy, I'd be interested in trying some seeds from a smaller melon! thanks

nancy 5/13/2011, 2:46 pm

So how are everyone's moon & stars coming along? Mine just sprouted overnight. I started them in cups last Wednesday and have been keeping them in a south-facing window here at work. They weren't doing anything, so yesterday I set them outside in the sun / heat. Now I have 3-4 popping up. I have 10 cups - 4 moon & stars, 2 white wonders, 2 white bush, a sugar bush baby, and a crimson something-or-other. I had wanted to put them in the ground this weekend, but I may wait a few days until they get a bit bigger (and hopefully more of them will sprout by then!).

ModernDayBetty 5/13/2011, 5:35 pm

nancy wrote:So how are everyone's moon & stars coming along?

Mine are just coming up. It's very exciting! My Malali's didn't come up and survive :o( so I bought some sugar baby seedlings that are really coming along. I'm super excited about my moon and stars :o) I got the large oval ones.

Glendale-gardener 5/18/2011, 3:10 pm

Mine is doing okay. It's a little spindly and sad looking but still nice and green so I'm hoping it will bulk up when I get it planted outside. Fingers crossed that it warms up someday.

I had planted 4 of these at first but my 5 year gave 2 away as "gifts", one to a neighbor lady and one to his preschool director, then I killed one during the potting up. So I hope my last one makes it!

laingram 5/26/2011, 8:00 pm

I have decided to try watermelons this year as well. I bought both the Bush Sugar Baby and the Moon & Stars Yellow-meated Watermelons. When I saw the average size of the M&S, I gave them to my grandmother since she has a much bigger area to contend with. So I am going to try my hand at the Bush Sugar Baby with a vertical trellis. I direct seeded into the garden. The seedlings haven't gotten very big, but I think it has something to do with this crazy weather we have been having here in the mid-south. Hopefully, it will begin the grow bigger as it heats up.

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