Well the Agricultural Fair was last week, and with it comes both the pinnacle of a season's work and the realization that it is time to start planning for next year. This garden brought home five (count them 5!) blue ribbons. The two of which I am most proud are the ones in garlic, I entered two heads of Montana Giant, and in biggest tomato. At 1 pound 10.3 ounces, Big Zac came through again as the winner. . . .

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Posted by Leslie Reblogged by Old Roses to melons, tomatoes, vegetables on 2008-08-27, 06:26:40

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Posted by kathy Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2008-07-22, 06:06:21

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Photo: La Prensa, Honduras

Once again Honduras has hit the international headlines and as usual it's not a good thing. The US Food and Drug Administration has reported that Salmonella outbreaks in 16 states in the U.S. have been linked to Honduran cantaloupes. The Canadian Food Inspection Service has followed suit after nine incidents. . .

reBlogged to melons on Dec 31, 1969, 6:59PM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2008-03-26, 05:50:20

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Just another reason to add to the list of why you should grow your own...

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Posted by Tina Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2008-03-23, 23:36:36

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Posted by Nickie Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2008-02-26, 06:23:11

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I planted 2 little organic Cantaloupe Ambrosia plants on May 21st. Yesterday I harvested the first 2 melons. They look pretty good to me! I mean, they meet the standard I'd set for a first ever Cantaloupe crop. Good size, no ugly mutations.I've been smelling these 2 melons every day after work. Since I don't really know the proper way to determine if a cantaloupe is ready for picking, I used my mom and best friends technique of checking for the smell of cantaloupe coming through the skin. . . .

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Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2007-08-24, 18:00:01

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Here is my first melon ever. Actually, I should say the first melon that I’ve ever grown that I have had the pleasure of enjoying. Some creatures have destroyed the first two. It’s probably the squirrels. They take a bite or two and leave the rest to rot on the ground. Very annoying.

It’s a Minnesota Midget. And it fits its name. This one is about the size of a baseball. There are a couple more on the vine that are about the same size. Overall, the plant doesn’t take up too much space, but production is low. And when animals steal 50% of your yield, well…

reBlogged to melons on Aug 19, 2007, 10:41AM

Posted by gremlin Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2007-08-20, 18:55:04

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So, did I mention that I started a bunch of melons from seed this spring? Did I mention that I had a few problems?

Like, just as soon as I’d planted them, the whole tray of seeds tipped over and it rained soil and seeds all over my three-tiered seed starting rack. Soon I had melons coming up in my tomatoes and oregano. . . .

reBlogged to melons on Aug 16, 2007, 1:34PM

Posted by Robyn Dochterman Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2007-08-17, 06:14:43

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I no longer have to worry about my cantaloupe being eaten by the animals, but not because I've put up a fence or done anything to stop them. I don't have to worry about them because there are NONE LEFT! Last night the raccoons ate ALL OF THEM!

I know it was raccoons this time by they way the melons were eaten. . . .

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Posted by Marc Reblogged by Old Roses to melons, pests on 2007-08-15, 06:10:30

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"Men and melons are hard to know." ~ Benjamin Franklin

The Charentais melon laid waiting for me in the midst of a tangle of vines. There were others, including watermelon babies, but this canteloupe looked different. It was pale yellow while its siblings sported a shade of gray-green. I looked at it for a bit, then contemplated whether it was announcing, "Pick me.". . .

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Posted by Kylee Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2007-08-05, 18:13:14

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It's a daily miracle to me that those little seeds I planted so casually eventually produce amazing results.
This is the berm where I planted the vines.



Everything is like a beautiful still life.

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Posted by J.P. Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2007-07-26, 00:48:12

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Posted by Leigh Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2007-07-25, 00:48:48

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Posted by Blackswamp_Girl Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-10-13, 15:52:03

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What's the difference between a cantaloupe and a muskmelon? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

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Posted by The Old Farmer's Almanac Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-10-03, 16:38:56

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I knew my melons would be a race against time. I should’ve started their seeds indoors with the tomato and pepper seeds. I also should’ve planted them in a much sunnier place. The ground never fully dried out and many of melons turned yellow and died on the vine. Only four melons survived, one for each vine. . .

reBlogged to melons on Sep 21, 2006, 11:00AM

Posted by Greengirl Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-09-21, 23:52:34

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Tigger melons.

They don't have a ton of taste, but they sure do look cool. I believe they originated in Armenia, and they're allegedly sweeter if grown in a dry climate. The seeds came from Baker Creek, the same company I mentioned before.

reBlogged to melons on Sep 4, 2006, 7:41AM

Posted by Rurality Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-09-04, 23:26:45

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Gardening is not very interesting if I'm not trying something different.

I'm one of those people who ends up wanting everything marked "new" in the seed catalog, but I managed to restrain myself this year and only ordered five unusual melons. (That may sound like a lot, but the catalog had 16 varieties of Eastern and Asian melons that I'd never heard of before.)

reBlogged to melons on Aug 22, 2006, 7:24AM

Posted by Rurality Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-08-22, 23:36:12

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My watermelons (above) are as happy as can be. Two weeks ago, I had a handfull of tiny little buds (middle). This morning I had 8 or 9 baseball-size beauties ripening on the vines — Yay!

Full of bright flowers, my Prescott Fond Blanc melons (not pictured) are a little behind. Both varieties are tangled in the nasturtiums and spilling out of their bed. . . .

Great questions! Does anyone have some answers for her? -OR

reBlogged to melons on Aug 8, 2006, 6:45PM

Posted by Administrator Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-08-09, 23:19:57

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On those dog-days of August, when the heat just won’t stop, there is nothing as refreshing as a chilled garden fresh treat. The subtle hues of home grown cantaloupe and honeydew melon combined with the brilliant crimson of fresh strawberries, can convince you that it isn’t really too hot to eat. Toss your fruit with a bit cool chopped mint and drizzle with honey or yogurt and suddenly you know you will survive. If we get started soon, by August we will have melons and strawberries waiting in the fridge. . .

reBlogged to melons on May 31, 2006, 10:07PM

Posted by Harvest Reblogged by Old Roses to melons on 2006-06-02, 15:19:39

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More flowers are starting to bloom in the garden (of course, the flowers in the photo are on the patio). I have a few crocus and some anemones. I am still waiting for the hyacinth to bloom, but we are getting closer. We also planted seeds for our vegetable garden (tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and melons), and have the starters inside downstairs.

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to anemone, crocus, cucumbers, hyacinth, melons, peppers, squash, tomatoes on 2006-01-31, 10:41:42

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