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Post by James on Jul 9, 2019 18:31:11 GMT -5
"Moon and Stars"
Nope.
groundhog? sounds like you need some #3 foot traps?
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Post by kasey on Jul 10, 2019 9:35:21 GMT -5
One variety I grow is Jade Star. It is advertised as 75 DTM. It is an improved sugar baby type and really good. The very first melons will grow to about 14 lbs. Later ones, 10 to 12. I have a couple on now that are nearing 10 lbs. Many years I'll have my first melon before a lot of people have their first mater. These are started inside a month ahead of a May 15 setout date. The other watermelon I grow is from seeds I saved from a "seedless" watermelon. Last year was the first year and they were really good melons of about 18-20 lbs. They look just like the old OP Crimson Sweet. Need a short season melon give Jade Star a try. kc
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 14, 2019 8:04:04 GMT -5
Deer destroyed my watermelons last night. All Sugar Babies were taken as were half of the larger melons. A neighbor three miles off told me that they could not grow watermelons because of deer. The main deer hunter here fell in his home last year and suffered a head injury, so the deer are unhunted, and the population has built back up.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 14, 2019 8:23:41 GMT -5
tom 🕊, sorry about your melons. They will be back tonight for another meal. I’ve found that they don’t like alum. A sprinkle of alum seems to work better than cayenne pepper. My veggie garden is enclosed by electric fence, but the flower garden is not protected. When I put out something new in the yard pots or flower garden, I gave it a dusting of alum. I can’t think of anything that got tasted. Earlier this year, when the deer were eating a hole in the yard, I finally sprinkled it with alum. I heard some snorting during the night, but the deer left it alone after that. Now if I could figure out who is rearranging my straw mulch that surrounds the marigolds...
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 14, 2019 8:57:58 GMT -5
A sprinkle of alum seems to work better than cayenne pepper. Thanks for the tip. |
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Post by SpringRain on Jul 14, 2019 9:55:55 GMT -5
tom 🕊, what a shame, and such a disappointment. Will you be replanting, or is it too late even in your area for a second crop? binnylou, I wonder if mice are the new straw home decorators? I'm thinking that it's something small, or something looking perhaps for edible critters on the soil? Are any of the marigolds chewed?
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Post by binnylou on Jul 14, 2019 10:04:01 GMT -5
SpringRain, I'm thinking skunk or possum, possibly looking for earwigs. 'Tis the season for earwigs.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 14, 2019 10:22:02 GMT -5
what a shame, and such a disappointment. Will you be replanting, or is it too late even in your area for a second crop? Thanks. Yes it's too late to replant. It is a disappointment but not overwhelming. My garden is diversified so that a loss in one crop will be offset by gains in another. Cucuzza and eggplant are just coming into production. The big loss -- besides the pleasure of watermelon -- is that I will not be able to confirm a 20 point drop in blood pressure by heavy consumption of watermelon. |
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 14, 2019 11:19:23 GMT -5
I will not be able to confirm a 20 point drop in blood pressure by heavy consumption of watermelon. After reading one of your previous posts I started eating watermelon 4x week My BP has dropped so much I've cut back! Last check, a few days ago. I was at 99/63. Thats low enough! I have some questions....do you know if watermelon juice is as effective as eating the whole fruit? Because what to do during the winter when watermelons aren't available? Has anyone tried freezing pureed water melon or w'melon chunks? |
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 14, 2019 11:50:04 GMT -5
Has anyone tried freezing pureed water melon or w'melon chunks? I haven't. I did try freezing cantaloupe, but was dissatisfied with results. If I remember correctly, it was tough when thawed. I just checked and watermelon extract and watermelon powder are available commercially for flavoring and baking. I don't know whether or not they retain the blood pressure lowering property. |
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Post by binnylou on Jul 14, 2019 12:10:21 GMT -5
I just came in from the veggie garden, and when checking the honeydew plants (not blooming yet), I see that somebody had a snack last night. What eats the leaves of honeydew melons? The damage is about the size of a silver dollar, eaten from the outer edge going inward.
Is this slug damage? I don't recall ever having this kind of damage on melons. Time for DE?
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 14, 2019 13:22:03 GMT -5
What eats the leaves of honeydew melons? Rabbits eat cantaloupe leaves, so I'd guess rabbits. |
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Post by binnylou on Jul 14, 2019 13:26:23 GMT -5
No rabbits in the garden, it is surrounded by electric fence.
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Post by SpringRain on Jul 14, 2019 14:48:29 GMT -5
binnylou , is it possible to determine bite radius within the dollar sized bite marks? That might help determine the size of the mouth, to give a better idea of the size of the insect.
I suspect there are some new arrivals in addition to hungry return chompers; I've seen a few bugs that I don't recognize, including a beetle which seemed to be "supersized".
desertwoman, I've never had good luck freezing melons, probably because the flesh is so soft. But I'm wondering if it could be pureed with something like a banana, which presumably would give it more substance. Or just freeze it in an ice cube tray?
I think this bears investigation; something so effective at lowering blood pressure is worth the research and time spent. What I'd like to find out is the specific causal ingredient, and then determine whether or not it's in other melons. |
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Post by SpringRain on Jul 14, 2019 15:03:45 GMT -5
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