Bush Baby Watermelon
(notes: compact, pretty vine growing well in container boxes, decent yield, no visible bug damage!)
Horseradish
(this was a sickly half dead nursery plant 1 month ago about 4 inches high - I planted near the compost pile and seems to enjoy the full sun and intense heat we have had)
"Hale's Best" Cantelope - I don't know anything about this, never grown melons before! It looks close to being done. (Growing well in a container, not bothered by bugs, not a "messy plant" at all!) See vining habit in below photo:
Another shot of "Hale's Best" Cantelope - this was an afterthought, I tucked a few free seeds into a box of marigolds, the cantelope vine is really well behaved, grows fine in container in intense heat, although the roots are definitely shaded by the marigolds, this little bit of vine has 5 cantelopes on it right now, all appear to be about 1-2 weeks apart in maturity, so: perfect!
Note to self: please exercise a little more self control with the peppers next year! There are easily over 200 peppers in this one bed at this moment from different varieties. In here are Jalapeno Gigante, Fish Hot, Yellow Stuffers and Quadrato d'Asti Rosso. I am terrified about the day that will come soon where I will actually have to start harvesting and figuring out what to do with them!
My first time dealing with blossom end rot - congrats to me, huh? I even used "the spray" religiously but I have always heard that stuff doesn't work. Since these 2 I haven't had any more, but now I can add this little tidbit under my experience belt!
Lovely garden spider in my potatoes. This is the time of year they start covering my tomatoes with their beautiful colors and webs, my little guardians!
Speaking of things that need guarding, my Polish UFO's are approaching State Fair entry sizes and showing no signs of ripening still. Compare these babies to my hand and you can start to tell how large they are getting - and there is 8 like this on there! What's amusing is the fact that I can barely get my hand into the tomato cage my hubby built - I think I am going to have to cut access holes all over it since the cage is 5 ft tall! I have searched and searched on heirloom tomato types given the characteristics I was told from the old lady who gave me the seeds, but I still am no closer to having a name for this variety. I may have to name it myself! We'll wait until we can see the final product and a taste review and then we will have a "name that tomato!" idea post!
After seeing the above pic, it doesn't do the tomato justice! I just ran outside and took another photo for size reference:
This is a 10 oz "full size" Orange Wellington I am holding next to the Polish UFO's!
Sorry for the loud video, it's a necessary part of my hurricane prepping around here, looks like we are going to have an active year. Hubby has trouble getting video via email, but is able to see it on the blog!
That is one big mater. Can't wait to see a pic of it when you harvest.
ReplyDeleteWell, right offhand I'd say you know how to grow melons! Eager to see photos when you cut them open.
ReplyDeleteSo . . . just what ARE you going to do with all those peppers???
The size of your Polish UFOs is somethin' else! They're gonna be beauties when they turn color. One will feed you, the boys and still have leftovers.
I'm sorry, but I had to laugh out loud at your video. (Hey, there's more than one way to communicate with your husband! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!)
I'm going to venture out and say, no. That's not how that should sound. You're such a trooper.
ReplyDeleteThe cantaloupe will most likely fall off or come off easily in your hand when it's ready. They look great!
"Double D's" is my vote for those currently unamed tomatoes, lol - they are going to need some support soon!
ReplyDeleteThose melons are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!!!! SOOOOOOO jealous, total melon envy. Shall I go on? ;0
Look the size of those melons! I will have to try those bush baby watermelons next year. My vines are getting out of control! Depending on the variety of cantaloupe you're growing, it should separate easily from the vine when ripe. I can't wait to see pictures of it cut open. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteDo you have anything protecting those beauties? Our backyard groundhog got to two of my beautiful foot long cucumbers today...they were growing on my garden fence. I really hope it doesn't find a way into the garden.
The melon should "slip from the vine" when it's ripe. Just a small bit of pressure with your thumb on the stem, and it will pop right off. It should also have a strong cantaloupe aroma. My Hales Best did lousy last year. I got one melon, about the size of a softball! It was growing in a 5-gallon bucket.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, doggies! That's a humongous tomato!
Thank God for generators!!
ReplyDeleteErin-
ReplyDeleteYou have the midas touch on gardening, we're talking way beyond a green thumb! I wouldn't want to live in the south - heck, I get HOT in Minnesota! I do envy the variety of plants you're able to grow though! :)
You are the have such a wonderful garden, you definately have the touch. I think the tomato is an oxheart. Crush up eggs shells and scratch them into the ground under the tomatoes. Calcium is the remedy, I only had this problem once. Do all your hot peppers cross pollinate or can you distinguish each one still? Once I grew hot peppers with sweet and they all turned out sweet. Thanks for sharing Erin, peace
ReplyDeleteKelly, that's a great name!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the melon tips! Stems still look green and strong so it will be awhile, I heard the scent thing about the cantelope before, it still doesn't have any smell to it so it's not ready yet!
Thomas, I don't have anything protecting them but it appears nothing is bothering them. My beans are the only thing giving me issues with that, the birds snatch them as soon as they sprout - I have sowed more Edamame and bush beans twice in the last 3 weeks!
Patty, I remember flying home the year my brother got married and it was at least 100 in the evening up in MN, same as we have been having - I think it was 2007! It was unbelievable!
Rose, thanks for the kind words! I have been doing the eggshells, but for some reason I am only having these types of problems in my container tomatoes this year, I think all the good stuff is washing away with the rain and watering. This is the first and only year I will be doing my tomatoes in containers, it has been disheartening! It's definitely not an oxheart, I have grown those before. The old lady who gave me the family seeds swore they were Polish and yellow, but I think she may have confused them with something else, because they are the faintest pink this morning, potato leaved plant, it is starting to look like a German Giant. The mystery is fun, though! I haven't had any problems with my peppers cross pollinating, they are all distinctly different tasting, although I won't save the seed since they are heirlooms the pollination thing might affect the seed for next season.
What did hubby have to say about the noise?
ReplyDelete