A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 canteloupe and watermelon

when do you know when it's time to pick melons? i have watermelons the size of canteloupes (they have been that size for about 2 months) i know you are supposed to knock on them and they are supposed to sound hollow but are they easy to pull off?
and do canteloupes ready to pick when they just come right off the stem?
they have not grown much in about 2 weeks and i am anxious to eat them!

First off, I simply adore you name! Secondly, I think cantaloupes are ready when the stem pretty much detaches from the plant. Watermelons are a little trickier. I think they are ready when the little curly-vine tendril near the stem turns brown.

Sarah

seems right to me! i've grown cantaloupes, and when they detached for me, they were ready! My watermelon never seems to live..oh well, there's always next year (and the year after and the year after and i think you get it)

Is that a misprint that the watermelons have been that size for two months. They should never take that long. From the time the fruit sets to harvest should be around five weeks. The stem is kinda tough and I clip them off.

Cantaloupes on the other hand are easy to pick. The technique is called slip-disk, which simply means just the slightest pull and they detach from the vine.

thanks for the advice! i meant 2 months, that was my mistake! hopefully i'll have some good melons soon! this is my first year so i am excited!
thanks for the name compliment! (or thank my parents!)

Can anyone tell me if there is anything special I need to do for canteloupe plants? I have never planted them before and now I have this huge plant with yellow flowers growing. How long before I see melons?
Tammy

Watermelon help needed....

I have recently lost a watermelon....it was on the branch and the high wind seems to have losened it off. It was sat on the ground. As its no longer connected to the vine I guess thats it for it. My question is is there a way to ripen it off, I've cut it and its yellow inside and quite firm. I've never eaten watermelon before but I always thought they were red inside so I'm a bit confused.

when my canteloupes started to blossom i think it took about a month to start to see results (and now i am just waiting for the canteloupes to ripen!)

as for watermelon, if you think you picked it too soon you could maybe let it ripen for a week and then cut it open. the inside is supposed to be red and juicy and yummy!!!!
go to your grocery store and look at some of the watermelon there to get an idea.
good luck!

Could it be one of the yellow watermelons?