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Post by stratcat on Sept 1, 2013 14:53:41 GMT -5
Also growing in a bag, I had good luck with the Amira cucumbers this summer. I DID taste one to remind myself that I don't like cukes, heheh. Thanks, WIZ! I'm still picking some and giving them away. These pictures are also from 27 August- Here's a Đurinci-Sopot gourd that's bag grown, courtesy of WIZ. The description given to me is "Finest antique gourd from Serbia sweet." Also from WIZ, I grew Peć-Ka Dinja melon in a bag with the description "Old Melon From Serbia Village Peć." I have one on the vine and here it is- I've been having lots of fun growing in bags on my lawn again this year!
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Deleted
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2013 15:16:27 GMT -5
Strat, watch those Peć-Ka Dinja closely once they stop increasing in size. My experience was that they go from green to overripe in 48 hours or less; you have to check them daily to catch that "Goldilocks" stage. They do not slip, but the rind does turn yellow when they're ready.
MB
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Post by stratcat on Sept 1, 2013 15:34:14 GMT -5
Hi, Drahkk.
I'm a first-time melon grower. How do I check them for ripeness? In the past,I've read about the little curly thing drying up when they're ripe, but I don't see one of those. What does "They do not slip" mean? Do I thump on them with my knuckles?
Thanks for your help.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2013 23:21:47 GMT -5
The dry tendril (little curly thing) check and knuckle (or "thump") test are usually used for watermelons, along with the ground contact spot changing from white to creamy yellow. Personally, for watermelons, I find the thump test to be the most reliable, but it's not something one can learn through text or telephone. You have to thump a lot of melons at various stages and cut a few underripe ones before you get it down. (Thumping supermarket melons that are known to be ripe can help you learn the right sound.) Once you learn the particular tone and resonance to listen for, though, it holds true for any variety, changing only with the size of the melon, and you'll learn how to compensate for that quickly. For Cucumis melo, or muskmelons, unfortunately it differs by variety. You can usually rely on some combination of aroma, rind color change, and/or slippage. (When a melon slips, the stem releases (or "slips free") from it when it is ripe, sometimes with gentle pressure, sometimes automatically.) Melons that slip are easy to harvest on time, but dangerous to grow on a trellis. Those that develop a strong aroma can be smelled by melon poaching pests as well. My favorites are those that change color when ready. For Peć-Ka Dinja specifically, they do not slip, which means you'll have to cut the vine to harvest them. They do develop an odor, but it's not powerful; you have to be pretty close to notice it. They DO change from green to yellow when they're ready, and it's a dramatic, fast change. This was Wednesday, the day before I harvested this one: This was Thursday, right before I brought it inside and cut it: It really is that fast, and a day or two later they'll be overripe and split. You have to pay daily attention to catch them at the right stage. Here's a slice cleaned: I found it not very sweet, somewhere in the range of supermarket melons, although it rained for several days before harvest and I can't help thinking it would have been sweeter if not for that. It was crisp and smooth, and the flavor was somewhere between cantaloupe, honeydew, peach, and something else I couldn't identify. All in all, I think they're worth a second growout, now that I know what to expect. And I've got plenty of seed to share if anyone else wants to try them. MB
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Post by stratcat on Sept 2, 2013 21:34:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the great info, Drahkk. Very helpful! Edit: Forgot to give a big thanks for the pictures, too! They really help.
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Post by stratcat on Sept 20, 2013 22:59:45 GMT -5
I picked this Peć-Ka Dinja melon today. Yeah, as Drahkk said, it really does get overripe and split in a day.
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