Our melons were the source of a lot of excitement this year (they took over the whole vine section, including the paths!; there are so many! melon!), but they have also been the source of some disappointment. Many of the melons didn’t give off melon-ripeness signs (separates easily from the vine, brown stem, etc) even when well past their calendar appointed due date. We picked test melons every few weeks and they were often under or over ripe. Some had hollow centers or just tasted bland. We’re not sure if the problem is lack of water or lack or compost or just not having good seeds. Maybe we should have pruned so that each plant only had to support the development of one fruit instead of several. Maybe they were just too crowded. I love melons enough that I am not willing to give up and we will try again with some adjustments next year. In the mean time these melons are still great for adding to yogurt, drying, making melon sorbet or salads… some are even good for eating plain.
