and small ones. last year i grew a couple Icebox Crimson Sweet, wow! it was the best watermelon i've ever had.. so i kept the seeds from them.

i have improved the soil with Black Kow, and premium top soil. this year i also added perlite and dolomitic lime to the mix then thoroughly tilled everything about 12" deep.

going to form a slight mound about 12" wide, 10 feet long. thinking i can grow 5 vines here?

does anyone prefer using plastic barrier and buried irrigation to open soil for melons? what about landscape fabric? i spent a LOT of time pulling weeds last year, that's why i ask.


who else loves melons? what are you growing?




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__________________
"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger

ok, i went ahead an bought some landscape fabric and formed rows. i opted not to bury irrigation and stick with my side trench watering. this makes the roots go deep and worked well last year.

after forming 15 or 16 foot columns approx 10-12 inches high, i rolled the fabric over and secured on the sides. there will be NO WEEDS competing for the resources in the root zone of my melons!!

i cut an X into the fabric every 2 feet or so and put the seeds in then watered.

doing 2 types of watermelons and 1 unknown cantaloupe.

if things go well i'll put some pics up in July.




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__________________
"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger

i love me some watermelon, although they wont grow in my garden, i swear i just cant get em, although i grow good cantelope every year.

I got big melons, never tried to grow em though. I just stick to flowers and such. Maybe next year I will try my hand at veggies and fruit.

__________________
Chiceh
Peace, Love & Weed

for watermelons all you need is good, rich soil that drains decently. if you dump a bag of composted manure out and throw a couple seeds in it you'll get watermelons!

cantaloupe likes loose, sandy soil and i have one small area in my garden that i hope will work for them... this is the first time i've ever tried them so we shall see.



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__________________
"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger

i'm working my way up to flowers and such, been growing vegs as far back as i can remember.




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__________________
"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger

yea but its somethin more to it than that, i mean they grow, i just cant get big ol melons, maybe its my curse.

they tolerate a wide range of pH so it can't be that. it's got to be the soil. might also be the amount of water they get, farmers say that frequent shallow waterings will make them small where infrequent deep waterings make them bigger.




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__________________
"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger

yea its the soil, too much clay.

well, here's the watermelon patch last week! it's basically out to the fence now thanks to the rain we've been getting.

i've got 3 almost ripe crimson sweets with several smaller ones coming along.

4 of the big ones will be ripe in a couple weeks, also with several smaller ones.

next year i'll prob plant half as many of each, it's just way too dense in there, can't even see the melons without poking through the vines.

oh, even the cantaloupes that i was told are impossible to grow in my area are doing really well. several of them are going to be ripe over the next few weeks.






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__________________
"But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race."

- Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, Hero to the servants of big government, Racist War Monger