Successes From The Garden - Melons

This was my first year successfully growing melons. In the past, I've tried to grow watermelons but, in my cool summer climate, they rarely reached maturity before frost or disease occurred. So, I decided to try early maturing varieties of muskmelon, to see if I could bring traditionally warm weather fruits to bear. 

In late April, trying to get a head start on the season, I started seeds indoors of seven different varieties of melon. I planted those seedlings out into the garden in mid May. 

Unfortunately, cool, wet spring weather caused many of the seedlings to damp off. Slugs, drawn to the sweet, tender plants finished off the rest. Not a promising start 

In late May, I direct sowed more seeds and was pleased to see the new seedlings popping up

They grew well, quickly putting out true leaves

By the end of July, the plants were filling up the bed and were loaded with blossoms

I noticed the first set fruits in early August

Two weeks later, many more fruits were growing

By early September the melons were beginning to ripen, though I began to worry that cooler night time temperatures wound cause disease to set in

It turned out that my worries were unfounded. By the end of the season I had harvested nearly 30 pounds of melons. Most were small, but very tasty, and it was immensely satisfying to grow my own