I
got these in the mail today and am so pleased I had to share a picture.
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| Melon & Squash Cradles |
I have grown watermelons and cantaloupes the last two years and
have been looking for a product that will prevent the rotting on the ground
that can occasionally occur.
My first year out I turned cool whip containers upside down and
put holes in the bottom. While it did
drain incredibly well around the base of the melons, mold and mildew formed
under the containers due to a lack of airflow.
Eventually it did have an impact on the underside of a few melons just
as they were ripening. The melons were
still good for fresh off the vine eating; however, they lacked the storage
capability I strive to achieve. In
addition, it made a wonderful safe haven for the most undesirable of insects.
Last year after doing a little research into some alternative ways
of growing watermelon, I decided to trellis the watermelons and cantaloupes on
a tall pea fence I have from Gardener’s Supply.
Aside from being a little taller, it is identical to the one in bed #29. This worked extremely well as I just
made little hammocks for the melons out of fishing bait nets and zip ties. Cheap and resourceful!
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| Sugar Baby Watermelon at 11 Days |
The only downside to this method was that some growth points of
the melon vines still ramble about and I needed something for those that ultimately
end up on the ground. Back to square one
and trying several different methods.
Out of trying numerous things, I ended up placing squares of black
landscape fabric under the melons on the ground for a protective layer against
the earth that would drain well. This is
what I seem to see in many of the videos on field production. I only lost a few melons to any type of rot
from ground to melon contact and did not have any issues with garden insects.
This year, I cannot wait to try the melon and squash cradles to
increase yields. They are sturdy and should
solve all common problems from having fruit in contact with the ground. I plan on using the trellis method once again
as you cannot beat vertical growing for small spaces, but for those that end up
on the ground, crises adverted!
Sugar Baby did quite well on a trellis. The vines were six feet at their max. Four vines (one hill at the base of a
trellis) yielded seven edible melons ranging from four to seven pounds each. The others (five or six) were lost due to
inexperience with their growth habit and handling those on the ground.
I put a link below if anyone is interested as these are nice
quality supports that will last for seasons to come. They ran me $9.95 for a set of six. I hope to put all 12 to use! :-)
http://www.gardeners.com/Melon-and-Squash-Cradles/8586837,default,pd.html?start=13&cgid=NewProducts_Dept
Denise, Beds 25 & 29
Denise, Beds 25 & 29
