The watermelon is a tender, warm-weather annual. Watermelons along with muskmelons and cantaloupes are sometimes called summer melons. They thrive in hot weather. Watermelons are easy to grow. They need plenty of sun, nutrient-rich soil, and plenty of water. Get watermelon started in the home garden after all danger of frost has passed and your […] More
Muskmelons, cantaloupes, winter melons, and watermelons: they all thrive under the same cultural conditions and they all share similar growing problems. Melon problems and solutions Leaf problems Leaves curl under and become deformed and yellowish. Aphids are tiny, oval, and yellowish to greenish pear-shaped insects that colonize the undersides of leaves. They leave behind sticky […] More
There are two ways to eat melon: at the beginning of a meal as an hors d’oeuvre or starter for savory dishes or at the end as a dessert fruit. The high water content of melons makes them refreshing, especially during hot summer weather, but because they are so high in water content they are […] More
Bitter melon can be eaten raw when thinly sliced raw but it’s commonly cooked. Bitter melon can be stir-fried, parboiled, or stuffed. The bitter melon picked at maturity will be bitter. The younger, thinner, shorter, and bright green bitter melon will be less bitter tasting. The bitter melon harvest season runs from mid-spring through late […] More
Bitter melon is a favorite in Asian and Southeast Asian cooking. It can be stuffed with pork or shrimp and steamed or pickled or curried and served with meat or in soup. Bitter melons are—as their name suggests–a bitter and mouth-puckering acquired taste—something like the acquired taste of a grapefruit or very dark chocolate. The […] More
Melons are a tender, warm-weather crop. Plant melon seeds directly in the garden 2 weeks after the last frost date. Melon seeds can be started indoors 3 to 4 weeks before plants are transplanted directly into the garden, sooner if transplants will be protected by a plastic tunnel or row cover. Melons include cantaloupes and […] More
Plant watermelon seeds in the garden when the soil temperature reaches 70°F (21°C), usually 2 to 4 weeks after the last frost in spring. Watermelon is a tropical plant and demands a long, warm, dry growing season with temperatures between 70° and 80°F (21-26°C) during the day and 60°-70°F (16-21°C) at night. Watermelons require 75 […] More
Melons grow best when summers are hot, dry, and almost always sunny. The best-flavored melons will come from the hottest-growing regions. Both cloudy and rainy weather will slow and all but stop melon growth. Melons grow best when both the soil and air temperature are at least 70°F (21°C). You can sow seeds directly in […] More
Watermelons are usually ripe and ready for harvest when the underside turns from white to yellow and at least three tendrils on each side of the melon are dead. Harvest watermelons about 85 to 90 days after sowing seed, and 35 to 45 days after flowers appear. Related articles: When to harvest watermelon There are […] More
Discocactus is a barrel-shaped cactus that grows no taller than 6 inches high. It has a wide and round body with many ribs and thick spines. Discocactus bears large whitish, funnel-shaped flowers that open at night. Discocactus are demanding and difficult to grow. They want an airy and warm bright location. The soil must be […] More
Melocactus–commonly called melon cactus or turk’s cap cactus–are heavily ribbed and heavily spined cactus that have globular or longish bodies. Melocactus form, bristly, felty cephalium (similar to a wool cap) which stands more than 3 feet taller than the body of the cactus. Cephalium is a colorful structure of colorful wool and bristles at the growing […] More
Harvest melons when small cracks appear in the stem where it joins the fruit. Once the cracks circle the stem and the stem looks shriveled, the melon will break off with a slight twist. If more than light effort is needed to remove it from the vine, it is not ripe. Related article: When to […] More
Stephen Albert