Introduced in 1978, ‘Earli-Dew’ is an early maturing hybrid honeydew that produces round fruits weighing two to three pounds. If you are a northern gardener who thought your growing season was too short to grow honeydews, here’s a solution for you: ‘Earli-Dew.’ And harvesting is easy because fruits will slip from the vine when ripe. Cut ‘Creme de la Creme’ open and you’ll find pale orange flesh that is sweet and spicy, with notes of nutmeg and cinnamon.Įxtremely prolific plants can spread up to 72 inches and grow 15 to 18 inches in height.Ī great choice for short season gardeners, ‘Creme de la Creme’ fruit can reach maturity in just 75 days. When ripe, the finely netted rind turns a yellowish-orange color. This hybrid melon produces six-pound fruits that grow to be seven to eight inches wide. ‘Creme de la Creme’ defies classification. You’ll find ‘Bodacious’ available for purchase in packs of 25 seeds at Burpee. ‘Bodacious’ vines can reach seven feet in length, and fruits will be ready to harvest at around 82 days after sowing. Cultivars in this selection rate between nine and 18 degrees Brix. Taking a Brix measurement is a method that may be used to judge the amount of sugar in a fruit or vegetable – the higher the Brix rating, the sweeter it is. In addition to the number of days until harvest, I’ll also describe the flavor, texture, and color of the flesh of each cultivar, what it looks like when ripe, and where you can find seeds.Īnd whenever possible, I’ll also share the Brix rating for each cultivar. Some of you long-season gardeners might want to choose an early variety for another reason – to harvest your fruit before garden pests take over your melon patch. So my best bet for producing ripe melons is to choose early and mid-season varieties. Since that number is only an average, the actual growing season can be much shorter in a given year. In my USDA Hardiness Zone 5b location, I have an average of about 115 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow a late variety only if I’m lucky. Not sure how long your growing season is? It’s the number of estimated frost-free days between your average last spring frost and your average first fall frost. Since that revelatory moment at 30,000 feet, I have been growing my own, and have harvested fruits that were just as tasty, if not more so. The good news is you don’t have to wait for that once-in-a-lifetime Hawaiian vacation to taste amazing melons. This realization changed my perspective on these fruits, and ever since I’ve been on a quest for melon bliss. What a surprise – and it came in the most unexpected form – airplane food. It wasn’t until a return flight from a vacation in Hawaii that I learned that melons could actually be delectable. I spent half my life avoiding melon because every time I tasted a chunk of honeydew or cantaloupe, it was always dull and bland – all texture, and no taste. If you’re not yet convinced, let me divulge something here: I come from the other side. Whether you prefer tropical flavors or notes of warming spice, and a crisp or meltingly soft texture, I bet you’ll find a variety or two among this selection that will not only work in your garden but also tempt your tastebuds. Perhaps you’re looking for a small-fruited cultivar to grow on a trellis – or maybe you want to take advantage of your long growing season to grow larger fruits? Maybe you’re looking for a melon that will tolerate cool nights – or one for hot and humid weather? I’m going to provide you with a selection of sweet and delicious melons that will please many different palates, including cultivars adapted to a variety of climates. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products.
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