Not So Ripe....

Jen and I have been going to the Summit farmers market for a few weeks now and one of my favorite stands brought watermelons this past Sunday. Knowing that I have not the slightest idea on figuring out when mine would be ripe, I decided to ask the stand. It was real interesting to see everyone at the stand shrug then default to the owner. When the question reached him, his initial reaction was a slight chuckle. He did tell me that 90% of the time, the tendril (pigtail) that is opposite of where the melon attaches will start to shrivel and die. When this starts, the melon should be picked within a few days. I was so excited that when I got home my curiosity got the best of me and I cut open the biggest watermelon in the patch...Much to my chagrin, the result was an under ripe, only slighty pinkish flesh. The kids tried a slice despite our warnings and made funny faces before spitting out the whole bite.
I guess I need to have patience with the last two melons.

With the nights uncharacteristically cool through the end of August, some of my tomatoes do not seem as happy as I would like to see them. Jackson and Charlotte seem to not mind as they tramp into the garden with me to pick about 5lbs a day now. Still tops on Charlotte's list is the yellow cherry and although Jack keeps pointing to them all as his favorite, I think if push came to shove, he would side with the yellow cherries as well. Jen has settled on the Marglobe for hers and I can't fault her. It is medium red in color and slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

Most of the radishes have sprouted. The coolness is however working well for the new seedlings. We should be able to start harvesting within the next two to three weeks. As for the beets and carrots, the Chioga have seem to germinate the fastest and closest to 100% whereas the carrots and golden beets still seem to be struggling to germinate. In the spring I was concerned that it was something I had done wrong but now, I am leaning more toward a seed issue. Next year I think I am going to expand my fall plantings to include chard and spinach. Early success here has made me want to plant more and more next fall.


Food Harvested:
All tomato varieties except the Golden Ponderosa
Round 4 of the sultan pea
Unripe watermelon #1

Things Planted:
none

Seeds Saved:
Marglobe Tomato
Purple Cherokee Tomato

Preserved/Cooked:
None

Things to Remember:
1. Next fall, plant more of a fall crop
2. Replace left over carrot and golden beet seeds due to poor germination
3. Teach Charlotte what ripe vs. green tomatoes are
4. Keep away from Orange Queen Tomatoes, although small and pretty, not much flavor for me.
5. Fence off watermelon area from deer.