40# green watermelon

[oliver]

The tendrils close were dried up, had a white belly,  felt right when thumped, but was not ripe. ? is  there any other way to be certain  a melon is ripe. We have not tried any for a long time, generally it is a failure here, better than average rain fall this year seems to be what they need...dl

[Brian D. Bray]

How to find a ripe melon

You take a piece of straw and lay it crosswise at the widest point of the melon, if the straw rotates so that it aligns with each end the melon is  ripe.

Thump the melon solidly with forefinger, if it sounds solid its still green, if it sounds hollow it ripe.

Cut it open, if the all the seeds are black it is ripe, if some of the seeds are white it's still green, and if there are no seeds--guess.

[GSF]

Brian,

Green straw, dry straw, or does it matter?

Never heard of that one. Every now and then I try unsuccessfully to grow water melons. Don't know what it is but I have no luck with them. I can grow the heck out of anything else tho.

I take that back, I also have a problem growing gourds. Yep, gourds.