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Orange Phenom [14667]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Well...I gave up on my watermelons. The vines were taking
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:09 AM
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half of my available garden space. The biggest melon was a Charleston Gray about the size of a football. The rest were softball size. And in all of that space I had about 10 melons. I figured I could buy two seedless melons and get more meat fruit than I would get from that crop. And, I can plant something more productive.
We live in an odd place here. It can be 38 degrees a mile away, but 30 degrees here. Most of my fruit trees get killed back. I have no peaches or pears this year. Rose bushes will be blooming down the road and mine will just be getting leaves...for the second time.
I transplanted the melons on April 20th. They were good size plants. I had to cover them twice afterwards to protect from freezing. I swear it was June before they started growing.
Just a bad year...for my crop. I have beans, squash, cukes, and now tomatoes galore! But no melons. I am very thankful I don't depend on farming for a living. So many things can't be controlled.
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TigerNet Immortal [173996]
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My watermelons are weird this year. I have plenty of vines
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:13 AM
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but no melons. I only have one, about half the size of a football and two others less than the size of a golf ball. My cukes and cantaloupes are all vine, no cukes or loupes!!! My squash, right between both, are doing great.
My corn was growing and looked awesome, then stopped at about four feet tall. Everything has plenty of water and fertilizer. I can't explain it.
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CU Medallion [18203]
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Re: My watermelons are weird this year. I have plenty of vines
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:31 AM
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For Corn: If you have heavy clay soil, it may be a nitrogen deficiency. Nitrogen deficiency can/will cause stunted growth.
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TigerNet Immortal [173996]
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It's good dirt. Maybe not enough Nitrogen. Definitely add
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:34 AM
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some next year.
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Heisman Winner [80988]
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Re: My watermelons are weird this year. I have plenty of vines
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:43 AM
[ in reply to My watermelons are weird this year. I have plenty of vines ] |
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My cucumbers have produced really well- planted one hill later & just starting to have cukes - have made 4 gallons of pickles so far & will do another tomorrow- Tomatoes are getting ripe too fast to use them up- going to start giving some away
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Ultimate Tiger [33723]
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fork watermelons and thier picky growing style.
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:58 AM
[ in reply to My watermelons are weird this year. I have plenty of vines ] |
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i planted 3 plants last year.. probably had 100 watermelons start to grow but they always started dying soon as they got to football size.
i harvested maybe 2.
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Heisman Winner [80082]
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I quit planting cukes
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:27 AM
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for the same reason. Took over my raised bed and they were a little bland. Wife wanted me to let them get to about 10 inches, too big to taste good and then the rabbits or some kind of critter would eat the whole thing in one night, poof they were gone.
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Heisman Winner [78250]
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Re: Well...I gave up on my watermelons. The vines were taking
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:28 AM
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Weather in SC has been good for them this year. Hard to tell why you aint been lucky.
They need lots of water as roots don't go deep, but the soil must drain well. That means water often.
All things of this type can experience over growth of vines and less fruit if too much nitrogen is used.
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TigerNet Immortal [173996]
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I planted my pumpkins beside my watermelons. So far, the
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Jul 17, 2023, 11:30 AM
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plants are looking great. Let's see how the pumpkins do once they start.
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Ultimate Tiger [33723]
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Orange Phenom [14667]
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Re: Well...I gave up on my watermelons. The vines were taking
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Jul 17, 2023, 2:30 PM
[ in reply to Re: Well...I gave up on my watermelons. The vines were taking ] |
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They were planted on ground cover right beside my water spigot. I never saw them go under stress. Beautiful vines. Plenty of blooms. Just no fruit until very late...and not much then.
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CU Medallion [18217]
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Good Clemson watermelon story:
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Jul 17, 2023, 12:53 PM
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A good old Clemson man I used to work with rounded up all the young ditch diggers like me one day during lunch break. He took a real grave tone and told us all that he needed our help. He said because he was older, and out of touch, this was a problem that he knew only younger people could help him solve, so he conscripted us into his service with all measure of sobriety.
He said, “Boys, I know all of y’all aren’t big skateboarders, but I know your friends are. I know y’all can talk among your friends and locate some old unwanted skateboards. I need every neglected skateboard y’all can round up, and I need ‘em as quickly as possible.”
We hesitated and then asked him what could possibly be so important about locating a bunch of old skateboards.
He said, “Boys, I have to get one of those boards under every watermelon in my patch as quickly as possible. The vines are growing so fast it’s skinnin’ the bottoms right off ‘em.”
Excessive knee-slappin’ on his part, eye-rolling on our part.
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Top TigerNet [30607]
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Re: Good Clemson watermelon story:
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Jul 17, 2023, 1:44 PM
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Same here. I have plenty of melon and cucumber vines but little fruit. I think bees are at an all time low. Pollination, I think, might be the problem.
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Heisman Winner [80988]
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Bees were rare in the beginning of the year but
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Jul 17, 2023, 3:08 PM
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actually have been seeing honey bees in addition to the small bumble bees.
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National Champion [7211]
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Re: Well...I gave up on my watermelons. The vines were taking
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Jul 17, 2023, 2:55 PM
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Don't transplant melons. You can put a plant in ground and seed in ground in next hill and the same species will begin bearing within days of each other.
You want big melons? Carolina cross or Congo. Old style melons? Ga Rattlesnake. High yield but still great tasting? Black Diamond.
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Orange Beast [6316]
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Re: Well...I gave up on my watermelons. The vines were taking
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Jul 17, 2023, 8:31 PM
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I had my garden organized but used some cured hog manure by a friend who feeds them produce from a big farm when produce is too ripe. My garden has almost been taken over by vines but I have several kinds of watermelon and cantaloupe growing. I still have okra, peppers, herbs, and tomatoes. My tomatoes have a separate row than my main garden. Only got 4 squash this year before they suddenly died and still hunting for my cucumbers. Weird year.
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