Yummy Melons

Yum, the taste of summer treats.  All of these varieties I have successfully grown at home.  They prefer a longer, hotter season than we get, but they will grow if started indoors and carefully tended.

Muskmelons & Cantelope (Cucumis melo)  20 seeds per pkg. – $3.00 unless otherwise stated.

320. Early Gold – 65 days.  Start indoors for greater fall yields.  These are similar to Cantelope, with golden flesh and green mottled skins.  Fruits are small to medium sized.  Sweet and fragrant.

321. Ontario – 70 days  Seed was given to us by our Aunt in Ontario, where she has grown it in her garden in New Brunswick.  It did well for us also, with a smoother skin than early gold and good flavor.

322. Far North – 65 days  Similar to Early gold, but smoother skinned.

323. Canary – 80 days  Saved from store seed and grown in garden last year.  Canary melons are softer fleshed, smooth yellow skins and super sweet interiors.  Grow in hot place for best yields.

324. Honey Rock – 85 days  A muskmelon with a harder rind and golden orange flesh.  Good for our northern climates. Not available for 2012.

325. Gnadenfeld – 72 days  This rare heritage melon was grown in Gnadenfeld, Manitoba for years.  Small melons, deep orange, fragrant flesh.  Produced in abundance.  Good for short season areas. Very limited quantities – 10 seeds.

326. Early Hanover – 75-86 days   A muskmelon introduced by T. W. Woods & Sons in 1895, early 2-3 lb fruits are up to 6” in diameter. Prodigious producer of green fleshed, sweet melons good right to the rind.  Endangered variety.

327. Tip Top Melon – 75-80 days  1892 also called Livingston’s Tip Top Nutmeg.  One of the leading market melons at the time it is now extremely rare.  Med. sized, very sweet and spicy orange flesh right to the rind.  Drought tolerant.  This one produced in our terrible conditions of ’09, but not enough seed to share this year.

328. Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon – 75 days  1737, also called Portugal, King Charles, Dormers, Pomegranite, Dudaim or Plum Grannie.  Grown strictly for it’s fragrance, it was worn in the pockets of Victorian-age women for it’s perfume like quality, lovely smelling, cute 2-3” melons yellow with orange stripes.  I love this little melon.

329. Crane Melon – 80 days  This melon has been grown and maintained by the same family for almost 90 years.  Dev. In 1920 by Oliver Crane in California as a cross of popular varieties of the time.  It is noted for it’s outstanding sweet, juicy and highly aromatic nature, and pear shape.  Flesh is light orange, and they can weigh 4-7 lbs.  Not a good shipper.  Not available in 2012.

330. Montreal Market Melon – 90 days  Since the 1880’s this melon has been grown in the Montreal area, thought to be of French origin.  It was brought back from the brink of extinction, lucky for us because it is an outstanding variety with exceptional taste, and can reach 10 lbs. under ideal conditions, much smaller here, but still with great taste.  It is green fleshed and delicious.

331. Prairie 1 Cantelope – 61 days  Small cantelope variety created from the production of the best varieties grown on our farm for the past few years.  Can be green or orange fleshed, muskmelon exterior, sweet.  Sold out for 2012.

332. Minnesota Midget – 67 days  Introduced by Farmer Seed Company in 1948, developed by the University of Minnesota.  Made for short season varieties, producing on short 3’ vines.  3-4” fruit has sweet golden flesh, and plants are productive.

334. Prairie 4 Melon – 65 days  Created from natural crosses for short season producers on our farm, a mix of varieties.  The fruits are orange fleshed, with green outer skins.  Earlier than Prairie 2 or 6.

335. Delice de la Table – 91 days  An old French Heirloom of 1885.  Deeply ribbed, light orangy 1 lb. fruits look like small pumpkins with very sweet, orange flesh.  Brought back from near extinction.

336. C52 Casaba Melon – 87 days  Originally saved from a store melon, I was surprised and delighted that the variety came true and actually produced fruit on the farm.  Flesh is light yellow, rind darker yellow with vertical ridges.  Grew to about 3 lbs. in a very dry year.  Keeper for sure!

337. Green Nutmeg – 76-90 days  Introduced as far back as 1806 and popular at the time for it’s sweet, spicy flavor.  Flesh is green and succulent, rind is ribbed and heavily netted.  Plant is a good producer.  Fruit is about 2-3 lb. Rare variety.  Not available this year.

338. Jenny Lind Muskmelon – 72 days  Pre 1846.  Plants produce an abundance of 2-3 lb. heavily netted fruits with light green flesh.  Extremely sweet and disease resistant.  Low quantities.

339. Cershownski – 90 days  Grown by the Rempel family of Halbstadt Manitoba, this variety can be traced back to the Southern Ukraine as far back as 1874.  It may be a strain of the extremely rare Cob Melon.  The center is filled with the cob-like seed structure, so melons are cut lengthwise and twisted apart.  Flesh is light green to cream, mildly sweet, 8-9” long and 5-6” in diam.

340. Tigger – 80-90 days  This is one of the cutest melons you will ever grow.  Very similar to Queen Anne’s Pocket only larger. It is quite drought tolerant, hence did very well for us this year, producing 1 lb. yellow fruits with unique bright red zigzags all over the rind.  Flesh is white and slightly sweet but very fragrant.  From Armenia.

341. Oka Melon (Île Bizard Strain) – 90 days  Bred in Canada in 1912 by Father Athanase of the Trappist Monestery in Oka, Quebec.  It is a successful cross of the Montreal Market and the Banana melon.  It is ribbed like the Delice de la Table, but one color instead of multiple blotches.  Orangey inside, green outside, a cantelope type with great flavor.  Thought to have disappeared, it was recently rediscovered on the Island of Bizard, Quebec.  Rare.

342. Collective Farm Woman – 82 days  Originally an old Ukrainian variety, it ripens even in Moscow.  Med sized, yellow/white fleshed fruits, sweet crunchy, fragrant flesh.  One of our favorites.  Rare.

343. Fast Break #3 – 90 days  Popular variety in the 1980’s, seed has been chosen to stay as true to type as possible.  Takes a bit longer than other melons, producing cantelopes of good flavor. Sold out for 2012.

344. Charantais – 75-90 days  Popular French heirloom known for its exceptional flavor.  Grapefruit sized, with salmon flesh and light creamy exterior.  Heavy fragrance and rich taste.  Limited quantities for 2012.

345. Prairie Canary – 90 days  Again, a successful seed transplant experiment.  The fruits are long and thin, honeydew type flesh.  Good flavor and fairly early for the prairies.

346. Prairie 6 – 90 days  Very crisp, green flesh like honeydew.  Smooth outer flesh.  Fruits can reach 5” diameter or larger in good conditions.  Rounder type than Prairie 2.

347. Prairie 2 cool – 90 days  Canary melon type, green inside with crisp flesh, smooth with slightly hairy outside, sometimes orange around the seeds.  Late season variety, but survived both frost and hail.  Longer fruits, 6” long, 2-3” in diameter. Limited seed available.

348.  Melon mania mix – $4.00 for 25 seeds.  A collection of early and sweet melons for short season areas.  Even still, start at least one month ahead for best results.  Mix of at least 5 different kinds.

349.  Haogan – NEW!! A Seed Savers Exchange variety that does well in all areas.  The melons are 2-3 lbs., with firm green flesh, and a yellow and green exterior.  Did well for our area, started early.  Sweet and juicy flavor.