Ice Box Watermelons

[karstopography]

Any good ones? Specifically, Yellow Baby F1,Tiger Baby F1, New Orchid F1?

I’m planning on growing watermelons next season. Trying to get a bead on what I should grow. Plan is to grow them in a 4’ X 8’ raised bed with plenty of room for them to run. Thought I might try Moon and Stars.

[GoDawgs]

I'll be interested in seeing recommendations too although I'm wanting OP varieties.

[Whwoz]

How exactly do you northern folk define Ice Box Watermelons. Here in Oz we, at least backyarders don't distinguish between different groups of watermelon. I have also noticed the terms winter and summer watermelon, which I assume relates to length of storage time they will hold for.

[Uncle_Feist]

Sangria is the best melon(hands down) that I have ever grown out of the dozens tried, op and hybrid in 35 years.

[Kurt]

https://www.google.com/search?q=square+ ... e&ie=UTF-8

Another explanation?

[worth1]

How exactly do you northern folk define Ice Box Watermelons. Here in Oz we, at least backyarders don't distinguish between different groups of watermelon. I have also noticed the terms winter and summer watermelon, which I assume relates to length of storage time they will hold for.

In my line of thought an icebox watermelon is a smaller watermelon that can fit in the refrigerator.

[ddsack]

What worth said -- smaller melons, easy to carry and handle for fridge storage. About 6 to 15 pounds and measure 6 to 10 inches across.

[karstopography]

Blacktail mountain looks promising. Anyone grown that one?

[karstopography]

Sangria is the best melon(hands down) that I have ever grown out of the dozens tried, op and hybrid in 35 years.

I’m going to try this one, the reviews including your own are fabulous.

[ddsack]

Blacktail mountain looks promising. Anyone grown that one?

Yes, that is my favorite so far in my short season growing area. I wish it had fewer seeds, but flavor is great. I wasn't thinking straight, and started my melons later than normal this year, so not sure if any can mature before frost. If we have two more weeks of warm weather, I think they might.

From a couple of years ago:

[Shule]

@Whwoz
Winter watermelons usually keep for 3 or 4 months. Regular ones, in my experience, keep for about 2 months.

Winter ones have a harder skin (I don't mean the rind under the skin). They don't necessarily have a thick rind, though.

[worth1]

It was my job to prepare the huge gardens for the spring planting.
This involved running the tractor in it to scratch up the soil.
Next was putting a layer of decomposed sawdust all over the place and till in.
There used to be a sawmill on the property so it was basically a lifetime supply of the stuff.
13-13-13 was spread out.
Fruit trees were in the gardens as well.
After doing all this slave labor I was told we weren't growing watermelons.
Really, I'll show him!
Two long rows of orange and red meated watermelon was planted.
My father had no idea what was there until they came up.
They were right next to the strawberry beds.
Getting to the point soon.
We rarely if ever put a watermelon in the ice box.
They were put under the shade trees to keep cool.
We didn't have air-conditioning so the watermelon was a real treat.
I ate on those darn watermelons until the freeze took what little few was leftover.
Every day after school I would cut open a watermelon and eat it.
By this time the temperature was down in the 50's.
First thing I had to do after school was split wood for the stove.
I would drag my music outside and play rock and roll.
Usually Steppenwolf.
After that I would cut the watermelon.
Some how I found time to feed the cows but it would be after dark by the time I got back to the house.
I literally had no time for homework but my test grades were good enough that I was exempt from most of the semester tests.

[karstopography]

My watermelon patch is to be the now sunny spot where two large, declining water oaks once were. The stumps were ground up here a couple of weks ago into sawdust all the way down deep into the soil. I figure by next spring, that sawdust will have decomposed into something fertile, light and fluffy. The soil at this spot has a decent layer of silt from the formation of the cut off lake only feet away. I plan on amending with more rich compost and some granular fertilizer. The area is already raised some from the now missing trees and added sawdust. The ground is bare around where the stumps and root buttresses were ground up.

I’m not sure what else I should add or do. There a lot of direct sun. The soil should be rich and well drained, there’s room to sprawl. In my mind’s eye, this area seems about perfect for melons.

[karstopography]

65A8F932-EBB4-4385-896E-598C8ACB6533.jpeg

My future melon patch.

[worth1]

@karstopography
A good older friend of mine of which Downing street in Angleton is named after once told me he got into a cantaloupe patch there and ate so many of them he got sick as a dog.
Good melons can be grown in the area for sure.

[slugworth]

looks like my front lawn

[Donnyboy]

I took over a patch of ground which was used to grow melons last year and I planted melons as a watermelon growing virgin. My inexperience was evident from the beginning. The seeds germinated well in their mounds, but the wild grass germinated and grew better and faster than my melons. I always carried a large stick to separate the grass enough to see what was growing beneath the grass. I did not know small melons make a crunching sound when two hundred lb's of force is applied. I kept telling them it was their fault because they should have moved over when I entered the patch.

[Kurt]

At first I thought y’all were taking about these.
https://www.whataboutwatermelon.com/ind ... -are-made/