Hmmm... what would make them less sweet

[catman529]

Last year - gurney giant cantaloupe, produced regular sized melons, super flavorful and very sweet. My favorite cantaloupe.

This year - gurney giant cantaloupe, produced regular sized melons, mild flavor and not very sweet at all. I am really hoping it was just the one fruit that was bland, and maybe the others will kick in more flavor.

These were grown in the same community garden both years, weather conditions don't seem to have been much different as far as I can remember. Same growing method, only difference is that this year's melons are on woven landscape fabric.

Can't figure out why I'd get such a bland melon when they were super delicious last year. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[fishboy1]

Weather?
Old seed?
different fertilizer?

We manured our garden 2 years ago and had great results. (plus a ton of pigweed)
Last years yields were good too but a little less.
This years yields are down, plant sizes are down, our corn is waist high with ears 5" off the ground and small.

Im thinking that the fertility of the manure was used up, combined with the drought has stunted the gardens production this year.

We started using some miracle grow this week to try and offset some of the production issues. Squash,zukes, and beans put on new blooms 2days after fertilizing.

I plan on getting a couple LARGE trailer loads of manure to till into the garden at the end of season along with a pile of mulch chips to try and keep the clay soil from turning back into concrete.

 

[TX300mag]

Was it completely ripe? I know 24 hours can make a huge difference.

I don't necessarily have any evidence to prove it, but I suspect that many of the mass produced hybrids aren't 100% reliable.

 

[catman529]

fishboy - not really any difference in fertilizer. I never feed my plants and rarely water them. They are all very healthy, green, and robust. they are growing about as well as the weeds

Was it completely ripe? I know 24 hours can make a huge difference.

I don't necessarily have any evidence to prove it, but I suspect that many of the mass produced hybrids aren't 100% reliable.

That is the other thing I suspect.... it may not have been 100% ripe, just a little green streaks in the rind on the stem end, and not a completely full orange color. I really hope the next one turns out to be good and I will be sure it is fully ripe.

 

[TX300mag]

That's most likely.

 

[catman529]

Second fruit was delicious. I think ripeness was the issue.

Just got back with 34 pounds of cantaloupe.... what am I going to do.... sit on the john eating cantaloupe all day?

 

[plinker22]

 

[baddnole]

I found out the less water the last 10 days the sweeter the melon.Works for me.

 

[catman529]

I found out the less water the last 10 days the sweeter the melon.Works for me.

that would make sense. And my garden has not been watered since June at the latest. Still producing peppers, a few tomatoes, and I harvested the rest of the sunflower heads. I got a lot of very delicious cantaloupe though - complete ripeness was the key, if they weren't all the way ripe, they were bland.

 

[TX300mag]

I found out the less water the last 10 days the sweeter the melon.Works for me.

No rain on my canteloupes since July 5 or 6 (planted them on 4th).

Should be SWEEEEEETTTTT!

They're hanging in there surprisingly.

 

[catman529]

I found out the less water the last 10 days the sweeter the melon.Works for me.

No rain on my canteloupes since July 5 or 6 (planted them on 4th).

Should be SWEEEEEETTTTT!

They're hanging in there surprisingly.

I'm jealous, mine finished producing a while ago. Should have staggered plantings... it's one of my favorite homegrown things to eat