How long will the fence melon hang in there? Pick a date for the fall.

[Larro Darro]

I saw the baby melon hanging from the fence for the first time on July 17. [sorry for the fuzzy photo. It wanted to focus on the stuff past the fence]

Here it is the next day, the 18th. It is growing fast.



By the 19th the stripes are starting to be brighter.



Didn't get the next picture until the 23rd. But it has been doing more than just hanging out. It's been growing.



The fence is 2X4 dog wire, so the melon is about eight and a half inches long in the last photo. Please guess when the vine will turn loose. I need to put some kind of padding on the ground. I would hate for it to bust.

 

[creekbend]

August 23rd.

 

[Larro Darro]

Creekbend, you must be a night owl, like myself. {I took a nap this afternoon when I got rained off the tractor, now it's after 2am, and I'm still awake.}

If it hangs on that long, it might be resting on the ground by then.

 

[creekbend]

Creekbend, you must be a night owl, like myself. {I took a nap this afternoon when I got rained off the tractor, now it's after 2am, and I'm still awake.}

If it hangs on that long, it might be resting on the ground by then.

The Thunder woked me up. I'm a real light sleeper.

 

[jinman]

If a 'coon sees it and eats it, does that count? I have several Israel melons hanging, suspended from my net trellis material, but Israel melons don't release their stems like watermelons and cantaloupes do. I'm gonna say that melon will drop in three weeks (21 days) if a raccoon doesn't decide to make dinner of it before then.

BTW: As the melon grows, the way the vine is looped over the fence will start to have an effect. If the weight of the melon is not supported, then the vine will become choked by supporting the weight. I've seen nets used as a sling under hanging melons to keep that from happening. If it does happen, your melon will suddenly stop growth and may just hang there and rot. A 15-20 lb melon is a lot to hang from a vine looped over a cattle panel.

 

[randy41]

you can keep it suspended by sticking it in some pantyhose(or stockings) and then hanging the pantyhose from something like a stick you drive in the ground. some growers do this for cantaloupes grown in greenhouses. some bird is going to come along and peck at that thing.

 

[Larro Darro]

Here is today's picture. Not much change since yesterday.



Jim, there are several more growing on the ground outside the fence, so the coons will have an easier time with them. Not to mention the gate was left open so long, it is so covered in Cucumber vines and I couldn't close it now if I wanted to. The vine in question comes through the fence lower down, then climbs up. All that is holding it up is the little twining vines. [the 3rd picture in the OP has a good view of the whole vine]

 

[dmccarty]

The Thunder woked me up. I'm a real light sleeper.

I heard thunder this morning as well but I went back to sleep! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[jinman]

Here is today's picture. Not much change since yesterday.

View attachment 328989

All that is holding it up is the little twining vines. [the 3rd picture in the OP has a good view of the whole vine]

It looks like a female melon to me. It'll feel more secure in a nice pair of L'eggs pantyhose.:laughing:

 

[Ed of all trades]

My grandfather found a pumpkin hanging on a fence and it fell when he tried to put a brace under it.:laughing: