Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tigger melon trials

Given the wet, cool weather earlier on, I wasn't expecting much success with these tigger melons. I had read that they are particularly susceptible to powdery mildew, and that the best conditions for growing them was sun and heat. Tiggers are said to reach about a pound in weight but the one on the right was barely 4 ounces!

Tastewise...oh brother. I snipped these off the vine because their perfume fragrance was so sweet! Unfortunately, that did not extend to its flavor - bland as bland can be - but then again, they weren't matured to an ideal size/weight. Next year I'm growing these in the ground instead of containers. And I'll pray for reliable spring weather...

11 comments:

gintoino said...

Maybe they weren't tasty but they sure were prety! :-)

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

My thoughts exactly as gintoinio...look so cute..better luck next time...:-)

Amber said...

I love their orange color. Beautiful. Can't wait to see next years' photos.

KennyT said...

Oh, these tiny melons!!

My host family in Hungary always use them (also the green ones) to make pickled melons, I miss my host family crazily now.

Fern Driscoll said...

Those are adorable. They look like little planets.

Rowena said...

Gintoino, Anne - they certainly do live up to their cute "Tigger" image that's for sure!

Amber - certainly something that kids would love to grow. With a name like Tigger it's just irresistable.

KennyT - you da man! Thank you for sharing that tip! I'll keep that in mind in the event next year's crop turns out the same.

Fern - now that makes me feel much better about the whole thing. ^-^ Next year I aim to grow bigger, sweeter orange planets! Ha!

Christina said...

Honey, I've grown them in the best conditions, and listen to me: they suck. Yes, they're beautiful, yes, they smell amazing, but they will refuse to taste good.

I know. I've given them more than one shot. Even Baker Creek calls them "semisweet" which is their marketing-speak for tasteless.

But, they're just so pretty.

K and S said...

they are so pretty, too bad not sweet :(

Rowena said...

Christina - thank you for sharing your wisdom! I still remember the Melon Analysis, and trusted in every word that you wrote! I won't be putting too much hope into next year's trials, but I'm one of those who just can't stand to let anything go to waste - seeds included. If anything, the Tiggers of next year will be allowed a spot to roam and brighten up the garden.

Kat - hehe...if I had known how bland they would be, I'd have let Mr B have at 'em earlier on!

tom | tall clover farm said...

I gave these little tigger melons a try with no luck in ripening, but I did have luck with Blacktail Mountain Watermelon in our cool climate. If it will grow in Idaho and Washington, there's a good chance it may grow for you.

Here's a link to the photos: http://tallcloverfarm.com/?p=141

Rowena said...

Tom - thank you so much for sharing this with me! I am ready to gamble again with ordering seeds online (my last shipment was confiscated because I had too many packets???). I loved your post so much that I had to insert a direct link.