SAKATAS SWEET MELON (85 days)

Germ 4-10 days
Everything about this melon suggests sweet – bubble gum sweet. The flesh can be eaten right down to the white rind, yet the softball sized fruit are small enough to be grown on a trellis. This melon also is quite prolific – a dozen per hill is a possibility. 20 seeds

PLANTING:

Indoors- Individual biodegradable peat/cowpots 1/2” deep, 3-4 weeks before last frost with soil temperature 70 degrees. Transplant 36” apart after last frost without disturbing the roots.

Outdoors- 1/2” deep after last frost in warm soil at least 70 degrees.

Harvest- Look for the following signs as it does take some practice on telling when they are ready to harvest. The skin tone changes and netting becomes heavy, the ends soften, they will slip from the vines or a gentle tug will pull it away from the vine, a crack develops around the stem, the closet tendril to the stem dries, and the aroma increases when ripening.

Tips- Plant in fertile soil amended with compost or well rotted manure and keep well watered. They benefit from growing on black plastic and by using row covers for weed, insect control, and more rapid growth.