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| AMERICAN MELONS
(Cucumis melo) We have heirloom melons that can mature in almost any climate. Try some of these sweet & juicy varieties this year and enjoy a taste trip into your past... enjoy the flavor! Melons need a fertile soil and abundant heat to reach perfection. Sow in place about two weeks after last frost of spring. Plant seed about one inch deep, 12 inches apart, in rows 5 feet apart. Or plant in hills, 4-5 seeds per hill, with hills about 5 feet apart. In short-season climates, grow transplants indoors, starting about 1 week before last frost date and set out about 2-3 weeks after sowing; never let transplants become root-bound in their container. Melons may be trellised, but larger-fruited varieties would need a cloth sling to support each fruit. Dry conditions the last week or two before ripening make melons sweeter; too much moisture makes them bland-tasting and prone to rotting in the field. Judging ripeness varies from one variety to another, and may take a bit of trial and error when harvesting an unfamiliar variety. With some, the fruits "slip," or come free from the stem with little effort. Often a color change takes place; fruits will soften noticeably, or become fragrant. 25-50 seeds per packet.
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Oka Melon (Bizard Island Strain)
New!
This was a popular melon in Canada's Montreal region in the
1920's and 193'’s. It was grown in Montreal’s rich soil before
disappearing from catalogs, only to be discovered many years
later, still being grown on Bizard Island in Quebec. Developed
about 1912 by a Trappist monk at La Trappe, Quebec. In 1932
Dupuy & Ferguson, seedsmen and nurserymen of Montreal,
said "The colour is a beautiful cream, with a bright salmon
flesh that is very thick and well netted. The most delicious,
sweet and juicy melon. It is of strong habit, a fine setter. The
Oka melon is the result of years of patient and intelligent selection
from the product of Montreal Market crossed with a
red-fleshed variety." Indeed it is very sweet and flavorful, being
a good melon for the North.
Item Code: AML154
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