| This year i decided to try and create a genetically diverse landrace mix of watermelon seeds, so i could attempt to grow at least one ripe watermelon. I have tried growing watermelons at least three times before. Watermelons are not known to do well here in N. Colorado. We have a unique set of conditions that can be inhospitable to plants. We are at high elevation so we get bright sunlight, the air is thinner here (not sure if that affects plants), we live in a semi-arid climate (water evaporates easily), and the soil isn't really that great (probably high salinity). |
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| My methods
this year were strickly organic. It was mostly due to lazyness. I
figured that that was another selection criteria. To breed a watermelon
that could still grow even when covered and surrounded by weeds. I did
apply a coat of mulched up leaves in the early and wet spring, which i
think dramtically helped the soil. I tried making a compost tea mix and
letting it soak into the area a few weeks before planting my
watermelons, but other than that i didn't provide any fertilizer. The
soaker hose helped i think. But, in hindsight i think i did plant the
watermelons a little too thick, which may have contributed to the small
melon sizes. But the extra number of vines did help conserve moisture,
so maybe it wasn't too bad of a mistake. |
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| We had
plenty of native bees polinating the watermelon flowers this year. We
had a few honey bees here and there, but not many. It was mostly the
native bees that did the work. I saw at least three different species
that were quite active. A favorite of mine was the black bee which i
like to call the "corn bee", since every year they LOVE to visit my
indian corn patch. I have identified this species as Melissodes
bimaculatus. It was really hard to get pictures of these bees, so enjoy
them! |
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| Some of
the first watermelons to ripen were surprisingly yellow! I knew that i
had planted some that supposedly were yellow, but i didn't fully expect
to actually get any. The small one with the spoon and tiny seeds was by
far the most delicious watermelon i have ever eaten. I bleieve it what
is considered a "canary yellow", and it was probably of the variety
"Yellow Doll". |
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| The
biggest watermelon was the one in the top left corner. If i had to
guess, i'd say it was the variety called "sugar baby", but i'm not
sure. I think it had some genetics that helped it grow faster in cooler
weather than some of the others, but it also was near the edge, so i
think it got the most sunlight, and also had a little more space to
gather nutrients than some of it's siblings several feet away. |
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| The best
tasting one of the group was actually the one in the bottom left
corner. I obtained this variety from Baker Creek, and it is either the
variety from Israell called "Malali" or the Russian variety called "Osh
Kirgizia". Either way it has a unique rind pattern, which makes it easy
to distinguish among the others. It was VERY sweet, and very productive
too. The only downside was that many of them kept splitting early, and
so i lost several before they were ripe.I hope it crossed with
something. |
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| The yellow in this set was of a differnt shade. I think this one is called a "salmon yellow", but perhaps it is a "pale yellow". All i know is that the canry yellow is supposed to be a dominant trait, while at least one of the other yellows are supposed to be recessive. Talk about some interesting genetics. The melon on the bottom was actually one of my favorites due to it's nice rind pattern. It was actually the very first melon to get polinated and appeared several weeks before many of the others. The only down side is that i apparently never realized this one was ripe, and when i finally cut it open, it had long gone mushy. It actually grossed me out a little. |
| This year
turned out great to try out my watermelon breeding experiment. I can't
wait to see which melons crossed, and i cant wait to continue the
selection process. Basically you only save seeds from the best ones,
and every year your plants adapt a little better and better. I dont
want to draw any conclusions, but it did seem like the yellows might
have a better chance at ripening here in our climate, as well as being
sweeter (at least the canary yellows). This stuff is fun. If anyone is still interested in this kind of stuff, then i reccomend joining the Homegrown Goodness plant breeding forum. Lots of people like Joseph Lofthouse, and Rebsie Fairholm, and many others who have been inspired by the work done by Carol Depp and the info published in her books can often be found on the Homegrown Goodness forum talking about all kinds of neat projects. |
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