The Tendril and The Shoe, That's My Cue....

Last year I decided that watermelon would be my new garden item for this spring. I selected a small bush variety called the sugar baby, perfect for my relatively small garden space. By growing the sugar baby there would still be room for my other garden goodies like sweet potatoes and cotton.

Little did I know about the anguish that would come 3 months after starting my melon seeds inside while the ground warmed up a bit. The anguish comes when you realize as a first time melon grower that there is no real smoking gun way of know when the thing is ripe!! My first picking seemed like it could be ripe, sound a bit hollow when I thumped on it, seemed the right size I thought, BUT.....when sliced open it was completely white inside. Tasting this white melon confirmed it was not nearly done. Good thing I only took just one unripe one off the vine!!

So, back to Google I go, searching for tips and tricks other than knocking on it like I want to see if any one's home. Considering the next big melon on the vine had gotten fairly large and heavy and shiny, I had become a bit more anxious over the last few days, thinking this has got to be the harvest time. Simply thumping on it wasn't good enough even though it sounded as hollow as hollow can be.

Youtube to the rescue! All it took was a youtube video the other night and I now had the clues that would give me more confirmation of a ripe melon. (and now you will to!)

Its all about the tendril, the little feeler closest to the melon, and the shoe, a tiny leaf next to the melon stem that resembles a little ballet slipper. They are the oven timer, the ding ding ding that your melon is done and ready to come inside and chill out in the fridge.

Today was my day.........