Muskmelons(cantaloupes) in a time of pumpkins

[ladasky]

Hi, folks,

Gardening in San Jose, California -- USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 16.

I have a muskmelon (cantaloupe) vine which flowered late. Five fruits appeared about 6 weeks ago. They're growing, and they have acquired that netted outer skin, but recently they have slowed down. The weather has been cooling, and the leaves on the vine have yellowed.

Once upon a time I remember reading about a trick that a Colorado tomato grower used to extend his yield. If he had green fruit when the weather got cold, he uprooted his entire vine and left it hanging from the rafters in his garage. Fruie ripened indoors. Can I do something similar with my melons here?

Thanks for any advice.

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[Dwayne]

I cant help you with your question, but I know that muskmelons picked before the are ready to "slip" wont taste any better than the ones picked early to sell in our stores. I checked them every day and would find 5 to 7 that had "slipped" (come off the vine by themselves, or came loose when I picked them up off the ground without pulling on the vine). I would take them in the house and let them set for 2 days un-refrigerated, and then eat or give them away. They were delicious. You might try one plant and leave the remainder until they "slip".

Dwayne