Your comments and tips

05 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

The older varieties use to start turning yellow and they would pull away from the vine easy when ripening. And you could smell the rocky smell. Called slipping. The new varieties in the super markets don't do this so it is a bit of a guessing game. They have green skin and the flesh is tough. I grew some of the newer ones and around ripening time we had 5

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21 Jan 18, Norma Bowden (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Hi, when you say the fruit is ready when it falls from the vine, does that mean the withering of the plant where the melon is attached? Also, should the melons be lifted from the soil as they grow bigger by placing something like a piece of wood under them? Thank you

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17 Sep 18, Mike (New Zealand - temperate climate)

The older varieties when the skin would start to go yellow the fruit would come away from the vine easy. It would be fully ripe in a few days. Some of the newer ones don't turn yellow. How long to harvest is a guide to picking. Try one and see if it is ripe. Put dry grass/straw under them if you have wet soil.

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16 Jan 18, Hanneke Koevoet (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Do I need hand pollination if see quite a lot of bees in the flowers

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17 Dec 17, Laurence Lim (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Planted about 20 rock melon plants. Plenty of male flowers. So far only two female flowers.. hand pollinate both.. not successful.. Why are there so few female flowers? Is there deficiency of certain element in the soil? Regards, L Lim

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19 Dec 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

When the plant first starts sending out runners there is mainly male flowers. Then there will be female flowers, It takes a lot of visits from bees to pollinate and set the fruit. I hand pollinated pumpkin the other week and one female flower set fruit and the other didn't. The answer I have no idea. Pumpkins, cues melons are all in the same family. The pumpkin female flower only opens for about 6-9 hrs for one day. Probably melons cues zucchinis are the same. If you are in the sub-tropics you probably should have planted these 2 mths earlier. My rockies (I should have planted a month earlier) are about 5-10 days from start picking and some grubs are just destroying the leaves.

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29 Mar 17, Dianne James (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I live near goulburn nsw and was wondering if i could grow rockmelon if so when thank you

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15 Oct 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Probably after the last chance of frosts. Start seeds 3-4 weeks before the last frost.

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30 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Rock melons like it hot so should do well in Goulburn. Start the plants early in Toilet paper cylinders ready for planting after the last frost. Plant the cylinder and all as the cylinder will rot. Seeds are generally readily available or look online at companies like - Green Harvest, Eden Seeds, Diggers, New Gippsland Seeds, etc. There are a number of shorter season varieties listed if you are worried. All the best.

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10 Apr 17, Lizzy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I am growing the diggers rockmelon world variety in Queanbeyan on a northern bank The ones that came out were honeydew. They are small but very tasty. D'agen rockmelon also grow. Get them going early in a glasshouse or inside.

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