To Melon or Not to Melon? --that is the question

To Melon or Not to Melon? -- that is the question

I bought a small starter cantaloupe plant from our home depot a few months ago. It actually was one of the first fruits/veggies I ever purchased to plant. I had no idea how it was going to grow. I had no idea how long it would take to get cantaloupes. I just was excited every day to walk out my door and look in my garden and watch the changes. Then one day the cantaloupe plant took over the entire garden! It's a vine and it started wrapping itself around all my other plants including my rose bush. A couple weeks later we walked outside and I spotted a golf ball sized cantaloupe growing on the vine! So exciting! It was no where near the size of cantaloupes you see in the grocery store...but this cantaloupe was special since I grew it!

We waited patiently for it to grow and after a crazy week of rain my cantaloupe was moldy and rotten. All that work, for NOTHING:(

So this past week I went out to the garden and not only did I have one cantaloupe growing, not two, not three but four!!!!! Not only did I have four cantaloupes growing (of various sizes) but the vine was turning brown. I know that sign. I've seen my squash plant, and cucumber plant vines turn brown. It means it's about to go. What I don't know is WHY the vine all of sudden starts to die and turn brown.



So my choices with a vine turning brown with my four cantaloupes on it:

1. If I leave the cantaloupes they'll probably die too with the vine.
2. If I pick them, they might not be ready to be eaten.

So it didn't seem like I had much of a choice, keep the cantaloupes, or loose them. So I picked them all...and I was glad I did. The vines were completely brown and dead.

I brought them inside and decided to cut one up. I asked my hubby if he'd like a piece and said "I don't like cantaloupe." I couldn't believe it, we had been growing these for MONTHS and MONTHS. I responded "I don't like cantaloupe either! I bought these because I thought you did!"

So I had been carefully growing these beautiful cantaloupes for....wait for it.......NO ONE! hahaha!

I think I might cut them up, freeze them and put them in smoothies. I gave one away to my dad since he does like cantaloupes.

Lesson learned:

• I now know how cantaloupes grow
• I now know I should probably only buy fruits/veggies to grow that my family enjoys and that doesn't include cantaloupes.