Desert King Watermelon

This season, I grew a yellow fleshed heirloom watermelon called Desert King.  I had very high hopes since I don't care for the typical red fleshed varieties. I'm not a big watermelon eater especially the conventional variety that's sold in grocery stores because of the strong watermelon flavor.  This year, I was a bit disappointed.

Part of the problem was the rain we had throughout the summer.  Usually by July, we're dry as a bone in these parts.  Anyway, Desert King was good, but not great.  The watermelons were completely different in size and production was low (5 watermelons total this year).  It had a nice mild watermelon flavor but wasn't sweet.  :-(  I also had a hard time trying to figure out when the watermelons were ripe this year.  Usually, the tendril closest to the watermelon will dry out as well as this little round leaf called the spoon, but this year, due to the rain, all of the tendrils and spoons just rotted.  So I waited until the bellies turned yellow, but they just turned a  pale yellow and that's it.  Oh well.  I may try growing these again at some point but right now, my fave watermelon is Orangeglo by far.

Orangeglo Watermelon 2012

Orangeglo was really fruity and almost tropical with a mild watermelon flavor.  Very, very sweet and juicy!!

Next season, I decided to try ice box size watermelons (10 lbs. and under) and chose two varieties, a Japanese white fleshed watermelon that is also supposed to be mild and Sweet Siberian, an apricot fleshed watermelon.  I totally have a problem, I know.  I am melon crazy!!  Not only growing watermelons but muskmelons as well.  I am so obsessed with finding the perfect cantaloupe right now and of course, a cantaloupe that doesn't taste like the conventional store bought variety.  I just ordered two Italian varieties from Baker Creek.... my second order of seeds in a month.  I wonder if they have meetings for seed addicts? :-P