Nice Melons

This year, at the Genuine Faux Farm, I decided to experiment a little bit with the melons we decided to grow.  Since we are no longer growing for a CSA Farm Share program, we no longer need to grow as many melons as we had been growing in prior seasons.  But, I like growing them and we both like eating them.  So, what were we to do?

Ever since 2015, we have grown anywhere from five to eight different melon varieties on the farm.  Our field melons are always surrounded by flowers to attract pollinators and we took to growing a row of Minnesota Midgets in Eden (our smaller high tunnel) about 2017.  The general result was that we had plenty of melons for ourselves and our CSA customers each season.  We usually had extra to sell - or if we didn't have time to seek out a market, we gave them to the poultry.  Yes, turkeys LOVE melons.

The 2015 experiment that became the norm at GFF

 I love to tell the success story that was our 2015 melon crop.  But, I love telling it even more because we could replicate it from year to year.  Well, not exactly each season - of course.  Sometimes the flowers were different.  One year one melon variety would do well, and then another the next.  But, our production was good each season and the results were similar every time.  

But, as the need to grow this many melons went away, we found ourselves just trying to figure out how much we should grow.... and how we should grow them.  And the transition has not been as easy as you might think.  It's hard to go back once you've grown as many as a thousand row feet of melons on the farm.

So, in 2023, I actually succeeded in letting go of a few things.  We grew a short row of field melons that had ONLY ONE variety (Pride of Wisconsin).  We have a log history with that cantaloupe and it did well for us again this year.  

And in the high tunnel, we decided to play a little bit, but we only planted a half row in Valhalla (our larger high tunnel).  Minnesota Midget had been our go to for high tunnel growing, but we really wanted some melons that tasted different.  So, we gave three different heirlooms a shot: Eden's Gem, Emerald Gem and Ha'Ogen.

A 2023 Ha'Ogen

I remember that we gave a couple of these a trial in the high tunnel when we first started growing in them and decided, for whatever reason, that they weren't working.  But, they all have a long history with us.  In 2013, we were sold that Ha'Ogen was just too good not to grow it.  And, frankly, I still stand by that statement.  Unfortunately, by 2017, we were realizing that Ha'Ogen was not working for higher production loads on our farm.  A big part of that had to do with Ha'Ogen's unhappiness with very wet soils - and we just couldn't find much dry space on our farm during that time period.

Meanwhile, Eden's Gem became one of our key production melons.  These personal-sized melons have a unique taste (a little bit of nutmeg flavor) and ripen earlier than any of the other varieties we have grown.  Emerald Gem flitted in and out of the picture.  These are orange fleshed and early to ripen as well.  

All of these three have limited vine length - which actually makes them candidates for the high tunnel.  But, we had gone with Minnesota Midget because they faithfully climbed (with some training) the trellis we put next to them each season.

Well, this year, we weren't as worried about space saving and we trialed Ha'Ogen, Emerald Gem and Eden's Gem in Valhalla this year.  Let's just say our taste buds were not disappointed.

We did not attempt to trellis any of these vines (we ran out of time), but they did not get so long as to intrude too much on their neighbors.  It was tolerable - but might have been a little less wonderful if we were trying for higher production numbers inside Valhalla.  Emerald Gem did not do particularly well, but Eden's Gem and Ha'Ogen produced several high-quality fruit.

In fact, they both did well enough that I could almost consider scaling them up in the high tunnel if I thought I had a market for them.  That, and if I wanted to pursue a market for them.

I was most pleased that Ha'Ogen did well.  We stopped growing them altogether in 2020 and I missed having Ha'Ogen or two for breakfast in the 2020-2022 seasons. This melon has green flesh with a gold edge around the seed cavity.  They smell a little bit like a ripe banana when they are first opened and have a smooth texture.  In fact, the first taste you get reminds you a little of a banana until.... it changes.  Let's just say you want to leave this melon in your mouth for a second so you can experience the full range of its flavor.

We know by now that every growing season is different, but maybe we discovered something in 2023?  Either way, I suspect we'll be growing Eden's Gem and Ha'Ogen in a high tunnel again next year.