How These Melons Grow

This year our front yard garden is out-shinning the more expansive back yard. Our little plot, barely big enough for flowers much less intensive vegetables had been overflowing with yellow squash, tomatoes, berries and herbs. Following my own "more is more" doctrine of gardening I am trying to grow melons on a trellis to fit in a few more plants. I've tried this once before with very little success. This year I have big leafy plants without many flowers. Except for these two growing crane melons I am babying to ripeness. The Crane is a little known early 20th century hybrid from Northern california praised for it's juicy flesh and sweet flavor.

To keep the weight of the melon from pulling on the vine my Cranes are being supported by these less than flattering slings fashioned from plastic bags. It's not exactly the picturesque farmyard I dream about but we're only a couple weeks away from fresh melon and prosciutto.