Watermelon Landrace (project)

[Lauren]

Yes, that's the most dependable indicator, but it's also dependent on variety. Last year I did Hopi Red and they were ripe when the tendril was just starting to dry. Others it's fully dry. I've never found one (so far) that's ripe when the tendril is still entirely green, though.

[reed]

I've never found one (so far) that's ripe when the tendril is still entirely green, though.

Me neither, actually it is a trait I select for. If I pick one with brown tendril and faded bottom side and it isn't right there in the sweet spot of nicely ripe but not over so, I don't keep its seeds. Actually that is very rare and what ever I might not have liked about it probably wasn't even related to weather or not it's ripe, but something else.

I select for quick maturity, drought and disease tolerance, great, sweet, watermelony flavor, varied color and small, less than ten lb size. I favor seed from those under 10 lb and don't save any from those over 15. Only been at it a few seasons but already settling into a nice 5 - 10 Lb range and lots of variation in color.

I started with my own Bush Sugar Baby and a couple others I've forgotten and mixes from Joseph and Ferdzy. I think the traits I like best came form Ferdzy's seeds.

I'd be farther along but short on space so only plat them every other year.

[Lauren]

I'm still trying to get the mix established, so I can't be quite that selective yet. Like I said, only four varieties mixed in so far and I want at least six. But a few are growing reliably in my (deliberately) nasty conditions, so something is working! My goal is a large (large for me, I guess medium for anyone else--I don't want a monster melon I can't lift or carry easily) sweet red melon without blossom end rot or bug damage, and preferably heat and cold tolerant. No summer wilt this year on those that survived. I had one I planned to mix in but I haven't been able to get more seeds because the bugs killed it. Every. Time. So I decided not to use it. I'm removing all male blossoms from the late bloomers and I won't keep seeds from them.

One of these days I'm going to have a discussion with Joseph--one of the plants from his seeds has a fully developed female flower (I think it pollinated but I'm not sure yet) and the ovary is smaller than my pinky nail. I've never seen one that small. I'm guessing the fully developed melon will be less than 3 inches in diameter, if that.

[Richard Watson]

Where do you live?

edit: I just found out

Mind you it would be nice if everyone had where they are in the world

[William Schlegel]

I need to find this little curly tendril ASAP

[Lauren]

It'll be right by the base of the watermelon, next to the stem where it's connected to the plant. See it?

[William Schlegel]

Yep, I was out to my melon patch this morning and found them. Still about as green as the one in your picture. Melons look full size (small) too.

[David Catzel]

I farm up in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.  Have been selecting for early ripening with minimal water, as well as cool weather tolerance as we don't always get the heat units here.  My original cross was Early Moonbeam, Blacktail Mountain, and Sugar Baby.  Plants in the F3 generation after the original cross are showing a lot of diversity in flesh colour, rind thickness, and productivity.  This year was a cool summer, so good selection pressure for that... but the first year we had a drought and plants were not watered, so had the opportunity to select for that.
I also work for a charitable organization called FarmFolk CityFolk and direct a program called BC Seeds.  I am the regional program coordinator for a national program called the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security.
One of the programs we run is called the Citizen Seed Trial.  This is a public engagement project that attracted over 200 participants.  They are sent samples of seeds to grow out and send back observations using Seedlinked, an online seed trial data collection platform.  I'm considering including a watermelon landrace for 2020 and have participants send back seeds from the best watermelon.  In 2019 we had over 200 participants and are hoping for 400 this year.  I'm looking to source seeds of other landraces, to purchase (or receive as a donation) and am wondering if anyone in this forum have any quantities of seeds they would like to contribute (or sell) to this project.  I'd be happy to trade back or just share seeds of our crosses.  If not, does anyone have suggestions of where to look for such landraces?

[Ferdzy]

David, your email is full.

[spacecase0]

I farm up in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.  Have been selecting for early ripening with minimal water, as well as cool weather tolerance as we don't always get the heat units here.  My original cross was Early Moonbeam, Blacktail Mountain, and Sugar Baby.  Plants in the F3 generation after the original cross are showing a lot of diversity in flesh colour, rind thickness, and productivity.  This year was a cool summer, so good selection pressure for that... but the first year we had a drought and plants were not watered, so had the opportunity to select for that.
I also work for a charitable organization called FarmFolk CityFolk and direct a program called BC Seeds.  I am the regional program coordinator for a national program called the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security.
One of the programs we run is called the Citizen Seed Trial.  This is a public engagement project that attracted over 200 participants.  They are sent samples of seeds to grow out and send back observations using Seedlinked, an online seed trial data collection platform.  I'm considering including a watermelon landrace for 2020 and have participants send back seeds from the best watermelon.  In 2019 we had over 200 participants and are hoping for 400 this year.  I'm looking to source seeds of other landraces, to purchase (or receive as a donation) and am wondering if anyone in this forum have any quantities of seeds they would like to contribute (or sell) to this project.  I'd be happy to trade back or just share seeds of our crosses.  If not, does anyone have suggestions of where to look for such landraces?

I agree with Ferdzy, your messages are full
so I will post my reply to you here.

I started a project that I now have no interest in finishing,
it is an F1 cross of 7 types.
sugar baby (my version of it)
art combe's ancient cave (or whatever it is called)
orangeglow
desert king
strawberry
goldan royal
golden midget

due to pressure from everyone I know (including myself), I decided to go back to the sugar baby I had been working on for about 9 years now.
so I don't need any of the seeds for the cross I made.
not sure if you are looking for an F1,or if the mix I chose is worth anything to you, but on the off chance you want the seeds, they are yours. there is about a pint of them.

[Lauren]

Spaceccase0, I would love some. Is this for a midget variety, or full sized? I notice you have several small varieties mixed in.

[spacecase0]

I was going for a personal size with a few larger ones,
my weather is quite harsh, very hot dry days and cool nights with cold wet days early in the season. (30F to 40F day to night temperature changes).
most larger ones don't do that well on bad years and the smaller ones seem to scale to conditions better. Plus it is hard for me to eat a large watermelon by myself.
PM me where you want them sent and I will get them to you. (or at least I will after the bad weather passes) .

[AndrewB]

One of the programs we run is called the Citizen Seed Trial.  This is a public engagement project that attracted over 200 participants.  They are sent samples of seeds to grow out and send back observations using Seedlinked, an online seed trial data collection platform.  I'm considering including a watermelon landrace for 2020 and have participants send back seeds from the best watermelon.

That is an interesting idea to have a massive community participant watermelon landrace. Really interesting idea.

[Nicolas]

https://www.seedlinked.com/ seems interesting

[Plantman]

https://www.seedlinked.com/ seems interesting

Very interesting indeed.
I wonder how they have gone over the last cpl of years.

@David
I have some seed I just got from the old jenin watermelon from the Jordan valley.
I'm going to hand pollinate some Ali baba and warpaint, as well as to itself.
You are welcome to any of these when they come through.