Garden Pic Wednesday: Melon Patch!

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The sky to the north was rumbling and grumbling with a promise of a summer shower while I was outside mowing today, but wasn't overhead until I finished. Still hasn't rained, though the thundering stopped. Sometimes it rains in one spot, but not in another around here.

Today's Garden Pic is my melon patch!
These are the most prosperous melon vines I've ever had!
There's a Canary melon called "Amy Melon" in the foreground and against the far back wall and watermelon is next to the left wall between them. All this from a total 6 seeds: 2 watermelon & 4 Amy melon.


The block walls, which are new this year, are proving quite helpful for keeping the vines corralled! Otherwise they'd be all over the yard!
 You can see the upside down plastic milk cartons that I use for watering & fertilizing.
I've had a problem with pests getting to my young Amy melons, but I read in my garden book that setting baby melons on a low, upside  down can, such as tuna can, can keep them out of reach. I rummaged through the recycle bin for anything plastic I could use as well.
I also sprinkled Bug-Be-Gone in the garden bed to help eradicate ground pests.
 (I was hoping the rain would water it in.)
The trick is--melons are sneaky. The young are the same color as the leaves and can be terribly easy to miss. I'm trying to remember which flowers I've pollinated, so I can keep track of potential babies.
The watermelon isn't making fruit yet. It's a small seeded round type we bought last year at the grocery that wasn't the usually striped, but a more striking & elaborate pattern. I saved some seeds.
Hope I'll get at least one. 

And just for fun--another shot of some juvenile Cardinals enjoying my feeder!


That's it for today! Stop back for Mama Kat tomorrow!

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