2003 Specialty Melon Project

Growing Methods Yield Results Photos and Production Notes Conclusions/Recommendations Taste Tests

2003 Growing Methods

During the growing season of 2003, 12 varieties of specialty melons were grown at the Horticulture Research Center. The plants were started in the greenhouse in mid-April and transplanted to the field in the end of May at 3' in-row spacing with 5' between rows (note: commercial melon production is usually 12" in-row spacing). Approximately 8 plants of each variety were transplanted into a black plastic mulch with a single line of drip tape. We began harvesting melons in mid-August and continued through early October. Taste tests were conducted at the CSU Student Organic Produce Stand and the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Fall Picnic.

2003 Yield Results

Information on the varieties and their yields follows:

The following graphs display the pounds of melons harvested per plant over the 2003 growing season showing seasonal peaks for each of the melon groups:

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2003 Photos and Production Notes:

Photo	Variety	Type	Production Notes
	French Orange	Canteloupe	Attractive, deep colored flesh, very aromatic and flavorful, small to medium sized, uniform melons
	Earliqueen	Canteloupe	Very productive, early canteloupe, excellent flavor when picked ripe (full slip)
	Charentais	French Charentais	More delicate than a canteloupe flavor, begins splitting when fully ripe which European consumers appreciate, this also attracts sap beetles
	Passport	Galia/Tropical	Very aromatic, nice texture, as with all Galia/Tropical melons flavor may be excellent or somewhat plain, early season melons seem to be the most flavorful
	Haogen	Galia/Tropical	Delicious but difficult to pick at prime flavor, very sweet aromatic, smooth green textured melon
	Swan Lake	Honeydew / Dessert	Favored at market stand, delicious, unique, flower bouquet
No Photo Available	Sharlyn	Honeydew / Dessert	Not a favorite, mixed reviews
	Amy	Spanish/Canary	Reliable melon, smooth yellow skin, good taste.
	Dorado	Spanish/Canary	Typical canary melon, sweet, crisp, tough rind, holds well in the field
	St. Nick	Winter Melon	As jolly as its name, large melon, held up for a long time, tastey, crisp, good reviews
	Eel River	Winter Melon	Good melon, bad name, similar to St. Nick
	Sweet Beauty	Watermelon	Nice icebox sized watermelon, inexperienced pickers allowed fruit to get overripe, pretty concentrated fruit set, very sweet, delicious taste

Conclusion/Recommendations:

We concluded that these melons have excellent flavor, texture, and aromas, and that a fall crop can be produced in northern Colorado. Yields are fair but high prices make the effort worthwhile.

Specialty melons are becoming increasingly popular. Our climate allows for reasonable production and quality. There is excellent potential for market farmers to establish themselves as niche producers of unique melons.

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2003 Taste Tests

	Dorado		Melon tasting at the CSU Student Organic Market		French Orange

The results below are from a taste test conducted at the CSU Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Fall Picnic. "Tasters" were asked to rate the melons from 1 to 5 based on flavor, sweetness, texture, aroma, and eye appeal. Approximately 40 people participated in the taste testing. All participants agreed that these specialty melons tasted better than regular store-bought canteloupe.

French Orange was the clear winner with high scores for all categories. Dorado wasn't rated a favorite amongst most tasters. St. Nick scored fairly well but with low values for aroma and eye appeal.

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