Carribean Gold Rz | Melon Seeds

Caribbean Gold RZ F1 is a Long Shelf Life Harper type that can be compared with a Western Shipper type. With a good plant that adapts well to open field conditions. Good plant vigour and good leaf coverage. Good fruit setting, well concentrated, very uniform, leading to an almost one-time harvest. Medium-large size, oval round shape with a creamy skin colour, nice and very regular netting. Attractive orange flesh colour, Long Shelf Life Harper and flesh is firm (psi 7-9). Sugar levels are always good ranging from 12 to 17. Fruits are grey-green sometimes turning to a more tarnish colour. Resistant to the colonisation by Aphis gossypii. 80-110 days to maturity (depends on season).

Planting Procedure for Carribean Gold Rz Melon Seeds

• Use compost and fertilizer.
• Form six to eight-inch high raised beds to speed soil warming and have good drainage.
• Plant the seeds ½ to one inch deep.
• Sow 2 or 3 seeds in groups 18 to 24 inches apart.
• Space rows 5 to 6 feet apart.
• After the seedlings emerge, choose the strongest plant in each group and remove the others.

Other Practices

Spacing

Melons grow on sprawling vines and do not ripen effectively when grown in cramped quarters. The seedlings are typically planted on mounds (three to a mound) spaced 2 feet apart in rows 6 feet apart. Thin the fruit to three melons per vine, as this will result in more nutrients (and thus sugars) pumped into each melon. If space is an issue, build a sturdy trellis and train the melons up the south side of it – this saves bed space, but also puts the fruit into better contact with the sun’s warming rays.

Watering

Keeping melon leaves lush also requires copious amounts of irrigation. This is best applied with soaker hoses or a drip system, as overhead irrigation encourages fungal disease, which definitely detracts from melons’ sweetness. During the final weeks of ripening, however, excess water dilutes the sugar content of the fruit. So as the fruit approaches its full size, cut back on irrigation, providing only enough water to keep the leaves from completely wilting. It is normal at this stage for some of the older leaves to turn brown.

Diseases

Diseases are easier to deal with if identified early. Once the disease is severe, there is little that can be done. Examine plants once a week throughout the gardening season.