Melon, Kazakh (Organic)
Cucumis melo. 70-80 days.
Small, green-skinned melons ripen to vibrant gold and have firm, very pale cream flesh with an almost honeydew crunchy consistency. Up to five softball-sized fruit per plant. Super tasty, early variety that is good for cool, short seasons or for folks that are getting their garden in a bit late. Very sweet when picked at the peak of ripeness, keeps well after harvest. We highly recommend it. Originally from Kazakhstan, as the name suggests.
| Geographical Origin |
|---|
Sow indoors in 2-4” pots with good potting soil mid-May through mid-June. Transplant into the garden with 2’ centers one week after sprouting. May also be direct sown when soil is warm. Melons are frost-sensitive and benefit from row cover. Protect from birds while sprouting and from insects when plants are young.
Save Seed
To save seed, scoop out seeds when you eat the fruit. Rinse off and dry seeds. For seed purity, isolate from other C. melo by ½ mile.
Ida Gianopulos (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Washington
I grew these on my farm on Whidbey Island, WA this year for the first time and they are one of the most productive melons I have ever grown. They were the earliest to ripen out of several varieties I grew this year. The flavor is awesome, sort of like a honeydew but more complex. Farmers market customers raved about the great flavor. Please keep offering this special melon. I will grow them forever!
Upvote if this was helpful (1) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Watch Unwatch Flag for removal
The Gourmet Gardener –
Where did you grow this variety? Midwestern US
The description of this particular melon had me with high hopes, as I live in northern Wisconsin where the growing season is short and melons haven’t done particularly well for me as a rule. I planted two hills of seeds at the beginning of June (zone 4a) in raised beds. Germination took about a week and a half.
The vines were not particularly vigorous (which was actually nice; no sprawling across the entire garden plot). We had a dry summer with plenty of heat, so I watered regularly from my rainbarrels. The plants produced quite a few tiny (less than golf-ball sized) melons that went from green to orange to rotten without ever getting any larger. The plants then developed powdery mildew; I sprayed them and crossed my fingers, but they failed to produce any more flowers or fruits. After a couple more weeks I had finally accepted defeat and went to pull up the plants — when I found two nice-sized melons – one on each plant – both dark green – so I left them alone. It’s now September 2, nights are in the mid-40’s, leaves are starting to change, and I no longer have hope of those melons ripening. These might do well in a greenhouse, but were a big disappointment in my garden.
Upvote if this was helpful (0) Downvote if this was not helpful (0) Watch Unwatch Flag for removal