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Watermelon Moon & Stars Organic Seed
Citrullus - vulgaris
$2.69

Item #3015

Moon & Stars Watermelon is an Amish heirloom with an 'out of this world' flavor that was re-discovered by rural farmer, Merle Van Doren, in Missouri. You will be amazed by its decorative appearance even more than its sweet taste. The dark green rind is covered with yellow dots that look like stars scattered among the larger yellow moons. Even the foliage has the pretty yellow speckling. The unique coloration is from a genetic 'defect' that has no effect on the very sweet, red, absolutely delicious flesh. Though this variety was once available in a 1920's seed catalog and lost for some time, it was made available again in 1982 by the Seed Savers Exchange.

When to plant outside: Spring, 1-2 weeks after the average last frost date and when soil temperatures are warm.

When to start inside: 4-6 weeks before the average last frost. Recommended for northern climates.

Special Germination Instructions: Watermelon seedlings don't transplant well. When starting indoors, use individual pots such as peat or pulp pots that can be planted directly into the ground. Cover soil with black plastic before seeding outside and seed into a cross cut in the plastic.

Harvesting: Several methods are recommended to determine when a watermelon is ripe. First, check the "ground spot", the part of the watermelon that is lying on the ground. For most of the season, it is white; when the fruit is ripe, it turns to a creamy or golden color. Second, the curly tendrils on the vine, closest to the watermelon become dried out and turn brown. Check tendrils daily; if brown too long, watermelon may become over ripe. Third, the skin should be resistant to puncturing with a thumbnail. Forth, you could cut a small plug to check the flesh (although, if it is not ripe, this will ruin the melon). Some gardeners believe in the 'thump test'. Though, when rapped with a knuckle, the hoped for dull thud may indicate over ripeness instead of perfect ripeness.

Container Tips: Not recommended for containers.

From Susan Dow who sent us this picture: This was a beautiful melon. The vine was healthy, very pretty, received very little care & yielded us 4 melons in a space between houses in Newport Beach, CA. We will grow this one again! The texture has a crispness to it. It just breaks off into your mouth. Bursting with an old fashioned flavor. Not as sweet & watery as some newer varieties. This was the winner! The taste of this watermelon was the watermeloniest I have ever had! Comment from Sonja Johanson, photographer, "I grew this variety for an outdoor classroom garden in MA. It produced prolifically; from 10 hills (about 20 melons) I was able to let about 400 students sample the melon and spit seeds- most had never had a melon with seeds! I also learned a trick for telling ripeness, passed on from a melon grower. Run your hands around the circumference of the widest part of the melon. A ripe watermelon will have distinct bumps where the interior chambers ripened at slightly different times. This worked flawlessly. Every melon that met this criteria was deep red and remarkably sweet."