Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe/Other Melons

[scarfguy]

Hmmm....  My cantaloupe bounty is on a shelf that is 5 inches above the floor.  I was hoping I could put the aerovoir on the floor.  5" lower that the bounty.   I think you are saying that such a differential is way too great for the aerovoir to function?

[lynnee]

In a word, scarfguy , Yes. The Aerovoir needs to be at the same height as if it were standing on the shelf alongside the AG.

Here's the info on how the Aerovoirs work. The current model is rectangle-shaped, and holds one gallon of water. The principle is exactly the same for all reservoirs using siphoning ("water seeks its own level").

The Aerovoirs come with extra stands, as explained in the guide below. Here is the relevant part:

"Q: Why is the Optional Stand Extension necessary for some models and not for others?
A: Due to the size and shape of the water bowl in
the AeroGarden 3, AG3SL, Sprout, AeroGarden 7 and Harvest models, the added height of the Optional Stand Extension is NOT necessary, and adding the Optional Stand Extension will cause OVERFILLING AND WATER SPILLS. The Extra, Ultra, Bounty and AeroGarden 6 (SpaceSaver models) have taller water bowls and the extra height the Optional Stand Extension provides will keep the water level closer to the fill line."

The Farms need the extension, and I think the new Bounty Elites do, too. The assumption is that the Aerovoir will be placed alongside the AG on the same level surface.

Here are the height measurements for the rectangular Aerovoir. The outside height is 5-1/8", and the stand is 1-1/8" (total 6-1/2").

From the height (5-1/8" without the stand, 6-1/2" with the stand) you have to subtract 1-1/2" to get the height for the point that the water from the reservoir bottle fills the Aerovoir water well (which connects to the tubing to the AG water bowl). This is the height you need for the reservoir to properly fill your AG water bowl without overfilling or underfilling (3-7/8" without the stand, 5" with the stand).

See Step 6 in the guide below to see the well that fills with water when you place the reservoir bottle on the black Aerovoir stand.  The tubing to the AG bowl connects to the bottom of the well.

[scarfguy]

Thanks so much, lynnee, for providing us with an education on the aerovoir.

Since the aerovoir is currently out-of-stock, I was browsing Amazon looking for something similar.  Couldn't find anything.  There are a bunch of autowatering systems but they all seem to require quite a bit of trial and error as you have to program the frequency and duration of supplemental drip watering.  This would require a lot of monitoring and constant adjustment.   The other kinds have a high water / low water float which would be better but I don't see any that would be easy to attach to, say, a bounty bowl.

[lynnee]

scarfguy, here's a link to a rather lengthy YouTube video that explains how to make a custom self-waterer for an Aerogarden out of household materials. This kind of thing is what I thought you had in mind, since the Aerovoirs aren't currently available.



One does wonder what Aerogarden has in mind, since it seems to be selling off all of its existing inventory of seed kits and accessories.

[maskedsonnet]

Mar 20, 2023 22:27:10 GMT -5 lynnee said:

One does wonder what Aerogarden has in mind, since it seems to be selling off all of its existing inventory of seed kits and accessories.

That's concerning for me too, hopefully it's just getting rid of old inventory to make room for new stuff and they're not going bust. That would be a tragedy!!

[scarfguy]

My success to date with the cantaloupe has emboldened me!... I'm thinking about it. 

all-americaselections.org/product/watermelon-cal-sweet-bush/

Anybody tried growing a 10 pound watermelon in a bounty! 

[lynnee]

Watermelon! Go for it, scarfguy!

I won't be joining in on this one, because I dislike watermelon.

[scarfguy]

Hey all, my wife just asked me a question I can't answer...

So, I am thinking of planting two different varieties of melons at the same time in separate bounties on my light frame shown in the pictures above.  Do I have to be sure to pollinate female flowers with male flowers from the same plant? Can two varieties of cantaloupe be cross pollinated and what is the effect??? Is the fruit the variety of the female flower or is it a combination of characteristics of both plants?...  OR is it a mutant zombie that takes over the world?

[lynnee]

scarfguy, the way that gardeners get hybrid varieties is by cross-pollinating different non-hybrid plants whose seeds produce plants with the same known traits (e.g., color, shape, flavor). The trouble with hybrids is that their seeds probably won't produce plants just like themselves--some progeny will resemble one or another of the two plants that produced the hybrid.

Cross-pollinating should produce cantaloupes with some, but not all, of the characteristics of each of your melon plants. However, I don't think that cross-pollination always works, so I would try to pollinate each variety of cantaloupe with its own male and female flowers. I would do this to maximize my chances of getting edible mature cantaloupes.

However, I would try some cross-pollination between the two varieties if I felt more like experimenting than harvesting!

[scarfguy]

Hmmm... So trying to grow two cantaloupes at the same time would certainly complicate pollination as I would have to trace the intertwined vines growing up my trellis every time I'm looking for a male/female pair.

I think I'll stick with one plant at a time.  I've now got 3 melons developing!

===

Ya know, there are some things that you just cannot grow in an aerogarden and then there are some things, like my cantaloupe, or eggplant, or brussel sprouts (somebody recently grew) that are just novelties.

That is, the yield per plant is just too small to be cost effective.  Aerogarden's most productive use is for things where the density is great and the yield is sufficient to meet your needs.  A kitchen full of fresh herbs or ever-blooming bouquet of live flowers is a wonderful thing.   Peppers and tomatoes are small enough and abundant enough to be good choices for your Aerogardens.

[lynnee]

scarfguy, the Fairy Tale eggplants aren't novelties. My "immortals" produced crop after crop. All that was necessary was to keep trimming back the leaves, and to keep pollinating the flowers.

[scarfguy]

Mar 25, 2023 9:37:49 GMT -5 lynnee said:

scarfguy , the Fairy Tale eggplants aren't novelties. My "immortals" produced crop after crop. All that was necessary was to keep trimming back the leaves, and to keep pollinating the flowers.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend.  I meant MY "black beauty" eggplant which is growing like a weed, producing flowers, and, hopefully, there will soon be some eggplant parmesan in my future.

[lynnee]

No offense, scarfguy!

For me, peas are strictly a novelty. So far I've only gotten a few pods at a time, which is an amount barely worth harvesting.

[scarfguy]

Same thing for green beans. 

My wife wants me to grow some green beans. I'm afraid it will be a lot of work for just one meal!

[lynnee]

Mar 25, 2023 10:37:05 GMT -5 scarfguy said:

Same thing for green beans. 

My wife wants me to grow some green beans. I'm afraid it will be a lot of work for just one meal!

I want to try green beans, too! Cantaloupes first, though.

[scarfguy]

UPDATE: Day 67!

They are starting to look like real cantaloupes!

I've now got 4.  The first two are about the same age, one is a couple of weeks later, and a baby just started.

This should work out well as I'll have ripe melons spread out over a few weeks so I don't have to eat them all at once!

[lynnee]

Wonderful! It's interesting how the netting forms last. I see your Texsolv cords in the photos, too.

[scarfguy]

This Texsolv cord was developed for weaving looms but I can't understand why they don't market it for other uses.  It works great for garden ties as used here.  Over the years, I've used it around the house for any number of things.  Versatile, sturdy, and quick.

[scarfguy]

UPDATE: Day 77!   (no pic today)

I have 5 healthy melons at various stages of development.  The first two should be ripe in two or three weeks I hope.

The plant has evolved again over the last week.  I had been pollinating all of the female flowers as they opened.  I think the plant has decided that 5 is all I'm gonna get cause the female flowers are wilting before they open!   Also, some of the leaves are starting to look rather ratty (like the cucumber do). I think it is putting all of its energy into fruit development.

One of the questions I had was whether there was room enough in a bounty for the amount of roots this monster produces.  It's been more than adequate as the bowl seems to be only about half full of roots.

BUT... it's really going through the water. I'm going through about 3 gallons of water a day.   Interestingly, it has created it's own micro-environment. It's in a small 8x10 room that has become very humid as the plant sucks up water and transpires it into the air.

[lynnee]

My new cantaloupe seedlings are now in their permanent home. I'm calling it Day 20, but am not sure.  This is the Farm 12XL that had the immortal Fairy Tale eggplants.

The larger Minnesota Midget seedling germinated in the Harvest seed starter, and the smaller seedling started there but is about a week behind. It started growing when it was transplanted to a standard Harvest grow deck and was given a grow dome.

The trellis is one I put together today with Texsolv cord.