I've seen it done and heard of it done. I've even done it but have no idea what I am supposed to hear when the melon is ripe.


BTW, this is the melon I need to pick, when it's ready. I don't know what it is, as it grew out of my compost bin. Any ideas?

Molly

Looks like a pumpkin to me.

Looks that way to me too Carol, but I don't recall ever putting any pumpkin seeds in my compost. We haven't had holloween since we moved here. But it's possible a bird dun it. And if it is a pumpkin it needs to get a lot oranger before it's ripe.

Molly

No clue as to what it is, Molly, but there *are* pale pumpkins... even white ones, these days.

As to the thump... it's a kind of hollow sound. I do better by seeing if the melon is still clinging tight to the vine or is ready to let go. Aroma is a good clue, too... But I pick my melons in the produce dept, not off the vine, so what do I know?

The farmer I used to work for was an expert thumper, but I could never completely get the hang of it.

For melons, look for a tendril that comes out of the vine right at the base of the fruit's stem. When that turns brown and dry, the fruit is ready to go. Pumpkins I like to leave on longer, at least until the stem starts turning brown, and if I plan to store them, I'll actually let the whole vine die before my big harvest.

This one is still tight to the vine. Best to wait then as long as nothing burrows into the rind on the bottom side. I was really hoping for a squash or a watermelon. But I can make pumpkin pie or bars too.

Molly

If you want to use a pumpkin right away, I think you can harvest it anytime. I grow mine to store overwinter and find that a moist stem lets mold in and they spoil much faster.