(80 – 90 days) (Muskmelon) This Amish heirloom produces many mid-sized (4-7 lbs), oval-shaped melons with a thick rind and juicy, aromatic orange flesh. This is a tough melon that will produce well for you in a variety of growing conditions.
(90-100 days). This 1881 heirloom has noble connections, developed by the head gardener for the Duke of Marlborough and grown in the greenhouses of England’s Blenheim Palace. In its first year of introduction, it won first prize as the best melon, from the Royal Horticultural Society. The 2-lb fruits have thin, netted skin and thick, fragrant orange flesh.
(Cantaloupe) (75-90 days) This famous French heirloom melon has a reputation as one of the best-flavoured melons in the world! Growing to about the size of a grapefruit, it matures to a creamy yellow exterior with salmon-coloured flesh that has both a heavenly fragrance and taste.
(80-85 days) An old Ukrainian variety, popular on the Crimean peninsula, this early melon ripens even in Moscow! Medium-sized fruits (7-10”) have yellow/white flesh that is sweet, crunchy and fragrant. Excellent for northern gardens.
NEW FOR 2009!! (75-85 days) Profiled in Amy Goldman's "Melons for the Passionate Grower", this ancient variety has been grown and maintained by the same family for almost 90 years. Developed in 1920 by Oliver Crane from a number of favourite varieties of the time, its hallmarks are its taste and unusual pear shape. The Crane family still grows the melon on 100 acres in California and people come from miles around to buy the fruit. The fruit weighs 4-7 lbs. with a light orange flesh that is highly aromatic, sweet and juicy. Rarely available now, this melon is listed in Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste. Perfect for home gardeners and market growers, it is meant to be eaten when it's ripe and it does not ship well.
(85-90 days) This old, French heirloom melon was listed by Vilmourin in 1885. Deeply-ribbed, yellow-orange, 1-lb. fruits look somewhat like small pumpkins & have very sweet, orange flesh. Almost extinct until recently, they are starting to become available in the seed trade.
NEW FOR 2009!! (70-85 days) Introduced by T.W. woods and Sons in 1895, this is one of the earliest muskmelons available. The small, 2-3 lb. fruits are up to 6" in diameter, green-fleshed and full of flavour. The flesh can be eaten right down to the rind. This is a prodigious producer. Endangered.
(Muskmelon) (90 – 100 days) From seed brought from Japan after WWII, this large (up to 10 lbs) melon has sweet, orange flesh and golden skin.
(Muskmelon)(80-90 days) Introduced in 1863, and very popular in the late 19th and early 20th C., this melon is so-named because of its sweet yet slightly spicy flavor. It is a prolific producer of 2-3 lb., highly aromatic, ribbed melons that are heavily netted, with succulent green flesh. One of the parents of the Montreal Melon.
(75-85 days) Muskmelon Pre-1923 This heavy producer of 2-3 lb fruits is popular, particularly due to its early maturation, blight-resistance and fine flavour and aroma.
(75 – 90 days) (Muskmelon) 1895. Growing to 3 lbs., this melon has pink-orange flesh and an almost sharp taste. It likes sunny days, and doesn’t tolerate cold nights.
(85 days) (Muskmelon) Pre-1920. (Aka “Sugar Rock”) This melon, developed by F.W. Richardson in the U.S., was popular in the 20’s and 30’s due to its short-maturation ( which made it a great melon for northern gardeners), its resistance to fusarium wilt, and its firm, sweet flesh. It was named an AAS winner in 1933, and a 1932 seed catalogue described it as perfect for both the home gardener and the market grower. It produces globe-shaped, 3-4 lb fruits that are heavily-netted and have firm salmon-orange flesh.
(Muskmelon) (70 – 85 days) Pre-1846. Named after “The Swedish Nightingale”, who was a singing sensation at the time, this early melon produces an abundance of small (2-3 lbs), heavily netted fruits that have pale green, extremely sweet flesh. Its vines are short (for a melon)at 5’ and it is disease- resistant. A good short-season melon.
NEW FOR 2009!! (50-75 days) One of the earliest melons to grow. Developed by the University of Minnesota in 1948 and introduced by Farmer Seed and Nursery Co. , this short season melon's vines grow to just 3', which makes it perfect for city gardens. The fruits are also small, just 3-4" in diameter, but are very sweet with golden-orange flesh that can be eaten right down to the rind.
(75 days) (Cantaloupe) 1787. (aka Black Rock) This rare French heirloom is a heavy producer of very sweet, aromatic 2-3 lb. fruit that start out such a dark green in colour that they're almost black. They gradually ripen to orange, mottled with green. One of the easiest melons to grow!
A true Canadian success story! Bred in 1912 by Father Athanase of the La Trappe Monastery in Oka,Quebec., this melon was a cross of the Montreal Melon and the Banana. It was thought to have disappeared, but was re-discovered on Ile Bizard, Quebec. Great flavour as well as a great history.
SOLD OUT FOR 2009. (85 days) I am so excited to be able to offer this melon! This French heirloom melon (its name translates as "Small Grey of Rennes") is an early producer of large numbers of 2 lb. fruit with dense, orange, flavourful and aromatic flesh. Amy Goldman, passionate melon grower/writer states it's " so good it gives me the chills" and considers it the "creme de la creme" of French melons. First noted as growing in the garden of the Bishop of Rennes nearly 400 years ago, the round, grey-green skinned fruits are favourites with markets growers, as the plants thrive in cool conditions and are loved by market customers.
(85-95 days) pre-1850 (Cantaloupe) A very old French heirloom melon, this one is absolutely unique! The fruits, weighing 4 -9 lbs, have beautiful grey-green warted skin that turns a straw colour, a heavenly fragrance and dense, sweet flesh. This incredible melon is a heavy producer and absolutely drought tolerant!
(Aka Plum Granny; Dudaim Melon) (75-80 days) A unique heirloom that was grown primarily for its powerful fragrance. Victorian women carried these 2.5”by 3/5” fruits in their pockets for the perfume-like quality of the fragrance. Why, you may ask? To protect against the overwhelming stench of Victorian streets! The picturesque,tiny fruits are yellow with orange stripes and a bland taste. Place some in a bowl as a conversation piece.
NEW FOR 2009!! (85-95 days) An ancient eastern melon, thought to have originated in China and then moved to Japan and Korea, Sakata's Sweet is eaten raw, often with the rind, like an apple. The tiny fruit (you can hold one in your palm, just like an apple) has a crisp, sweet flesh and bright yellow skin. It was thought to have disappeared in 1994, but can now be found occasionally in seed catalogues. Rare.
