Blacktail Mountain watermelons convening on the counter
Every year I try to grow watermelons and every year by late summer the sprawling vines, lush in vegetation, hold melons the size of limes. This year was different. Even with a remarkably cool summer where tomatoes failed to fein even the slightest blush, I had a bumper crop of watermelons. The trick: I finally found the right variety for the maritime Pacific Northwest in a melon from Idaho called blacktail mountain.
After reading a mouth-watering description by Amy Goldman in her Melons for a Passionate Grower, I was hooked and hopeful. Nine months later, I’m harvesting really crisp and sweet and remarkably prolific watermelons (and I planted the seeds directly July 1). Even the smaller ones with a paler flesh are delicious. If you’ve never had success growing a watermelon, give this one a try.
Blacktail Mountain: Description from SeedSavers.org
Developed by SSE member Glenn Drowns when he lived in northern Idaho, where summer nights average 43 degrees F. Round 9″ dark green fruits weigh 6-12 pounds. Sweet, juicy, crunchy, scarlet flesh. Does well in hot, humid climates too. Reliable crops. 70-75 days.
Blacktail Mountain: Description from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
70 days. One of the earliest watermelons we know of, superb for the north, but it also grows well in heat and drought. The flesh is red and deliciously sweet, the fruit have a dark rind and weigh 8-12 lbs. each. This excellent variety was developed by our friend Glenn Drowns, owner of the Sand Hill Preservation Center in Iowa. A favorite of many gardeners across the USA. One of the best we have ever tried!
9 responses so far ↓
1 Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener // Oct 16, 2008 at 2:31 am
looks like Blacktail Mountain did better for you than for me…
2 Miffy // Oct 17, 2008 at 2:18 am
I LOVE WATERMELON! You have inspired me to try some down here next season! They look and sound scrumptious!xo
3 rowena // Sep 2, 2009 at 11:59 am
Those are absolute beauties….now I have hope!
4 Two Peaches Are Better Than One // Oct 17, 2009 at 3:48 am
[...] Days later, they did not disappoint, and were a fitting farewell to a summer favorite with its foothold in fall. Last year the Indian Free peaches were unusually crimson, but just as sweet. What I was blogging about a year ago: Blacktail Mountain: Hot Watermelon for a Cool Climate. [...]
5 Santa Claus Melon Is Coming to Town // Sep 16, 2010 at 8:15 pm
[...] for the record, I did manage to grow some watermelons once upon a time. Here’s the proof. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Santa Claus Melon Is Coming to Town", url: [...]
6 karen // Jul 14, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Wow, those are amazing watermelons! I wish I was your neighbor
glimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/
7 Tom // Jul 14, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Thanks Karen, yep they are the only ones I’m able to grow with any reliability. And thanks for the neighborly endorsement!
8 Fishtail Cottage // Jul 14, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Thanks for linking up to Cottage Flora Thursday’s Garden Party! These watermelon look fabulous…your knifes look scary! ha ha xoxo, Tracie
9 Tom // Jul 15, 2011 at 5:29 am
Fishtail you’re right, maybe not the best place to photograph them, even the melons look scared.
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