This variety is the most popular Cantaloupe stype Melon being cultivated in the United States today by both large producers and backyard gardeners. Hale's Best Jumbo is a great old heirloom melon that was originally introduced to the public market over 80 years ago that has stood the test of time due to it's marvelous production abilities of large, sweet melons. Originally discovered by ID Hale near Brawley, California in 1923 in a Japanese market gardener's garden. 

The melons are heavily netted with a very fragrant, salmon colored flesh.

Why buy your melons from your local supermarket chain, when you can grow your own guarrenteed healthy organic melons right in your own garden? 
 

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Melons of varying types have been known in Iran and Armenia (Persia) since ancient times. Reportedly, there is archaelogical evidence that melons were popular in Persia as early as 3000 BC and had already established themself as an important crop among the Persians. In fact, domestic muskmelons in general more than likely originated with the Persians, as they were not known by even the Greeks, until a thousand years later. Persian Melons have been documented in the United States for the last 200 years. Though little is known about that early history, what is known is that Thomas Jefferson grew them at Monticello and included them in his garden notes for the year 1816. For the next one hundred years, Persian Melons were very rare in the United States until following World War One, after having suffered genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, scores of Armenians immigrated to the United States. These Armenians, many of which who went to live in California, re-introduced the Persian Melon to the United States.

Though they are similiar in appearance to traditional Muskmelons, Persian melons differ in a number of ways from their more popular counterparts. Firstly, due to having been cultivated in the Mid-East for over 5000 years, Persian Melon plants have a much deeper root system than other melons and require much less moisture than others. Secondly, their stems do not "slip" when their fruit is ripe and must be harvested bu cutting their stems, and thirdly, unlike other types of melons, Persian Melons do not typically ripen much further after being harvested. Though some websites devoted to recipes or food may give details on storing unripe Persian melons, for the best results, Persian Melons should only be harvested when ripe.

Persian melons have a green colored rind with delicate netting and fine ribbing and weigh approximately 5 to 7 pounds each. Their flesh is salmon colored, has only a small seed cavity and possesses a very fine, fragrant taste.

Matures in 115 days. An ideal melon variety for hot, dry climates.

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Rocky Ford is a new Honeydew Melon variety that we are offering for the first time this winter. There are two stories about the development of this great honeydew melon variety. One story, which is well known in the vegetable seed world, states that the Rocky Ford Honeydew Melon was developed by a J.W. Eastwood of Rocky Ford, Colorado in 1881. The other story (according to the Rocky Ford Musuem) is that a Senator GW Swink who was the founding father and also the first mayor of Rocky Ford actually developed the variety.  As can be noted, this variety is named after the home town of whichever gentleman you would like to credit for developing this variety, while incidentily, the town itself was originally named by the great frontiersman Kit Carson who used to camp in the area. In the town of Rocky Ford, Colorado, melons are a big deal and their city website refers to their town as "The Sweet Melon Capital of The World". Starting in 1878 the town of Rocky Ford began holding its Annual Rocky Ford Watermelon Day, which continues to be a city tradition to this day.

Originally, the first Rocky Ford melons were green fleshed and were also known under the name of "Eden's Gem" or "Rocky Ford Eden Gem" in later years, but by the 1920's, commercial orange fleshed varieties of Rocky Ford Melons were also developed. 

The strain of Rocky Ford Melons that we are offering is a true to original type melon featuring a deep, fine grained and intoxicatingly sweet, lime green flesh. Each melon is oval and approximately 5 inches in diameter with a heavily netted and ribbed rind. This is a great old fashioned melon variety that is an abundant and hardy producer of sweet melons for your family. Rocky Ford Melons mature in about 90 days after transplanting, are very resistant to common diseases and will perform well in northern climates. This variety is becoming rare. 

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A standard green fleshed honeydew melon. Rind is smooth and nearly white in color with a very light, sweet green flesh. 4 to 6 pounds per melon. 105 days to maturity.

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The Ananas Melon, known in France as "Ananas D'Amerique a Chair Verte" is one of the most popular heirloom melons grown in the United States today and is also widely grown in the Middle East. The word "Ananas", is present both in the French and Italian languages (which leads to the confusion of some seed sellers who list Ananas as an Italian Melon variety) - both literally translate to mean "Pineapple" in English, so another common name for this variety is Pineapple Melon. Strangely enough, the French name of this variety "Ananas D'Amerique a Chair Verte", literally translates to mean "Green Fleshed Pineapple from America", so its "French" origin must be questioned as it does not seem reasonable that a French melon should be known as American in France.

What is known however, is that the Ananas Melon was mentioned in M. M. Vilmorin-Andrieux's book "The Vegetable Garden" published in 1885. Vilmorin's book presents a colored plate depicting the variety. Reportedly, Thomas Jefferson was growing the Ananas Melon at his estate Monticello in 1794, while American seed companies began offering the variety commercially as early as 1824. In the years since, this wonderful melon variety became rare, but was presumedly re-discovered in a French seed bank.

The Ananas Melon features a light green colored flesh. The interior is firm, sweet to the taste and is highly perfumed. The scent of the Ananas Melon is reminiscent of a ripe pineapple, hence its name "Ananas" or Pineapple Melon. Each melon is approximately 5 pounds in weight and has an oval shape with a netted skin. The melons are produced on a very vigorous large vine and can be grown on trellises or fences.

Ananas Melons ripen very quickly in most climates, maturing in about 90 days and are steady and reliable producers, but the variety has never enjoyed any popularity in the commercial melon market due to their short shelf life which renders them unsuitable for shipping. Due to their excellent taste and productivity however, the variety is very favored by market gardeners who sell their crops to the public through grower's markets or roadside stands.

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The Banana Melon is a very rare and a very heirloom unusual melon variety that looks just like a banana!

Some of our online seed competitors who carry this melon like to claim that this melon variety is a fairly recent melon development, however,  Banana Melons were listed in the 1888 edition of W. Atlee Burpee's Seed Annual, who states that the Banana Melon was being grown in the State of New Jersey as early as 1880 or 1881 and had likely been introduced from overseas a few years earlier. The J.H. Gregory Co. also listed Banana Melons in their catalogue in 1885. 

According to U.P. Heydrick in his classic work on melons, squash and cucumbers "The Cucurbits of New York" which was first published in 1937, Banana Melons were being listed in most American seed catalogues prior to 1900. 

This great variety produces an abundant supply of 16 to 24 inch long, tapered, banana shaped melons which are about 4 inches in diameter. Each melon weighs from 4 to 5 pounds. When fully mature, the melons feature a smooth yellow skin with very little netting and an intensly flavored salmon-pink flesh. Matures about 80 to 100 and has performed well for our UK customers over the last several seasons, so it is a wonderful melon variety for cooler climates. 

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Hale's Best #36 Cantaloupe Melon is an improved version of Hale's Best Cantaloupe Melon that was once used for commercial purposes. Hale's Best 36 Improved is the parent to numerous other commercial cantaloupe melon varieties; Gulfstream and Sweet N Early being two examples. 

Though once a very popular commercial melon cultivar, Hale's Best 36 has become very rare in recent years. Seeds of Diversity, who is Canada's premier seed exchange organization states in their melon database that the variety disappeared from commercial sale 20 years ago and is not currently maintained by any of their members. They go on further to say that it is not maintained by any seed banks in Canada or the United States and list the variety's status as "Apparently Extinct". Though the status of this variety is not quite as bad as they make it out to be, Hale's Best 36 Improved Cantaloupe Melon is in fact, extremely rare and besides ourselves, only two other seed companies worldwide continue to offer this wonderful old melon cultivar.

Hale's Best #36 is a very flavorful and very productive melon that produces uniform melons in the range of 2 to 3 pounds each. The melons are slightly oval in shape and and feature a smooth shape with solid netting. It was reputed to be a fair shipping melon in its day and its salmon colored flesh features a sweet, slightly spicy taste. Though it is similiar to the Mildew Resistant #45 Melon, Hale's Best #36 is slightly earlier to mature and has a better taste.

Matures in 80 to 85 days.

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The Imperial #4-50 Melon is a melon variety developed from the old Imperial Melon cultivar which was once a popular shipping melon from the Imperial Valley of California which was once a great mecca for commercial melon production. Presumeably, it is descendent of one of the Hale's Best melon varieties.

According to Seeds of Diversity's database (Canada's primary Seed Exchange organization), the Imperial #4-50 Melon is on their endangered list in that it is neither maintained by any of their members, nor is it maintained by any American or Canadian seed bank today. At the time of listing, Seeds of Diversity regarded Imperial 4-50 as having a "poor distribution", which made it "difficult to find". Based on our own research, in the time since, the melon cultivar Imperial #4-50 has become even harder to find and currently only one other seed company in North America seems to be offering the variety. Consequently, Imperial #4-50 has become a rare variety of melon.

Imperial #4-50 produces large, oval melons with a heavy netting on the skin. The interior of each melon displays a lovely salmon colored flesh with a very nice, old fashioned taste. The seed cavity is quite small. The variety is a good keeper, hence it was a very good shipping melon during its hey-day.

Unlike many, more modern commercial melon cultivars Imperial #4-50 is tolerant to Powdery Mildew, so is best grown in dry, warm climates.

Imperial Melons should be harvested on "full slip", which is to say that they are ripe when the vine slips easily away with a gentle tug.

Matures in 90 days.

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The Ogen Melon (called Ha-Ogen in Israel) is an Israeli Melon variety that was developed in the 1960's. The variety was developed on a kibbutz (ie. a rural community in Israel dedicated to a socioeconomic system based on the principle of joint ownership of property). The kibbutz was named Ogen, hence the name of this melon. In Israel, the seed of the Ogen Melon was so highly conveted that it was guarded very jealously and seldom shared with outsiders due to the variety's wonderful qualities.

Ogen produces a large abundance of very fine melons with a smooth, lightly netted skin. The skin changes from a very light green color and matures into a gold-yellow and features a very light netting. The interior is a very pale green with an orange ring around the seed cavity. Ogen melons have a taste that rivals almost any other melon available; a very rich, aromatic and nearly captivating sweetness. Ogen, quite simply, is the best tasting melon you can grow in your garden.

Matures in 85 days.

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The Israeli Old Original Melon is a very old heirloom melon that originated in Israel. Little to nothing is known of its origin. This large, slightly oval melon features a cream colored to yellow-orange rind and weighs from 7 to 8 pounds.

The melons are very aromatic and yield a wonderful tasting cream colored that is packed with a super-sweet flavor.

Matures in 90 to 95 days.

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The Mainstream Melon, also known as Burrell's Mainstream, is an outstanding melon variety suited for growing in the Southeast United States. The variety was bred by the USDA at the United States Vegetable Labratory at Charleston, South Carolina and was released by JV Burrell & Co. in 1978. The variety was bred from a number of USDA owned cultivars, #PI 124111, PI 164343, PMR 45 and Georgia 47. Mainstream is similiar to the melon cultivar Gulfstream, with which it shares a common parent (PMR 45).

Mainstream was primarily developed as a good storage melon and will be unripe at full-slip. The melons can then be allowed to ripen while in storage or during shipping. As a good storage variety, it is excellent for both home gardeners and market growers.

Mainstream produces a very high yield of slightly netted, 3-4 pound melons with tasty, bright orange flesh. The variety has tested to be extremely high in Vitamin C, far more than the average melon.

In the last 10 or so years, Mainstream has slipped into obscurity and has become rare.

Mainstream Melons are resistant to Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew and Cucumber Beetles.

Matures in 90 days. Our best melon for the American South, but also ideal for California climates.

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The Mildew Resistant #45 Melon was developed specifically for its resistance to Powdery Mildew and today is one of the most popular open pollenated melon varieties available due to its high disease resistance. Mildew Resistant #45 is a grand producer, but its salmon colored flesh is not as finely grained, nor as fine in taste as many other varieties, it's strongest point being its high resistance to disease. Matures in 85 days. 

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Planter's Jumbo Melon is similiar to the Hale's Best Jumbo Melon and was released in 1954 by the USDA Vegetable Breeding Labratory at Charleston, South Carolina. This truly impressive melon variety produces an abundance of large, 4 to 5 pound uniform melons. The melons are very attractive, have a slightly ribbed shell and are heavily netted. Their thick orange flesh has a very good, sweet nutty flavor that is on par with Estido melon types and a very small seed cavity.

Will do well in most climates, including those subject to drought or high rainfall. Resistant to downy and powdery mildews.

Matures in 85 to 90 days.

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The Tam Uvdale Melon is a development of Texas A&M University at Uvalde, Texas, hence the name Tam Uvalde Melon. This variety is a very early producer and concentrates its fruit over a shorter period of time than other varieties, which thus reduces harvest time, costs and work pertaining to harvesting. The melons it produces are of a medium oval size, ranging from 3 to 5 pounds in weight and are heavily netted with a hard rind. At harvest time, the rind is a light green with a whitish net, but promptly turns yellow only 2 to 3 hours after harvest. Due to its hard rind, it is a good melon for commercial shipping. The flesh is very thick, orange in color and features a small, dry seed cavity. The flesh possesses a very strong, sweet taste.

Resistant to Downy and Powdery mildews.

Highly recommended for Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

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The Tam-Dew Honeydew Melon is another production of Texas A&M University. This wonderful Honeydew melon produces a large quantity of medium large melons in the range of 4 to 5 pounds each. The melons are oval in shape and have a smooth rind which turns a wonderful ivory color at maturity. The interior flesh is a brilliant jade-green color and possesses an exceptional taste.

Resistant both Downy and Powdery mildews. Matures in 100 days.

Highly recommended for Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico

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Topmark is a melon variety originally introduced by Dessert Seed Company of Texas in 1963.
Topmark is a producer of heavily netted, ribless, oval shaped melons in the range of 3 to 3 1/2 pounds each. The variety is simliar to Hale's Best #36 and the famous cultivar PMR 45. The melons feature a very thick and very firm salmon colored flesh with a small seed cavity. The vines of the plant are very productive and vigorous.

Resistant to powdery mildew and downy mildew.

Matures in 90 days.

Topmark is an ideal variety for hot climates and is highly recommended for both the SW United States and the Deep South.

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The Yellow Canary Melon is a Casaba type melon that was named for the Canary Islands where they first became popular. The Yellow Canary melon features a bright yellow, oblong rind that is slightly ribbed. The interior is a rich ivory color with a pink tinge. The flesh has an extremely high sugar content and an excellent taste, but care must be taken to be sure that the melons are ripe before harvesting. The melons weigh from 4 to 6 pounds each.

Matures in 100 to 105 days.

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