My Story of Growing the rare and endangered Zhuang Zhou melons from seed.

During the winter of 2016, I received a seed catalog that was addressed to my deceased mother (but placed in my mailbox by the Canada post employee that knows our family). My mother was a lover of growing herbs and had been a customer of Richters in Ontario, Canada for years.

While placing a order for a few things through their online catalog, I came across a section called the SeedZoo.

The SeedZoo is Richters' project to preserve traditional and indigenous food plants from around the world. Teaming up with botanical explorers and ethnobotanists, they are searching for rare and endangered food plants that home gardeners can grow and enjoy, and help to preserve.

My garden space is limited but I did decide to try growing the Zhuang Zhou melons so I ordered a pack of the seeds and managed to get them growing in my greenhouse last year. But try as I might, I was not able to get them to thrive and by the time I managed to get two melons growing the growing season was essentially over and they succumbed to the cold.

Forward to spring 2017 and a search of the Richters SeedZoo for more of the Zhuang Zhou melon seeds. Nothing! Nada! No mention of these seeds or melons at all.

A search of the internet turned up only a photo of some melon seeds on Pinterest. An email to Richters to ask for any left over seeds didn't earn me any more of these seeds.

So, with only three seeds left in my seed packet saved from 2016, I set out to make a better effort of getting theses melons started.

Of the three seeds, two germinated! I was thrilled and determined that this year, I would do better at getting these plants growing and thriving and I've really tried to nurse them all summer to give them the optimal growing conditions - even creating a mini greenhouse inside the greenhouse while they were getting started.

It's been a foggy and cold summer here in Nova Scotia - certainly not optimal growing conditions for melons - not even those in a greenhouse. But the plants have grown and by early August went through a stage lasting about 2 weeks of producing only male flowers. Then, finally - the female flowers started to show themselves!

It is now late August - about 6 weeks from the last date where I will be able to protect these little melons from the cold in my unheated greenhouse (although I may resort to heating if it comes to that) and I have melons!

Two have obviously been pollinated and are now the size of figs. There are a number of other smaller melons that I'm hopeful will continue to grow as well.

Growing melons is not something I'm experiences with so, I'd be grateful if anyone who takes the time to read this article has any advice for me on getting these melons to maturity.

I don't have any idea of the size they are expected to reach or what they will look like when ripe so it is a total learning experience.

The goal is to have seeds from the melons to try again next year and to share with those who may have better growing conditions for melons than my cool Nova Scotia island climate. If you're like to try some seeds should my efforts be successful, please ask and I'll be sure you receive some.

On another happy note from my greenhouse, the little fig tree that I purchased last year (also from Richters) has figs! These are Peter's Honey Fig variety. Another "so far so good" success for this year.

Thanks for visiting! I'd welcome any growing advice.