Nerdy Millennial

Top Menu

  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Main Menu

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Nerdy Millennial

Nerdy Millennial

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
At HomeGardening
Home›At Home›Heirloom Melons Make A Teaching Garden In Texas

Heirloom Melons Make A Teaching Garden In Texas

By Pamela Kimsey
November 1, 2012
1312
6
Coban Orange Flesh Melon Photo By Ruth Hardy

This little personal size cantaloupe really caught my eye this summer. I can still hear heirloom grower Ruth Hardy when I asked her if it was worth growing again. As I heard the excitement come over her, she exclaimed, “TONS OF SEED saved! I ate a very ripe one today, OMGoodness! it was something in between cantaloupe and mango, saved more seed.” I would have to say this was a good sign of being a keeper, wouldn't you agree?

Ruth, a native of Guatemala, resides in Southeast Texas. Her heirloom produce is not the only sweet thing going on in this whimsical garden nestled in the woods.

Old Wooden Ladder For Trellis Photo By Ruth Hardy

She begins her story by telling us, “Every time I see any seeds from Guatemala, I buy them and try to grow them here.”  She spotted some seeds for this Coban Orange Flesh Melon through Bakers Creek Heirloom Seed Company. She continued by saying, “I really did not know if they would grow because our growing conditions are so different.”

Ruth adds, “Cobán is a beautiful town high in the Guatemalan mountains, elevation 4,331 feet, 68°F,  and 88% Humidity.

As a side note,  Cobán is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It is located 136 miles from Guatemala City.  Guatemala, just like the US, is divided into states, but we call them departamentos.”

Seeing the lush melon vines growing in the gardens raised beds, I notice how each leaf appears pure and unhampered by insects. As well I see numerous flowers beckoning to the bees to collect their pollen.

I can hear the pride in Ruth's voice as she tells us, “I did not fertilize or use any pesticides.  Next year I will try a little organic fertilizer, maybe they will grow a little bigger. ”

Grandson Joshua Discovers Cantaloupe

As I look about, it becomes apparent why everything in this Texas garden is healthy and productive without the need for pesticides. Wildflowers surround the gardens, adorned with handcrafted glass garden stakes from recycled materials. All which share Ruth's love for the wildlife with bounties of butterflies, bees and beneficial insects.

Even more than all of this, one can see the love for Grandson Joshua,  who will learn not just about organic gardening from his Grandmother, but his family history through this special historic Melon from Guatemala.

Ruth tells us, “Joshua got so excited to find this cantaloupe! It perched itself on the corner post of the bed and it really likes it there.”

Don't you just love seeing children in the garden! I can see this sweet little melon growing in our garden next season!

Join in the organic and heirloom garden fun! Gardeners  such as Ruth, who love sharing and trading heirloom seeds as well as first hand experiences of growing a natural garden. She can be found on facebook at Seed Traders For Future Generations.

 

 

 

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Pamela Kimsey
Pamela Kimsey
Pammy is a organic gardener in Southeast Texas who believes diversity with natural habitats is the key to a successful garden. With a background as a commercial grower and manager for a large wholesale nursery, she became quickly dismayed with the over use of chemicals and the effects they have on life and the environment.
Pamela Kimsey
Latest posts by Pamela Kimsey (see all)
  • Wild Dagga Motherwort Medicinal Herb - November 11, 2013
  • Grow The Best Organic Lettuce - November 4, 2013
  • Spiced Applesauce Honey Nut Bread Recipe - October 27, 2013
TagsCoban Orange Flesh MelonCreating a Whimsical GardenGrowing Heirloom CanteloupeGuatemala Heirloom MelonsTeaching Children Through Heirloom Gardening

6 comments

  1. Ruth B Hardy 1 November, 2012 at 14:29 Log in to Reply

    Love how you wrote the melon story!!!! I will print it and place it in my keepsakes!!

    • Pam Wood Kimsey 1 November, 2012 at 19:05 Log in to Reply

      We so appreciate you sharing your garden with us!! What a wonderful way to share with children!! Thank You!! 😉

  2. Tanya Wiles 1 November, 2012 at 20:19 Log in to Reply

    <3 Looks YUMMY!! I can't wait until next growing season!

    • Pam Wood Kimsey 1 November, 2012 at 20:59 Log in to Reply

      Making those plans for seeds in Spring indeed Tanya!!! I can’t wait to try this one!! 😉

  3. Debi Marti 1 November, 2012 at 21:27 Log in to Reply

    That’s what I need….a personal sized melon! Thank you for another great article! Now i want to grow them!

    • Pam Wood Kimsey 2 November, 2012 at 18:01 Log in to Reply

      Wish I had some now LOL Well you know where to find them Debi 😉

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About Nerdy Millennial

This blog all about millennials sharing their passion, ideas, and expertise about blogging, healthy living, self-improvement, education, parenting, and more!

Interested in contributing? Contact us to pitch your idea or submit an article.

Join Us on Facebook

Search

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Write For Us
  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional cookies Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}