Taste Testing Melons and Preparing for Fall

We harvested the first Arava melon for a taste test this week and although it was pretty good, we decided that they’re not quite ready for harvesting. We expect that they should be ready in the next week or two. And, assuming we don’t get excess rainfall this week, their flavor should be particularly delicious. Arava is a type of tropical Galia melon that has a netted yellowish skin and green flesh. Our friends over at Sunset Farm in Jordan Ranch couldn’t stop raving about their aroma and sweetness last summer so we knew we had to include these beautiful melons in our crop plan this year.

In order to allow more room for healthy root development, we’ve been potting up several of our late summer and early fall crops in the greenhouse. Potting up involves transplanting our crops into larger 4-inch containers. This allows them the space to continue to grow and establish their root system until we are able to transplant them in the field. We noticed recently with some Suyo Long cucumbers that this process led to more rapid growth once they were eventually transplanted in the field. Aside from the cucumbers, we’ve also been potting up eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Want to see the potting up process in action? Watch our latest reel on Instagram!

Summer might be raging outside but in the greenhouse, we’re starting preparations for fall. We planted the very first brassica seeds over the past week: lacinato kale and bok choy! Though it will be a while until these are transplanted into our beds, and even longer still until the first harvest, they are a sign that fall will be here before we know it. We also have a fall succession of tomatoes growing away in the greenhouse that will soon be ready for transplanting later this month.