Melon Growing Attempt #2

Well summer has come and I have attempted to grow melons once again. This time I feel I have been a bit more successful, DESPITE my melons still not making it. :(

Why you ask? Well I have basically just experimented once again, this time more seriously, and have come up with better solutions and ideas for successful growing, for next summer. I had started four melon plants and planted them in my garden. Two survived transplant and two slowly died off (which is expected). I then watched them diligently, for bugs and pests, mold and rot. Eventually melons started growing. Slowly at first, and then more started growing once the intial two had grown larger.   

  

My melons did good, and I even made some garlic pest spray to keep away the ants and aphids that normally plague my melons. For this spray, I just boiled some water and a few mashed garlic cloves. While boiling I added a pinch of cayenne pepper powder. Once I let it boil for a few minutes, and the water turned a little yellow, I took the pot off the burner to let my water cool. Then I put it in a recycled bottle. Every two days, in the evening after the sun had stopped shining on my plants, I sprinkled the solution onto the leaves and melons of the plants. I found this successful in keeping away ants and other pests.

I kept this up for a few days, but stopped...because I got lazy (bad choice). Eventually the rain came and this is where my woes began. I know rain attracts bugs and mold. My melons were sitting on the damp earth throughout the entire rainy week. This caused it to rot in several places and allowed ants to have a party.  This is when I decided to build a "hammock" out of panty hose to keep my melons off the ground. I didn't have a trellis for my plants to climb onto, hindering my hammock usage. I had to tie them to my bean poles and hang them from their, since they were growing next to them. But my saving technique was done a little too late.

Lesson learned: USE A TRELLIS always, to allow melon vines to grow onto. USE HAMMOCKS to hold them up, keeping them off of the ground, away from moist soil and bugs. And lastly, spray with garlic-cayenne water to further deter pests.