Keeping things in proportion
This year I grew watermelons for the first time in yonks. Or rather, since only one plant made it past the seedling stage and it produced one fruit, I grew a watermelon. It was a bit of an afterthought and it was planted in a poor spot in the polytunnel so I did not expect great results.
I also grew cucamelons, and malabar melons and apples.
And here you can see the watermelon beside the cucamelon and the malabar melon.
I am rather ashamed about the watermelon. I will do better next year. Cucamelons are very fashionable and very easy to grow. They are wiry, untidy plants and crop quite well but the tiny fruits are rather thick-skinned and crunchy. They do taste of cucumber but the texture is slightly unpleasant. I would suggest them as a good thing for vegans to eat who miss eating gristle.
Malabar melons (Cucurbita ficifolia) is a wonderful plant with a great zest for life. It grows like crazy and produces lots of fruits. They are not edible though they are apparently cooked in syrup to make cabello de angel (angel hair) in Portugal and Northen Spain. I may have a go.
The Biking Gardener 
impressive fruit growing – does the giant Howgate Wonder’ taste good too?
‘Howgate Wonder’ was introduced in 1915 and is not very popular commercially because the apples are so big – that apple weighed 520g and it is not exceptional. For a home gardener it is good because it usually crops well and is partially self-fertile. It is sometimes considered a dessert apple and it is not as acid as some cooking apples. It does not break up when cooked as much as some cookers.
thanks for all the info – an interesting apple then for the home orchard
Good to see watermelons, something I’ve never grown. Now, that apple variety is tempting!
we have yet to eat the watermelon – I hope it is OK.
Ah, you’d need to work up an appetite to face that feast!