The Great Melon Caper

This year I foolishly tried to grow honeydew melons in a flower bed that had yet to be repurposed from hostas to anything else. In the lull between planting I snuck in some pumpkins and some honeydew melons. The pumpkins did great until they flowered and then suddenly died. I had a four inch pumpkin that some animal finally broke off of the plant. The Melons also finally grew and I had three tiny ones, then the two smaller ones rotted and there was only one melon of respectable size that looked like it would eventually be worth eating.



Last Friday I thought to myself that since the melon was getting a spot on one side I thought I would pick it anyway and see whether it was edible since I feared losing it to insects or a plant disease. The next day it was gone!



I was stunned and then I noticed a leaf from melon vines a little further out into the lawn.

And some melon vines themselves, seeming to point to the creek.

At the creek I saw the evidence and the destruction of my one promised melon.


The buck-toothed gnawing look like the work of our friendly neighborhood groundhog (woodchuck). I try to have a live and let live approach to the animal residents of the creek. I even have birdseed out for the birds and I like to take pictures of each of the residents.

If I will have to battle with woodchucks each year in my garden this laissez-faire approach may need to toughen. I may also officially give up on pumpkins and melons for a few years.

Pity me my missing melon. It is a good thing I am not depending on this garden for my food, I suppose it is all more of an experiment to me.