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~ MELON Seed ~ Deseeding melons has to be one of the best jobs for a seedsaver. Why? Well, because you get lots and lots of melon to eat! We are always searching for the ultimate early melon for the British climate, and we think we are doing pretty well now with the collection that we have here:   'Collective Farm Woman' Melon This old Ukrainian variety is not only nice and early, but has sweet, crunchy flesh. Each vine produced several melons just the right size for two (greedy) people to eat. Said to be grown in central Russia and even to ripen in Moscow - we can believe it. Most unusually, it keeps for several weeks after picking. Fantastic Ukrainian melon. Order MeCF - 14 seed £1.65 Minnesota Midget First seen in 1948, this fantastic variety was bred for short summers - it swaps size for earliness - but without any sacrifice of sweetness or flavour. Compact vines grow about 4' and quickly set several small (cricketball-sized) melons with sweet orange flesh, edible right to the rind. The scent and flavour are incredible. Ripe melons can be located in the garden by smell alone! Fusarium-resistant, and the female flowers are formed even while it is young, thus outperforming many other varieties. Very, very early melon. It's going to be hard to improve on this one. Order MeMM - 12 seed £1.80 [OG1] Prescott Fond Blanc This is a unique French variety from the early 1800s. It is a most colourful melon, with a gently ribbed surface and beautifully variegated and marbled skin. It has been well maintained over the years and is still 'exceedingly fine flavoured and melting', with an exquisite fragrance. Like all rock melons, it does not come off the vine when ripe, but you can tell when it's ready by the sweet scent, from a distance of several feet! Beautiful, multi-coloured rock melon Order MePF - 15 seed £1.65 Petit Gris de Rennes This 400-year old variety , originally from the garden of the Bishop of Rennes, was sent to us by melon enthusiast Frank Keirsblick of Belgium, (who also joined the Growers Network and grew seed for us!) We were discussing early melons and he said: " . . . and I think this is the best outdoors melon, together with De Belegarde. Not as early as Minnesota Midget but very tasty. Watch the watering though as they can split just before harvest. It is even better of course in a greenhouse - more productive. . ." This view is shared by Amy Goldman (author of "Melons for the Passionate Grower"), who writes "this is the champagne of melons . ..you'll blink in disbelief when you taste its sweetness . . . it inspires devotion". The melons are round, and smooth-skinned with slight ribbing, and very sweet, with a really good flavour and texture. Serve as it comes off the plant, or try it chilled with slivers of ham. Early melon with low heat requirement. Can try it outdoors in warm areas, but best in a greenhouse or polytunnel. Particularly good flavour. Seed grown by us and Frank Kiersbilck Order MePG - 14 seed [OG1/OG2] £1.66 ~ WATERMELON Seed ~ 'Blacktail Mountain' Very Early Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) If you've had no luck with watermelons in the past, here's your chance to try again with a better strain. This is a very, very early varietey . 'Blacktail Mountain' was developed by plant breeder Glenn Drowns of Iowa when he was a teenager in 1977, and time after time it beats all the other early watermelons in trials - it is widely acknowledged as one of the earliest varieties available. It has nice sweet red flesh, and is the best we have found to try in a polytunnel or greenhouse in the UK. Very early small red fleshed fruit. Order WEB SPECIAL - 14 seed £1.49 [OG1]