< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 31 SUNSHINE AND SUPPORT Growing sweet melons at home is possible with the right tools story by BARBARA CANETTI W ant to grow sweet melons at home? You’ll need sun- shine and sup- port, including everything from trellises to bras and pantyhose. Cantaloupes or muskmelons are in the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins and watermelons. They love the heat and sunshine along the Gulf Coast and are a great addition to the summer garden. But the seedlings or transplants for this vining fruit must be in the ground for al- most three months before harvest, Galves- ton County Master Gardener Ann Ross said. Ross and fellow Master Gardener Bettye Vogler have been testing dozens of varieties of cantaloupes over the past three years to GARDEN VARIETY (Above) Galveston County Master Gardeners Ann Ross, left, and Bettye Vogler have been testing varieties of cantaloupes and ways to grow them at a test bed at Discovery Garden at Carbide Park in La Marque. (Left) A summer rain cantaloupe grows in the test bed. PHOTOS: J e NNIF e R R e YNOLDS32 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 GARDEN VARIETY determine the best flavor, most prolific pro- ducer and the best way to grow this fruit. They start in March planting in well- drained soil, selecting different varieties. Over the past three years, they have success- fully grown hundreds of pounds of melons and learned quite a bit along the way. The first thing they discovered is that canta- loupes do better if they’re cultivated vertically, rather than along the ground. By elevating the plant as it grows, less exposure to soil-relat- ed problems arise, such as critters, fungi or soil-borne diseases. Encouraging the plants to expand upward increases air flow among them, which aids in growth and ripening. Once the yellow flower on the vine emerges, a plump fruit is expected. These melons could weigh 8 to 10 pounds each, if properly harvested, Ross and Vogler found. One of the big problems growers have with melons is the weight of the fruit, which stresses the vines that sometimes can’t sup- port them. Hence, the bras. A friend gave the women a bag of donat- ed bras and the idea to use them to support the weight first came as a joke. But when they found a couple of melons close to each other that needed additional support, they tried the lingerie. And it worked. “We get so tickled when we find two next to each other,” said Vogler, noting the pair fill out the garment perfectly. The donated bras came in a variety of sizes, colors and styles. Some were lacy and some were large enough to support two growing melons at once. They initially caused quite a stir at the garden, but everyone who saw them appreciated the women’s creativity. “No one was offended,” Ross said. “People thought it was hilarious. We are just recy- cling and reusing something.” Other gardeners also suggest using pantyhose or other netting as a sling to support the growing fruit. “As long as there is good air flow, that is PHOTO: J e NNIF e R R e YNOLDSwhat is important,” Vogler said. In their study, they learned using toma- to cages to support the vines didn’t work because they’re too short and didn’t give the plants enough room to expand. They liked the idea of growing melons along a metal fence, which opened the plant to fresh breezes, but even that had some limitations. This year, they tried something new. They bought several 16-foot-long galvanized metal cow panel fences, sat on them to bend them into an arched trellises and anchored them to the wooden planter on the ground. This method allowed the plants to grow on both sides and along the top. And because they paved the central “hallway,” the melons can be harvested in June and July. The plants need from 65 to 100 days to produce edible fruit, depending on the variety. Melons are ready for picking when the rind turns yellow and softens, it easily detaches from the vine and has a hollow sound when tapped with knuckles. Wait- ing until the fruit is ready to be picked increases the sugar content and sweet- ness. Fruit that falls from the vines to the ground shouldn’t be eaten. And because of the threat of bacteria contamination from salmonella, be sure to select only unbruised and blemish-free melons and wash them before cutting into the rind. So, what did Vogler and Ross find during their test of 18 varieties so far? Hands down, ambrosia melons out-produced all other vari- ations; Aphrodite was a close second. These two types had less waste and also were vot- ed the sweetest in a series of taste tests. “They really do get so big,” Vogler said. “One was almost the size of my head.” COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 33 (Opposite) Galveston County Master Gardeners Bettye Vogler, left, and Ann Ross tie cantaloup vines to an arched trellis of cattle panels at Discovery Garden at Carbide Park in La Marque as they train the plants to grow vertically. (Above) Bras, pantyhose and other breathable material are used to support growing melons to ease stress on the vines. “No one was offended. People thought it was hilarious. We are just recycling and reusing something.” ANN ROSS PHOTOS: BARBARA CAN e TTI; ANN ROSSPresented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc. WWW.CONCORDTHEATRICALS.COM36 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 FEATURE ‘OUT IN THE COUNTRY’ Amid a fast-growing city, a 148-acre park serves as a respite for nature lovers story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I n the center of League City, amid rapid housing and commercial development, is a small respite reserved for nature lovers to observe migrating and local birds, foraging mammals and an array of flowers and native plants. It’s a quiet corner of the city for strolls or hikes. In March, the Dr. Ned and Fay Dudney Clear Creek Nature Center, on the south shore of Clear Creek at 1220 Egret Bay Blvd. N., reopened after a six-month hiatus for a capital improvement project, said John Or- sag, Parks and Cultural Services coordinator for League City. The Dr. Ned and Fay Dudney Nature Cen- ter, once known as the Davis tract, is one of the last remaining large undeveloped prop- erties with quality wetlands, according to the city. The 148-acre park provides a home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The site is an excellent habitat for migrant birds, such as sandhill cranes, great blue herons, ibises, American egrets, great white herons, owls and various song birds, which use the area to nest and feed, according to the city. Occasionally, the endangered whooping cranes have been known to visit. Ducks, pelicans, shore birds and wading birds all enjoy the large isolated pond along Clear Creek. The site’s wetlands serve as a nursery for many species of fish. The wetlands to the east help to provide homes to mammals such as deer, bobcat, coyote and raccoons. The natural wetlands, coastal prairie and COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 37 A 1.3-mile paved trail loops through the Dr. Ned and Fay Dudney Nature Center in League City. The trail is popular with walkers and nature lovers.38 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 FEATURE “You feel like you are alone and out in the country here and you don’t realize you are in the middle of a huge suburb.” JOHN ORSAG COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuNe 2024 39 woodlands, purchased by the city with grants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Galveston County and the city’s park dedication fund, was named for the Dudneys, who were local nature enthusiasts and prominent citizens. They both have since passed away. The park opened in 2008 as the Clear Creek Nature Center; its name changed in 2009 to honor the Dudneys. A butterfly garden near the front of the property attracts egg-laying monarchs as they head north in the summer or south in the winter. The park closed in September so a water line could be laid underground. And despite the “closed” sign, locals continued to enter the park to walk its 1.3-mile-loop trail around the park and use the hiking and biking trails through the over- grown fields. At one time, the park land probably was part of a ranch and used for cattle grazing, Orsag said. But when the city purchased the property, it was turned into a natural habitat and designated to be undeveloped. “People like the outdoors and this park has been very popular,” Orsag said. “People like to picnic or stroll along the trail. You feel like you are alone and out in the country here and you don’t realize you are in the middle of a huge suburb.” (From top right) A way-finding sign near the pavilion at the Dr. Ned and Fay Dudney Clear Creek Nature Center in League City gives visitors an overview of the park’s history and trails; a paved trail leads to a bird blind. (Opposite) The park is home to a variety of birds, flowers and native plants.Next >