RSSMake a square watermelon
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 23, 2006 07:33 PM
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old trick, to take it one step further if ya carve an image or design on the inside of the box the growth will fill it, some designs work better than others... good for faces on pumpkins heheh
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The box looks like its made of green plexiglass with a clear lid. At what stage are the melons put in the box and how is the box oriented as they grow?
An article on watermelons being grown like this in NZ so that they perfectly fit in the vegetable drawer of Japanese refrigerators. $82 a melon. Article mentions that farmers use tempered glass cases.
I also read an article (can't find it now) about a pumpkin farmer that tried to grow pumpkins with faces using a similar technique but never found a way to get the pumpkins to take the shapes. I remember something about him trying cast-iron molds and that the neighborhood was terrorized by them b/c they would explode like a bomb when pumpkins outgrew them.
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Not only does the OFA (Old Farmer's Almanac) have the annual planting tables, but it tells you how to grow a square watermelon that won't roll around in your fridge.
Yes, really.
In the spring, just drape your baby, pea-sized melon into the opening in a cinder block. Let it grow. When it fills the square opening in the summer, use a hammer to crack open the block.
SOURCE
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How about making some square tomatoes that will fit on a damn sandwich?
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The comments suggest that the melon will exert considerable pressure on its container as it grows. If the container is smaller than the size of the mature melon, this can be disasterous.
If square corners are not as important as four flat faces, it may be possible to use four flat boards to apply pressure to the four faces, while the two ends of the melon will be free to expand outwards. Maybe this will relieve some of the problems of excessive pressure.
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I heard it's common in Japan. There are even little kits for tomatoes that come with seeds, soil, fertilizer and little plastic boxes. Other fruits will work too...
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I saw a couple of years ago an article where they were using cement shells... two halves that locked together.... This allowed for the shell to pop apart if the pressure got too high... I don't remember where or what was used to lock the shell.... and making the shells would take little effort after making a wooden casting mold... simple pour set and repeat for other half... so making a bunch wouldn't take very long....
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They now sells these cases in the USA, I saw them on www.square-watermelons.com, have fun in growing your square watermelon
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This is old, I read that japan strated this twenty years ago. My daddy showed me how to do this when I was eight years old and now I am fourty-seven years old. You can also change the flavor of the watermelon too.
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this works with cats too
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