Moon and Stars Watermelon
Price: $3.49
SKU: 3250051
95 days — The dark green skin of the fruit is wonderfully speckled with bright yellow ranging in size from tiny to silver dollar and sometimes larger, hence the name. The rinds are thick and can be used in pickling recipes. The leaves of the plant are light green with similar yellow speckles. The flesh is pink and very sweet and they average about ten pounds in weight.
Released in 1924 by Peter Henderson & Co. as 'Sun, Moon and Stars' watermelon. Henderson stated that they had originally received seed from, "a practical melon grower of Rocky Ford, Colorado, who fixed the type and named it." The January 1, 1940 edition of Henry Field's publication called "Seed Sense" stated that it was, "A Novelty Worth Planting . . . Quite a curiosity . . . The Quality is good . . ."
Although the variety proved to be well adapted to most regions of the U.S. and gained some degree of popularity, it was no longer commercially available by the 1970s. In about 1977, Kent Whealy, along with members of Seed Savers Exchange, began searching for seed. After a local Missouri television crew interviewed Kent, he received a letter from Merle Van Doren who stated that he had been growing it for years and would provide seed. Since that time, several variants have become available. Each packet contains two grams, which is approximately 20 seeds.
Outdoors, plant three to four seeds, ½ inch deep, in hills spaced four to six feet apart. Transplant or thin to two plants per hill. Young plants are cold sensitive and some cover protection at nights may be required. Mulch or cultivate to control weeds.
• Peter Henderson & Company, 1924 Seed Annual, page 47.
• "Seed Saver's Exchange: The First Ten Years - 1975-1985," by Kent Whealy and Arllys Adelmann, ©1986, pages 147-148.
• Henry Field's Seed Sense Magazine, January 1, 1940.
Customer Reviews:
By Rachel Lewis on February 6, 2015
We grew about a half dozen of these vines and had so many unique watermelons. Each time we were at a family function or church picnic we would bring a few extras to give away. Not the most prolific watermelon but one or two vines is enough for a family!
By Sandra Flagg on January 9, 2015
I would say these produced better looking plants than tasting melons. Had lots of big seeds for a smaller melon but it did produce well with 8 to 10 pound melons.
By Clifford Ward on March 24, 2012
Germinated and transplanted well, produced many nice 15-25 lb melons, with no significant problems, despite a relatively cool Summer. I grow a lot of melons and try a new one or two every year and this is definitely a keeper!
By Randy Sheffield on February 23, 2012
Love this melon! Mine weighed 30+ pounds.
By Jennifer Lawson on August 20, 2011
The size of this watermelon is perfect for a small family. For us, they came out slightly bigger than a large cantaloupe, but quite heavy. Juicy and very sweet -- Much more flavor than the grocery store variety. We planted in dirt/compost mounds in mid-April and, as predicted, we're ripe in mid-August. Great germination rate, and the plants were very sturdy through weather variances. Pests didn't seem to be a huge issue either, and our only deterrent was soap & pepper water.
