Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners

Reviewed on 01/16/2014 by Ferdzy - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Ontario, Canada Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I have only grown this once, in a very poor year for melons - it rained incessantly and never got very warm. Still, this plant produced several very nice sweet juicy melons with excellent flavour - some of the best of the year (and I grew over 20 kinds!) I will be growing this one again for sure, in larger quantities. The vnes are quit manageable and it can be trellised very easily.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 01/13/2007 by California Olive - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	California, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
A modern open-pollinated melon, similar to Crenshaw in shape. The skin resembles the older Crane and Eel River melons, but Sweet Freckles is a little earlier and also smaller (especially compared to Eel River). One parent (Casaba) is the same as one of the parents of Crenshaw. Sweet Freckles does not have the same flavor as a Crenshaw (which probably owes a lot to its Persian melon parent and which I prefer), but has a delicate, tender, juicy, sort of crisp texture and sweet, refreshing flavor. This is one melon which I would recommend for serving cold, like watermelon, though it's also fine a room temperature. This is a very cute melon with its freckled skin, considerably smaller than a traditional Crenshaw or the really big Burpee Early or Early Sugarshaw hybrid Crenshaws . The latter hybrids resemble traditional Crenshaw much more in flavor than "Sweet Freckles" does. Sweet Freckles has a tougher skin than Crenshaw. I grew this melon in a prime melon climate (hot and quite dry). Judging from its tougher skin and its parentage, Sweet Freckles may be more adaptable to some climates (particularly cool or humid climates) than any of the three Crenshaws listed immediately above. It is between the early Crenshaw hybrids above and traditional Crenshaw in days to harvest. All three of the Crenshaws above at least start out with dark green skin. 'Sweet Freckles" does not require the same sunburn protection as the dark-skinned Crenshaws do, or as much care to keep melons off the ground to avoid rotting. I found it easy to grow, and it bore good melons over an extended period.

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