UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Eating ripe, freshly cut melon on a summer's day is an unforgettable experience. Pete Ferretti, professor of vegetable crops in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, recommends his top choices for best melon varieties. Ferretti oversees All-America Selections (AAS) fruit and vegetable trials.

Muskmelon (Cantaloupe)

--Athena: Tolerant of powdery mildew and all three strains of fusarium wilt. "This variety retains firmness and has great flavor," Ferretti says. "If you pick this one early it will be rock-hard, so leave it until the fruit falls off the vine as you lift it." This melon has deep salmon-colored flesh.

--Eclipse: Tolerant of powdery mildew and fusarium wilt. Reaches harvest maturity slightly earlier than Athena. Flesh is bright orange.

--Ambrosia: This variety softens fast and will become overripe quickly. "When overripe, it has a medicinal taste," he says. "So pick it when it is partially ripe, when the vine partially tears after a strong tug." Honeydew

--Earlidew: Smooth green-gold skin at maturity with pale green, sweet flesh. Pick when fruit slips from the vine.

--Passport: Has green skin with thin corky net that turns yellowish as fruit ripens; pick when partially yellow before stem end splits. Flesh is cream-colored near the seed cavity and mint green near the rind.

Watermelon

Ferretti recommends growing "icebox" watermelon varieties, which are short-season types that have been bred to fit easily into refrigerators.

--Yellow Baby: 1975 AAS winner. Striped, with a thin rind, Yellow Baby has yellow flesh, small seeds and excellent flavor and sweetness.

--New Queen: 1999 AAS winner. Another thin-skinned striped variety, it has brilliant orange flesh and is very sweet.

--Tiger Baby: A striped, red-flesh type with very good flavor. It is a consistent producer with a thick rind.

Ferretti recommends that home gardeners not even attempt to grow "seedless" watermelons. "I've been at this a long time, and every time I've tried to grow 'seedless' watermelons it has been a disaster," he laughs. "The best I've ever managed was 30 percent germination. Right now, only gardeners who specialize in growing melons should try growing 'seedless' varieties from seed."

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Pete Ferretti at 814-863-2313.

Contact: Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax