Hi Ernie! I'm starting a few things inside now: chili peppers, tomatoes and some cabbage. The cabbage for a friend who trades me sauerkraut for cabbage starts. Nice trade methinks. What are you doing? Sorry, no idea on the corn or melons.

Marymcp! It only just dawned on me that fall is near and if I want to get things started I'd better get a move on.

The watermelons (two tries) stopped growing at softball size, two cracked and became chicken food, and I found a bigger one today. I'm thinking of trying some more. Iwanted watermelon - and corn. The corn (2 tries, as well) didn't pollinate well enough, and the second crop stopped getting plant size long before it should have. I quit wasting water and let it go. Thinking about trying corn again, too.

This was a bad garden summer for me. I may have some good sweet potatoes when I dig them. We'll see.

I want the cukes I didn't get earlier. Even the rotten zucchini wouldn't grow right! How can you stop zucchini?

I did get good tomatoes from my superman tomatoes. I don't know what they are, but some rabbit poo and bedding sprouted them and I grew some good tomatoes in really poor soil. The plants that are left are still fighting on despite poor watering efforts. Thus: superman tomato. A cutting is coming along in a big pot and a few seeds that accidentally germinated are doing well. What I didn't expect anything from did well!

Ok, I don't expect anything from any of you stupid seeds, you hear? Don't you dare grow and produce! I won't have it!

Think it'll work?

Mary McP:
I am heartbroken and furious. Lucy dug up my passion vine (that you gave me). She's never been a digger, but made an exception. It was starting to spread over a small bower type thing I made of concrete reinforcing mesh.

Stupid dog! She is hiding because I glare at her every time she shows her face. I don't have to say a word.

What time of year will you be digging them again? Dare I ask for another one?

poor poor Lucy. Do not chastise her too badly. That vine will likely come back. And yes, I have more. Now is a good time. I'll let you know when I've managed to dig one up. Currently I have a bunch of compost to move from the back to the truck to the gardens so it will not be this weekend, maybe next. No worries ernie, there's more.

I think that reverse psychology on the seeds is just the thing. Some of mine have sprouted Funny year for zucc and squash in general. I've heard lots of folks complaining that theirs didn't come up or didn't produce either. Try try again!

erine- you may want to stay away from the watermelon.
I finally gave up after years of trying. We get monsoons and its too much water @ once and they crack. Cantaloupe is another story it seems to do well even through the monsoons.
This is what I will be planting in 2 weeks (+) lettuce spinach, kohlrabi, garlic

campv, you can't even get watermelons in camp v? You grow such a lot of wonderful things...

The ones I have seemed to have stopped at softball size. All that water for nothing.

Has anyone managed to grow watermelons? I thought they were grown commercially around here somewhere.

Do cantaloupes like lots of hot sun like the watermelons? The first ones I planted didn't even come up.

http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/september-gardening-ready-set-sow [plan]

http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/july-and-august-planting-tips-1 [late on this]

Fascist:
Thanks for the good links!

For corn pollination problems, make sure you are planting in a big block rather than in long rows. I had a fairly small patch of corn, maybe 4' by 10', but I filled the whole area with corn planted every 10 to 12". I ate a lot of corn out of that patch.

I have grown plenty of watermelon to maturity in Peoria, cantaloupe however always crack for me. Watermelon that have done well are crimson sweet, tohono o'odham yellow flesh, orangeglo. Corn should be good most are 75 days or so, and depends on the melon, 90 days or over you are going into Nov, and they don't like the cool temps but might make it, worth a try I have some I planted a couple weeks back that are doing well.

ernie, contact me via the email link on My Page and we'll connect to get you some fresh passion vine starts. With the ground so wet they will be easy to dig up.

ernie-I think the problem for us is we still get a freeze in March so I can't get water melons in early enough. They need about 3-4 months and we get rain starting some times as early as June and we tend to get much more than you. They pull too much water and crack. On the other hand the cantaloupe matures faster and seems to do better in general.
I just posted my pic's of the melons "Cantaloupe time"

Updated from link I provided above.

Corn and melon are summer crops, not winter. Sept starts winter crops.

Here is a link that might be useful: September Sow