An excellent full-flavoured rockmelon with aromatic, salmon-orange flesh that is firm yet sweet and juicy. When ripe, Tuscan melons can weigh 2-3kg each and have a tan skin colour with pronounced netting. A vigorous and healthy vine that will fruit well under good conditions.

There are several key indicators that will give you a pretty good idea of ripeness.

1. Background Colour – The background colour is the colour of the melon’s skin underneath that ropey net. As the melon is growing this will be more a dark green colour, lightening as it matures until it is a more yellowy colour at full maturity.

2. Tendril – the tendril on the vine directly opposite where the fruit stem joins the vine is a good indicator of ripeness. If the tendril is green the melon is not ripe. If the tendril is withered, dried and brown the melon is mature.

3. Stem – some melons will “slip” at maturity. This is where the melon comes away easily from the stem that is joining the fruit to the vine. If the fruit just falls off the vine it is likely overripe and the storage life is not long and the flesh too soft. If you have to forcibly pull the fruit from the vine it will not be ripe. Rather, the fruit should come away from the stem with a gentle pull. Look at the stem end and if there is a circle of cracking around the circumference of the stem it is nearly ready to slip from the vine and should be able to be picked with a gentle pull.

4. Smell – in general Tuscan type rockmelons and the more traditional varieties will have a distinct musky, sweet smell at maturity.

5. Netting – this is possibly the hardest indicator to gauge as there are a number of variables that can impact the appearance of the net. Generally speaking, the net should cover the entire fruit by maturity and be nice and thick and dense, not sparse, and should feel rough.

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