Prolific research at cold climate university extension services has generated a whole arsenal of tricks to assist the northern gardener grow hot weather long season plants. This research produces mechanical aids that speed ripening; but more importantly, it develops new varieties that require shorter growing seasons.
One of the leading lights in this research is the University of New Hampshire. The Thompson School research labs have turned out far too many new plant varieties to even begin to list them. They are even experimenting now with low light requirement lawn grass for our short summer season. Professor Emeritus Elwin Meader developed so many new species of fruits and vegetables in his career at UNH that he has become a legend.
One of the hottest new inventions to hit the gardening market is red plastic mulch for tomatoes, and new research at UNH indicates it benefits peppers as well. Plant scientists aren't precisely sure why it makes tomatoes thrive and ripen faster but they do know it has something to do with the way tomato plants utilize the wavelength of the color red. UNH is now experimenting with other colors of mulch on several different types of vegetables.
The most exciting development in all this research is the new varieties that come out each year from the efforts of scientists like Professor Meader. We gardeners love to experiment, testing new products each season. One of the best, sweetest and fastest ripening melons I've found is a vigorous little number called Sprite. A green to white fleshed melon, producing softball sized fruit, it drips sweetness even before fully ripe. A cantaloupe type melon that also does well in my zone 4A garden is Early Chaca, another champion sweetie.
You can start melons indoors and set them out but plants started outdoors from seed are usually hardier and quickly overtake the sicklier inside ones. Melons just don't seem to transplant well, even in peat pots. Cover newly planted melon seeds with hot caps to speed germination. To give your melons the warmth they crave use IRT plastic mulch and cover them with a cozy blanket of spun bonded fabric, removing it only when the vines flower and replacing it when fruits form.
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