Two New Melons earn AAS Winner designation for North America

All-America Selections, currently celebrating 86 years as the only North American non-profit trialing organization for plants that demonstrate great garden performance, announce new regional AAS Winners. Each of the following varieties was trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grew them next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class.

The two new AAS Winners for the 2019 garden season are:

Melon Orange SilverWave F1 (Regional – Northeast and Southeast)
Watermelon Cal Sweet Bush (Regional – Great Lakes)

Melon Orange SilverWave F1

AAS 2019 Edible Winner
Regional Winner – (Northeast and Southeast)
Bred by Asia Seed Co., Ltd

Orange SilverWave is an exotic melon bred in South Korea with an extremely sweet, orange flesh and unique rind color. The attractive 5” oval melons grow on vigorous producing up to six fruits per vine. Whether grown in a large container or in-ground, it’s best to grow the vines on a trellis (bracing the melons) for better disease control. This AAS Winner is great eaten alone, in a fruit salad, wrapped with prosciutto or mixed into a smoothie or margarita.

Genus species: Cucumis melo
Common name: Melon
Fruit size: 5 inch oval melons
Color: Light green rind with green stripes, orange flesh
Plant spread: 6 - 7 feet
Plant habit: Spreading
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 24 inches
Length of time to harvest: 75 days from sowing seed, 45 days from transplant
Disease resistance: MNSV and Melon Fusarium wilt
Closest comparisons on market: Snow Leopard and Lambkin

Watermelon Cal Sweet Bush

AAS 2019 Edible Winner
Regional Winner – (Great Lakes)
Bred by Seeds By Design and Enza Zaden

From ancient wild watermelons in the African desert to today’s new hybrids, watermelons have come a long way. Cal Sweet Bush is another example of how ongoing breeding efforts result in a new and better product. This is a true short internode (the sections between the stem joints) watermelon. These watermelons have compact, bushy vines that grow only 14-18” long and still provide enough foliage cover to protect the fruits. Each plant yields 2-3 fruits weighing 10 -12 pounds. Like all AAS Winners, this newbie delivers exceptional taste and texture. Cal Sweet Bush is a great watermelon choice for gardeners with limited space or those wanting a container melon. Cal Sweet Bush will produce at least one fruit per vine if grown in a container.

Genus species: Citrullus lanatus
Common name: Watermelon
Fruit size: 10 - 12 inches, 10 – 12 pounds, round to oval
Color: Dark Green mottled rind with red flesh
Plant spread: 14 – 18 inches
Plant habit: Compact
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 10 - 12 inches
Length of time to harvest: 65 days from transplant, 90 days from sowing seed
Disease resistance: Powdery Mildew
Closest comparisons on market: Starlight F1

For more information:

All-America Selections

Diane Blazek

blazekdiane@gmail.com

all-americaselections.org