Good melons/water melons for cool summer areas

I am buying seeds at baker creek. They offer a lot of melons, but I don't know which are most suitable to cool summer areas.
We have a growing season of at least 120 days or more we can grow lemons but our summers are normally not very hot. It is a mountains
climate. Some years are very dry others are very wet. Which melons or watermelons do you recommend?

The biggest consideration is do you want open-pollinated seeds, or are hybrid seed alright?
Hybrids will perform much better in marginal climates. For sure.

I myself, despite living in a cool mountain climate, have a strong preference for open-pollinated seeds, as I enjoy seed saving. The only hybrid I grow is eggplant, because OP eggplant really dont produce adequately here.

For OP melons, my favorite, hands down, is Northern Arizona. It is very rare, I belive the only supplier is Bountiful Gardens. I love this melon so so so much.

If you are okay with hybrids, your options expand tremendously. Ambrosia is a classic. I also like Honey Yellow from Johnnys Seeds. In general, the cantaloupe type melons will be much easier to ripen in cool climates. Any of the exotic melons, or honeydew melons, need much more heat, IME.

Watermelons have never developed good sweetness for me, despite trying many varietals.

Baker Creek seeds prodominantly grow varietals that are adapted to warm/hot climates. None of their melons have every worked well for me. Great seed company, just not for cool adapted varieties.

hope that helps, good luck!

Thanks, I'll have a look if bountiful gardens ships to Australia. I prefer OP seeds. The problem is that mountain climates are so different from northern climates.

Angelika Maier wrote:The problem is that mountain climates are so different from northern climates.

Totally, I am in the mountains, 38 degrees latitude but 6200 feet above sea level. Cool nights, which is why a lot of heat loving fruits, like melons, are a challenge here.

There are not any (good) seed companies for mountain growing, so I make due with the next best, which is northern seed companies. Johnnys, Fedco, Terretorial are three that I like.

good luck!

We are at 33 degrees opposite at 1000 meters. That is our climate must be a less harsh than yours at 1800 meters.
The nights in summer can be cool and we have hefty swings in temperature. I find it challenging that some years are extremely wet and some extremely dry (el ninho?la ninha). Overall it is not very hot, but we can have hot days. I haven't grown successful melons or watermelons so far. According to the digger's map we have 120 growing days which they say are days over 15C. I can grow tomatoes, we grow lemons but no melon so far!!