Heirloom Watermelon

Bradford Watermelon. Anyone growing these? Are they as good as they sound?

https://knpr.org/npr/2015-05/saving-sweetest-watermelon-south-has-ever-known

My take on pretty much all heirlooms that were lost and have now been found is that it's mostly about marketing hype. If the fruit tasted as luscious as the ad copy claims, and if they were as easy to grow and generally adapted as they want you to believe, then I believe that they would not have fallen out of favor in the first place. There is currently a lot of hype going around about this watermelon.

I trailed hundreds of heirloom tomatoes, muskmelons, and watermelons in my garden. Approximately 99% of them proved to be unsuitable for my growing conditions, and not just a little. Melons from the deep south don't have the slightest chance of producing fruit at my place. A low-sugar melon grown on my farm beats the taste of a high-sugar absent melon every time.

They sound great, but they're a little pricy for me ($10/12 seeds). I'm not lacking in heat or length of season, but until they lower the price or I can trade someone for seeds, I'll stick with what I know grows well for me.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:My take on pretty much all heirlooms that were lost and have now been found is that it's mostly about marketing hype. If the fruit tasted as luscious as the ad copy claims, and if they were as easy to grow and generally adapted as they want you to believe, then I believe that they would not have fallen out of favor in the first place. There is currently a lot of hype going around about this watermelon.

I trailed hundreds of heirloom tomatoes, muskmelons, and watermelons in my garden. Approximately 99% of them proved to be unsuitable for my growing conditions, and not just a little. Melons from the deep south don't have the slightest chance of producing fruit at my place. A low-sugar melon grown on my farm beats the taste of a high-sugar absent melon every time.

I haven't tried the watermelon but the article link clearly said it feel out of favor because it does not ship well.