My garden has excellent soil for growing melons, and the vines are loaded with fruit. Often I’m asked how to know when a melon is ready to pick. When the tendril opposite the stem to the fruit dries up, the melon is ripe. Then you want to harvest that melon soon or it will rot or be attacked by bugs … the bugs always seem to know when to harvest! If you’re buying a watermelon, look for a distinct yellow blotch where the melon rested on the ground.
When onions are finished growing, the tops fall over and dry. Once the tops are dry, it is extremely important to get the onions out of the ground or they will develop neck rot. I lay mine on a piece of cardboard in the garage and let them cure for about two weeks. Then I move them to a cool room in my basement.
This is a good time to take pictures of your perennial flower beds to help you remember next spring where what is planted if you want to change the position of plants or thin clumps that are getting too big, or even rearrange color combinations. Taking pictures of you potted gardens is a good idea, too, if you did or didn’t have success with certain plants or color combinations … it is amazing how quickly we forget.