Saving Seeds - Melon

I've been buying some delicious and flavorful melons from the farmers market lately.  They're delicious, but kind of expensive, so I thought, why not save the seeds and try to grow some next year?

I start by cutting open the melon and harvesting the seeds.  This is easier with a melon where all the seeds sit in the middle like the White Sensation Melon or French Orange Melon I started with.  This example happens to be for a Yellow Dole Watermelon.  I'm collecting seeds as I go.

Then I rinse the seeds off to remove any stickiness or fruit residue.

Next I let the seeds dry for at least three days on a paper towel.  I change the paper towel every day.

When they're dry enough that you can't bend the seed, I put them in a labeled bag and store them in a cool, dark place with low humidity.

I got a cute box from Papersource and mini file folders to organize seeds that I've bought and harvested on my own.