On a blistering summer ’s day , a chilled slice of Citrullus vulgaris is right up there with an ice - insensate glass of lemonade . Oh - so refreshing !
watermelon are mostly water , so munching your way through a few slices is a pleasant way to hydrate , but did you know that this sweet , succulent fruit is also gazump with nutrients , antioxidant and amino Zen ?
you’re able to crunch on it , eat it by the spoonful as water ice , slurp it in an ice - cold cocktail or even serve it up in a savoury salad or appetiser .
In the garden , watermelon is a bit of a space hog , with straggle vines that need room , but there are more compactgrowing diversity you could get , like ‘ Sugar Baby ’ . It ’s an heirloom favourite that ’s been around since the 1950s .
The small , round watermelons have darkgreen skin , super - sweet red physical body and suit absolutely into the “ refrigerator ” . The vines are more compact , too , so it wo n’t take over the garden .
‘ Crimson Sweet ’ is another classical beauty : pretty to search at and sweet to taste , with big light - dark-green melons with dark - green chevron , super - sweet crimsonred flesh and little sinister germ . If you may spare a few m of garden space , it ’s a great one to grow .
Beyond the typical red watermelon vine , depend out for ‘ Mountain Sweet Yellow ’ watermelon with big , elongatedfruit and unusual orange - yellow flesh with a sweet love flavor that ’s to die for in summertime . It ’s wonderfully productive too , and fruit around 14 week from sowing .
Related:40 + Types of melon with facts
‘ Sweet Siberian ’ is another heirloom eccentric with sugary - tasting , succulent apricot - color in pulp , which institute drama to a summer yield salad or cocktail . This Russian multifariousness is tried and dependable , dating back to the late 1800s , and as a bonus grows well in nerveless domain . ‘ pick of Saskatchewan ’ is another old heirloom with Russian roots thatwas bring out to Saskatchewan by Russian immigrants .
The round , striped fruit is uprise for its unique champagne coloured flesh and wonderfully sweet flavour . The rind is thin and the skin splits well , so it ’s well devour fresh from garden to tabular array . Another good choice if you live in a dusty zone .
If different is what tickle your partiality , then you ’ll love the ‘ Golden Midget ’ watermelon . As the name propose , the fruit is petite by watermelon standard — weigh just 1.3 kg on average — and the rind turns a adorable gilded - xanthous people of colour when good . The golden skin is a great direct contrast to the sweet salmon - coloured anatomy . It ’s a succeeder with the kids , with braggart ejaculate that are easy to sprinkle out .
If you grow the capably named watermelon ‘ Moon and Stars ’ it ’s the typical skin that accept centre degree .
The big , dark - unripened , oval - mould fruit and foliage are speckled with minuscule and large golden patch and muscae volitantes , which resemble the moon and stars . It ’s sure a talk point in the garden and lusciously sweet , with both violent and yellow - flesh varieties available
Watermelon Facts
Common name : WatermelonBotanical name : genus Citrullus lanatusGroup : Fruiting vineRequires : Long , tender summer ; piles of sunshine and waterDislikes : Drying outSuitable for : Vegie bed , paddocksHabit : AnnualNeeds : Soil that is fat and crumbly ; veritable waterPropagation : Seed , seedlingDifficulty : soft
GROWING
Watermelons postulate a long produce season and warm soil for the seeded player to grow in , so planting is well done during spring ( after the risk of frost has eliminate ) and summer in most area .
Citrullus vulgaris seed can be sown directly , so choose a warm , sunny place and machinate the sphere first with plenty of compost and constituent matter to sustain the stain and improve drainage .
The vines take plenty of room to produce , so plant seed on raise mounds 1–2 m apart . When vines get to ramble , I care to pinch out the growing crest to encourage side branching and more compact increment . Keep vine well water and fed throughout the raise time of year , but ease off on the piddle as the melons start to grow to intensify the sugariness of the fruit .
Most watermelons are quick to clean and eat when the bow of the fruit is wry and brownish and the bottom of the melon has changed people of color . When you are munching through the fruit , just be indisputable to put a few seeds aside from right heirloom miscellanea to plant again next time of year .
