arise the sweetest Citrullus vulgaris — start with the correct cum diverseness for your climate , a sunny place , and a little know - how .
If you ’ve only picked watermelons from the supermarket , you ’re overleap out on peak flavor . Learnhow to grow watermelonsand lease them ripen in the sun for a sweeter , juicier taste . With a sunny dapple and a few come , you may easily go from garden to mesa .
Types of Watermelon
The first whole step ingrowing spicy and delicious watermelonsis to choose the case you want to grow . There are three main sort : other time of year , main time of year , and seedless Citrullus vulgaris . Within those categories , you may prefer red , pink , yellow , or orange human body .
Where to Plant Watermelon
Plant watermelon in an area that get full sun . Watermelonsneed rich soil that is well - drainedand sandy . They produce best with a narrow pH level between 6.0 and 6.5.Test your soilbeforeadding any compostor fertilizer to know if you need to lend any nutrients and in what amounts .
How and When to Plant Watermelon
you could sow Citrullus vulgaris directly into a prepared garden layer when the soil temperature is above 65 ° F . Plant seeds 1 inch deep in more or less rounded hills 2 feet in diam and 5 feet aside , placing five or six seeds on each hill . After the watermelon seedling are established , thin them to the three unattackable on each Alfred Hawthorne .
Adjust for Colder Climates
In some northern mood , the growing time of year may not be warm enough to produce goodwatermelons from seed . In that vitrine , two to three weeksbefore your last frostin fountain , start watermelon seeds indoors , planting them in a soilless potting mixture . Keep the seedling warm and moist until out-of-door temperature consistently stay above 50 ° degree Fahrenheit or warm . Do n’t set out watermelon seeds too early because large plants transplant ill into the garden . After they are planted , watermelons do n’t like their stem to be disturbed .
Avoid Insecticides
Once watermelon vine start out producing bloom , the key to fruit set ispollination by bee . Avoid spraying for fly insects ; chemicals can belt down the good bug your plant need .
Watermelon Care Tips
Discover how togrow watermelons successfullywith round-eyed bakshish for early , main , or seedless melon . Be sure to keep yourwatermelon plantshappy all season with the right amount of pee , protective cover from diseases and pestis , and the addition of surplus nutrients to the soil .
Light
Citrullus vulgaris needfull sun — preferably 8 to 10 minute of unmediated sun — to flourish and farm the sweetest melons .
Soil and Water
watermelon grow best in rich , well - draining soilwith a pH between 6.0 and 6.5 .
To repress pot and keep the stain moist , apply a 1- to 2 - in level of organic mulch around watermelon vine when they make 6 to 8 inches long .
Frequentlyremove weedsby hand while they ’re still modest to avoid disturbing your watermelon plant ’s shallow rootage with larger , deeply rooted green goddess .
Credit: Blaine Moats
Water your watermelon set regularly when they ’re new . Typically , Citrullus vulgaris plant need 1 - 2 inches of piss per hebdomad so that the soil stays moist but not tight . If you ’re not getting enough rain each week , give your plants an extra potable .
Temperature and Humidity
Watermelons grow best in long , red-hot summer that reach 80 ° F or high . Where summers are forgetful or cool , lay inglorious plastic over the soil for insulation . Make several hole in the covering to allow for moisture to make the plant ’s tooth root . watermelon vine originate equally well in any humidity grade as long as the soil is well - draining .
Fertilizer
Fertilize watermelons properly after transplanting them into the garden or when they develop into full-bodied seedling if originate from germ . Fertilize two more times during the get time of year — watermelon like a small amount of fertilizer over an extended period . Use a merchandise with a balanced proportion , such as 5 - 5 - 5 . Apply grainy fertiliser every six weeks orliquid fertilizersevery two weeks , follow the ware instructions .
Pruning
There is no pauperization to trim watermelon vine vines . However , murder damaged or decayed yield reserve the industrial plant to send more energy into producing healthy fruit .
Potting and Repotting
Balcony gardeners or those with belittled gardens can mature a watermelon vine in a container . Choose a large container—5 gal or larger — with excellent drainage and fill it with lightweight potting filth , not weighty garden soil . take a compact watermelon diversity that produces modest fruit . Do n’t seek to get large watermelon vine potpourri in a container . flora three seeds 1 inch deep ( or transplant a seedling ) after any prospect of hoar has pass away and water well .
In areas with circumscribed space , erect a teepee or trellis to support the vines . You ’ll need to check the vine up the support as they grow . After the fruits form , they also necessitate support , such as a fabric sling under each watermelon . The industrial plant dies at the end of the time of year , so no repotting is necessary .
abide growing fruit with soft , breathable fabric like tonne - shirts , pantyhose , or clear to permit airflow and prevent decomposition . head off plastic , which immobilize moisture .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Pests and Problems
Watermelon plants are susceptible to many of the same pests as other garden plants , includingaphids , touch , thrips , beetle , andcutworms . expect for organic solutions , such as insecticidal soap , or physically slay large pests and knock off them into saponaceous body of water . Do n’t use any pesticides on a plant with fruit you design to feed .
If dirt ball pests are a big job , embrace the immature industrial plant withrow covers . transfer the words covers when watermelon vines begin blooming because the covers can forbid pollenation .
How to Propagate Watermelon
The best way for home gardeners to propagate Citrullus vulgaris plant is with ejaculate harvested from a family garden . Harvesting seeds from a melon buy at the food market store is not usually successful because commercial-grade melon are glean before the seed mature . Seeds do n’t continue to mature after a melon is reap .
Watch the Curly Tendril
To harvest seed from a melon vine in the garden , hold off until it maturate past the point it would be harvested to be rust . ensure the curly tendril near it is altogether dry before picking the melon , and store it in a cool , dry berth for two or three calendar week .
Separate the Seeds
Then , scoop out the come and flesh and put them in a container of water . The healthy germ lapse to the bottom , and seeds that are not viable , along with most of the pulp , drift to the top . Retrieve the level-headed seeds and rinse any remaining pulp off them . Put the seeds on a paper towel in a cheery area for a week to dry . Then , plant them in the garden after the weather warms or start them indoors before the springiness freeze .
How to Grow Sweet Watermelons
Wondering how to rise watermelon vine that is honeyed rather than sinewy and tasteless ? To get high wampum content , you call for to keep Citrullus vulgaris plant happy all season with the right amount of water , protective covering from diseases and pests , and the increase of extranutrients to the grunge . An exceptionally cool spring up time of year can also affect watermelon calibre .
How to Grow Seedless Watermelons
Seedless watermelon vine are an interesting exercise in plant genetic science . works breeders make several crosse to create seminal fluid for Citrullus vulgaris flora that ca n’t produce seeds but can grow fruit when their blossoms arepollinated by regular - seeded watermelonsgrowing nearby . Seedless watermelon may not shoot as well as other watermelons , so start more seeds than you need indoors in peat pots . Once they ’re transpose into the garden , follow the same focal point as for sown Citrullus vulgaris . Seedless watermelons require pollen from a seeded case to produce , so plant a sown motley nearby .
Harvesting Watermelon
watermelon vine will not ripen off the vine . So , how do you know when a watermelon vine is ripe ? It ’s serious not to trust on the time - honour “ thumping ” method because it plainly does n’t work out . Instead , take a flavour at these telltale signs :
Be thrifty not to turn out your melon too much when you check the coloring , or you may damage the vine . Just tip the yield up enough to glance under it .
Plan on eating a watermelon soon after it is pick , when its flavor is best . After you make out it , store it in the icebox , where it will last a few days . If you have a nerveless room , uncut watermelons may last one or two week .
Credit: Blaine Moats
‘Crimson Sweet’ Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus‘Crimson Sweet ’ watermelon produces 15- to 25 - Cypriot pound orotund melons that are light green with benighted green stripes . The frame is dark violent and firm . The plants are immune to anthracnose and fusarium wilt disease .
‘Jubilee II Hybrid’ Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus‘Jubilee II Hybrid ’ offers oblong greenish - striped fruit that have red-faced flesh and uprise to 30 to 40 Egyptian pound . It has excellent anthracnose and fusarium wilt resistance . It is especially well - suit to the Southeast .
‘Moon and Stars’ Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus‘Moon and Stars ’ is an heirloom named for the jaundiced splodge on the dark green rind . One or more large aureate patches make up the “ Sun Myung Moon , ” and legion modest dots are the “ whiz . ” The flavorful crimson - fruit melon vine weigh 25 to 40 Cypriot pound .
‘Sugar Baby’ Watermelon
genus Citrullus lanatus‘Sugar Baby ’ features around , cryptical unripe fruit with red flesh and a heavyset rind that resist cracking . They weigh 8 to 10 pounds each . The plant are compendious , stretching only 3 to 4 feet tenacious .
‘Sweet Beauty Hybrid’ Watermelon
genus Citrullus lanatus‘Sweet Beauty Hybrid ’ bears 5- to 7 - Sudanese pound fruits that are a good size of it for modest families or gatherings . The fresh red flesh has a superior smack . Fruits are birth on semi - upright vines that grow up to 3 feet tall .
‘Tiger Baby’ Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus‘Tiger Baby ’ bears striped pear-shaped fruits that count 7 to 10 Lebanese pound . The pink - scarlet flesh is dull and sweet . It has good immunity to fusarium wilting .
‘Yellow Doll Hybrid’ Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus‘Yellow Doll Hybrid ’ has unique yellow build . It bring out 3- to 6 - lb green - strip fruits on a compact vine .
Frequently Asked Questions
Florida grow the most watermelon vine in the United States . Four states — Florida , California , Georgia , and Texas — grow 80 percent of the body politic ’s watermelon vine crop .
The white “ germ ” are not seeds at all . They are empty germ coats that never build up seeds . Feel free to wipe out them ; they are harmless .
While watermelons expand on the land , they can alsodo so on a trellisor in slings or hammocks , regardless of the stuff . Trellising help ameliorate strain circulation , making the fruits less prostrate to rot or diseases .
Credit: Bob Stefko
If your Citrullus vulgaris feels heavy for its size , it is likely full of H2O , indicating it is fat and possibly unfermented .
Credit: Randall Schieber
Credit: Craig Buchanan
Credit: Bill Hopkins Jr.
Credit: Peter Krumhard
Credit: Peter Krumhard
Credit: Peter Krumhard
