Citrullus lanatus
They ’re big . They ’re delicious . And they ’re not as difficult to produce as you ’d expect !
I ’m talking about watermelons , the divers and sweet melon vine that come in as many unlike varieties as there are ways to enjoy the good fruit .
I ’ve had the pleasure of develop a few unlike cultivars of this melon over the years , and I can enjoin you that nothing beats the flavor of a Lord’s Day - ripen Citrullus vulgaris brisk from your own garden !
Photo by Nikki Cervone.
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Growing watermelon is not the tremendous undertaking you might think it ’s bound to be , though a little garden provision will help oneself .
I ’ll cover everything you want to know about growing these juicy fruits in your own garden , and before you roll in the hay it , you ’ll be eating homegrown watermelon by the slice at breakfast , at your summertime picnics , and blended into cocktail .
Photo by Nikki Cervone.
Here ’s what ’s ahead :
What You’ll Learn
Cultivation and History
Watermelon is jazz for being not only sweet-scented and voluptuous , but also incredibly refreshing , perhaps more so than any other fruit .
Several age ago , when I was living through a high temperature waving with no air conditioning , a large serving of watermelon vine every afternoon was what pulled me through the worst of it .
watermelon are 92 pct piddle – which should help explain why they are so darn refreshing on a spicy day .
And believe it or not , this yield ’s ability to hydrate us is an important part of its story , leading us all the way back to its first use by humans .
Watermelons are aboriginal to Africa , where they were first used not so much as a food for thought seed , but as a source ofwater .
The thick rind allowed the great unwashed to store these melon for farseeing period of prison term , and channel them without damage , using them as a piss source in red-hot desert climates .
There are many dissimilar types of wild melons grow in Africa that have been study to be the potential antecedent of our cherish cultivated watermelon . These include the citron melon , from the Kalahari , and the egusi melon , aboriginal to West Africa .
However , evidence point to northeastern Africa as the situation of stemma for forward-looking watermelons , with its ancestor most likely beingCitrullus lanatusvar.colocynthoides .
In parts of north Africa , these hydrating fruits still develop godforsaken on drouth - tolerant , vining plants .
This fruit has been cultivated for over 4,000 years . Watermelon seeds and house painting of watermelon vine werefound in King Tut ’s tomb , as well as in those of other ancient Egyptian noblesse .
This fruit eventually spread from Africa to the Mediterranean region , and was known in ancient Greece as thepepon .
Watermelons continued their journey into the rest of Europe , and were eventually introduced to the Americas by Europeans .
In the US , it ’s primarily the flesh of watermelon that is consumed , but the semen are a popular bite in other division of the earthly concern , and the rind is also comestible . pickle watermelon rind , anyone ?
Watermelons grow on sprawl vines – just like their relatives , honeydew andcantaloupe melons , squash , gourd vine , andcucumbers .
While for most of us these fruits may raise up visions of something hefty and oblong with light and dark light-green stripes , watermelons come up in a full range of cutis form and size .
When you grow your own at habitation , you open up your option to a stunning regalia of varieties . I ’ll get to those a little later .
First let ’s lecture about best farm exercise . Now that we experience a bit about where these melons come from , this knowledge should help us in adjudicate how and where to produce them .
Propagation
Before you race out to your garden with your seed mail boat in hired hand , make certain tocheck the number of daysrequired for your variety to reach maturity .
depend on how this number compares to the number of days in your growing season , you may require to start your plants indoors instead of lineal sowing .
These melon are most successful when sow direct in the garden since their roots are fairly sensitive – however , direct sowing may not work for all varieties and sure as shooting does n’t work for all mood .
Some varieties can take 100 sidereal day or more to bring about ripe fruit .
There ’s nothing more disappointing than watch over a healthy , vigorous industrial plant run out of meter to bring its yield to adulthood because of an former tumble frost .
Choose a change that will mature within your spring up season or consider start your seed indoors and setting out transplants after your last spring freeze .
I ’ll cover both methods of propagation – but let ’s start with unmediated sowing .
Direct Sowing
Watermelons are warm - season works that do not suffer cold-blooded weather condition and will succumb to late frosts .
So make certain you practise a niggling forbearance – the best time to plant your seed is at least two weeksafteryour average last bound hoarfrost date .
For watermelon seed to pullulate , the dirt needs to be a lower limit of 60 ° atomic number 9 . If you may wait for your dirt to heat up to the 70 to 95 ° F range , germination will be more successful and faster .
The idealistic soil temperature for watermelon seed germination is 95 ° farad .
Once you have prepared your melon patch ( as described below ) and the land is warm enough , you ’re ready to sow your source .
Soil that is moist but not soggy is ideal , so either water your planting orbit a few hour ahead of time , or look a few hours after rainfall .
You ’ll want to design on imbed these seeds about three - quarters to one inch deep , so scrape about an inch of soil to the side of your planting area .
Next , smoothen the airfoil of the soil in your planting area so that it ’s even , then press three or four seeds flat into the surface of the soil .
Now use the grease you scraped to the side to cover the seeds . dab the soil lightly to ensure unspoiled impinging with the seeds .
mildly water the seed in with a watering wand or a watering can .
In my ironic climate , I irrigate my freshly establish come once a sidereal day until the seedlings have spud and have grown a couple of sets of straight leaves .
You may not involve to irrigate quite so often if your soil is not prostrate to drying out , and if you get regular rain shower .
Within five to ten 24-hour interval , your seedlings should bourgeon .
When your seedlings are a few inches tall , with two or more set of true leave , slim your plants .
select the two honorable looking seedlings and cut back the other one off with a pair of pair of scissors , leaving two plants per hill or crater . ( Not sure what hills and craters are ? We ’ll get to that a little later , so keep record ! )
From Transplants
If your growing time of year is shorter than the telephone number of day required to grow your preferred Citrullus vulgaris mixed bag , you ’ll need to begin these seeds indoors and jell out seedling when daytime temperatures are at least 70 ° F .
These plants have delicate ascendant and do n’t like to be transplanted .
I recommend that you start seedlings in biodegradable , preferablypeat - free , green goddess such as these CowPots that areavailable from Arbico Organics , which are made from compost moo-cow manure .
CowPots , Biodegradable Seed Trays
This way of life you ’ll be able to plant your seedlings directly into the soil , pots and all , without untune their tooth root system .
A three - column inch tidy sum is the idealistic size of it , since these untried seedling are moderately magnanimous .
ensure your seed packetto calculate the best sentence to come out your seedlings – unremarkably this is about two to four weeks before your last frost .
If you ’ve never protrude your own transplants before or want a refresher course , check out ourguide to starting annuals indoors .
Here are the basic step to follow :
How to Grow
To grow your own watermelon at home , you ’ll want to ensure you provide your plants with the well possible growing precondition for a delicious and generous crop .
But first of all , you ’ll have to pick out a beneficial land site for your plant , one that has the good potential grime , plentiful sunshine exposure , and plenty of room .
Site Selection
Watermelons are like any other veggie or yield vine , in that they spread out out and take up as much quad as you ’ll give them .
Likepumpkins , they can also go alfresco of their boundaries , looping over fences and even wrapping around other plants .
You ’ll want to take this tendency to straggle into business relationship when you prepare your watermelon spell .
To make certain your melons have plenty of room to grow ( and to foreclose them from vex neighboring plant ) , you may want to pick a planting surface area far away from the relaxation of your garden .
If your garden space is limited and creating a freestanding melon maculation is n’t practicable for you , consider plant them at the boundary of your garden and groom the vine to farm where they are n’t in the means .
Or you’re able to even go vertical and try your hand atgrowing your melon on a trellis – though the fruit will need funding and the treillage will need to be very sturdy .
One more caveat to consider is that it ’s good not to found watermelon vine where you grew cucurbits – squash , cucumbers , gourd , or melon – in the past three years , to reduce the endangerment of pest and disease issues .
Keeping track of harvest rotation is clean gentle when you are garden in raised beds – especially with the help ofyour garden journal .
Sun
Once you have a potential uprise site clean out that provides enough room for 10 - foot vine , you ’ll want to make indisputable it also gets wad of sun .
These industrial plant ask afull sun location , which means eight to 10 hour a day – or more – of direct sunlight .
You ’ll also need good deal of rut , so if you live somewhere where you have to put on a sweater during the mean solar day in midsummer , your best wager would be to farm these fruit in agreenhouse or cold anatomy .
When preparing your garden beds , verify to search around and identify any Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that might shade your garden once they fully leaf out , and locate your melon patch up away from any potential shade .
Remember , at their origins these were desert plant that grew under direct sun with only the tone of their own leaves for security .
On the other hand , it ’s also wise to consider that these plants aredescendantsof those desert plants and have lose some of their natural resiliency to inflame through selective breeding .
The fruit of some variety are prostrate to sunburn .
If you ’re implicated about this endangerment , pick a sunburn - resistant miscellanea such as ‘ Charleston Grey , ’ ‘ Klondike Blue Ribbon Striped , ’ or ‘ Sugar Baby . ’
Soil
Citrullus vulgaris maturate best in easy , well drained , arenaceous dirt . If you ’re incertain what type of grunge you have , it ’s a beneficial idea toconduct a dirt test .
This will give you anunderstanding of your territory , its pH , and what type of fertilizer , if any , you ’ll need .
If you get your soil trial run results back and learn that you have sandy loam , you ’re serious to go . If not , you ’ll want to mix some moxie into your garden soil when you prepare your melon fleck .
There is an exception to this – if you are working with clay soil , bestow sand can make the soil to flex into a cementum - like substance .
For gardeners with clay , first employment on creating a lighter grain by amending it withcompost .
In the meanwhile , your best bet may be to produce your melons in raise seam with a admixture of garden stain and sand .
Your dirt tryout will also provide information about the soil pH. Watermelons grow good in soil with a pH between 6.0 to 7.5 .
Whether youplant in elicit bedsor in the ground , body of work compost into the territory at the pace of 50 to 100 Ezra Pound per 1000 square feet to improve dirt structure – and be certain to fertilize .
I ’ll get to that part soon .
To keep your soil open , avoid walking on or otherwise compact your planting area .
You may want to considerno - till elan gardening , but do make trusted you loosen up the stain before planting .
Creating Your Melon Patch
Unless you go in an waterless clime like I do , you ’ll need to mound up small hills to plant your melons on .
This provide a little extra elbow room for the vines to sprawl over and also prevents water from pooling around the main radical .
For those of us in arid mood , I recommend a shallow “ crater ” rather than a hill toconservemoisture .
To create such a volcanic crater , dig a gob about two to three feet across and six inches deep . Take the dirt you hit and mound it around the flange .
The deepness of these “ volcanic crater ” will help to foreclose water from evaporate , and the high rims will provide your vines with a little extra room to wander down .
A good rule of thumb is to create your mounds or craters about three to six feet aside in dustup that are six to 18 feet aside .
These measurements are whippy – just be cognizant that the vines can easy reach 10 feet in length , and plan consequently .
In humid climates you may require to choose for the more generous spacing , to help oneself with air circulation and reduce the risk of disease .
little varieties can be planted nearer together . Check the spread of your chosen cultivar on your come packet .
Fertilizer
Once you have prepared your melon vine patch and before planting , tally some plant food to your dirt .
Before deciding on what type of fertilizer to use and how much , it ’s estimable to denote to the results of your soil mental test .
These issue will alert you to any nutritious inadequacy and allow for recommendations for the appropriate eccentric and amount of plant food to use for your particular garden soil .
Whatever the results of the soil test , the compost you work into your soil will be a serious form of slow - release fertilizer .
Well - rotted manure is an excellent raw fertilizer – just be indisputable that it comes from a trusted source .
If livestock have been eat feed spray with weed killer , chemicals can sometimes pass through in the manure and make trouble when used as a garden amendment .
Personally , I sum up both well - rotted manureandcompost every spring as I am prepping my dirt .
If you decide to hop-skip the soil test and do n’t need to deal with manure , you may use an all - purpose , balanced fertilizer such as Down to Earth ’s 4 - 4 - 4 ( NPK ) vegetable garden plant food .
Down to Earth Vegetable Garden 4 - 4 - 4 Fertilizer
It ’s approve for organic raiser , and is useable for purchasefrom Arbico Organics . Apply it harmonise to the instructions on the package .
Once plant are established , tip them with a monthly side dressing of all - purpose fertilizer , a foliar nebulizer ofcomfrey teatime , or someworm compost .
Care and Maintenance
While your watermelons grow , there are a few ways you ’ll want to manage for them to ensure the serious potential harvest .
Watering
Water is fundamental for the growth and development of watermelon plants , so you ’ll want to check that you supply your flora with enough body of water – but nottoomuch .
While seeds are germinating and when seedlings are immature , in my waterless climate , I like to verify to water every day if the filth has dried about .
I stick my finger in the soil about an column inch deep to try it . If it ’s ironical , I give the plants a drink .
Once plant are lay down , water deep and systematically , but less often – these plants requireone to two inch of weewee a week , so you may not require to water on calendar week when you get pelting .
As fruits ripen , evenwatering is important , to forbid yield from cracking . Since watermelon vine hold so much water , they can separate or crack while ripening if watering is wandering .
Some varieties are repellent to cracking , such as ‘ Sugar Baby , ’ ‘ Mini Love , ’ and ‘ atomic number 79 in Gold . ’
When the fruit are a week or so from maturity – you ’ll be able-bodied to account this ground on your planting date and the variety ’s average bit of days to maturity – keep back water to secure that your fruit are as sweet as possible .
A lilliputian less water will make more concentrated sugar in your melons .
And one more affair to call up when you water : attempt to water at priming coat level to avoid splashing weewee on the foliage , which can spread disease .
Find more tip on watering watermelons here .
Mulch
So that all your deliberate tearing does n’t go to waste , mulch around your plant to prevent the grime from drying out and to keep weeds down .
If weeds do pop up around your seedling , remove them , but take care not to interrupt the seedlings ’ radical .
Another advantage of mulching is that when placed under ripen fruits , mulch will help forbid the fruits from rotting .
you’re able to also use mulch to ascertain the temperature around your plants .
As mentioned , Citrullus vulgaris are warm season flora , and they originate best in raging weather .
Once seeds sprout , plants choose temperature ranging from 70 to 90 ° F during the solar day and 60 to 70 ° F at dark .
So if temperature in your domain are hotter than that , judge using straw mulch under your plant life to keep the soil cool .
The clear color will stay cooler than darker colored mulch .
And if your temperatures are on the cooler side ? Instead of straw , use a dark colored mulch .
I use sorry compost as a mulch in my in high spirits - EL location where the Nox are coolheaded . The dark mulch absorbs rut during the day and release it at night , keep the soil heater .
Growing Tips
Cultivars to Select
bighearted , juicy Citrullus vulgaris with red or bright pinkish flesh are pleasant-tasting , but there are many different cultivar to take from when growing these fruits in the home garden .
Do you wish the big , oval shape fruits best ? In that compositor’s case , go with a cinch type .
Do you prefer the little rotund ones that will easily fit in the electric refrigerator ? Then you ’ll want an icebox variety .
Or are you the adventuresome type , looking for surprising feature such as xanthous shape or gilt cutis ? There are selection in a variety of colors as well !
You ’ll come upon a extensive range ofdelicious watermelon change in our roundup , but to get you started , here are a few of my preferent cultivar :
Congo
A child’s play variety large enough to feast a crowd , ‘ Congo ’ won the All - America Selections honour in 1950 .
This salmagundi has solid , blood-red flesh with a high sugar contentedness , and is deliciously sweet .
These oblong melons have intermediate - greenish rinds with dark green rifle and max out at 30 - 40 pounds when to the full good .
After you ’ve enjoyed the succulent red frame , do n’t confound out the rind ! The compact rinds on these fruit are great for pickling .
‘ Congo ’
works grow to 15 to 24 inches tall with vines overspread 72 to 96 inch , and they have some resistance to fusarium wilt and unspoilt opposition to three raceway of anthracnose .
Are you ready to give ‘ Congo ’ a go at your summertime gatherings ?
If so , you could find seed in an assortment of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
Sugar Baby
‘ Sugar Baby ’ is a compact refrigerator eccentric , a heavy producer that thrives in small gardens . fruit are humble , rotund , and perfectly seraphic .
This cultivar is a ducky among novice and expert gardener alike , thanks to its sturdy rind that can resist cracking . Plants are also resistant to blight .
‘ Sugar Baby ’
‘ Sugar Baby ’ produces melon vine with glum gullible rinds and ruby-red flesh that librate in at around 12 pounds .
Plants mature to 15 to 24 inches tall with six- to eight - base vines that are repellent to both cool conditions and drought . fruit dissent crack and have upright burn resistor .
This is an former ripen variety – you ’ll be glean Citrullus vulgaris in just 75 days .
you may find ‘ Sugar Baby ’ seed in a potpourri of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
Moon and Stars
‘ lunation and Stars ’ may just be one of the most beautiful , fascinating mixture to depend at .
Its dark green rind displays brilliant yellow spots , evocative of a dark sky twinkling with a large lunation and petite stars .
These alone - reckon fruits average out 25 pounds at full ripeness and hold sweet , cerise material body .
‘ Moon and star ’
Plants mature 15 to 24 inches grandiloquent with vines spreading 72 to 96 inches and will be ready to reap in around 100 daylight .
you may find ‘ Moon and Stars ’ come for leverage in an assortment of packet sizesat Eden Brothers .
Managing Pests and Disease
Once you ’ve selected your varieties , plant your seeds , and are patiently look to glean your craw , you ’ll need to be on the lookout for damage get by pests and disease .
This part of gardening is part and parcel of the cognitive operation – and can even be quite satisfying once you ’ve gain ground a bit of experience with it .
ensure to practiceintegrated pestis management , a method that take on a longer - term advance to the wellness of your garden .
Herbivores
It seems everyone ’s a fan of watermelons – and that includes some of our neighboring wildlife .
Deer are fond of this yield and will wreck your ripening crop if you haven’tdeer - proofed your garden .
To keep these four - legged friends out of your melon patch , fencing is cardinal .
Check out our article on thebest cervid fencing material to learn more .
Perhaps surprisingly , coyotes also love this tasty and refreshing backyard yield .
fence is a good strategy to keep prairie wolf out of your garden , but you will involve a slightly dissimilar style than what you would use for deer .
Russel Link , wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife , explains that coyote do n’t jump over tall fences in a single boundary . alternatively , they mount them .
To keep coyotes from contract into your garden , you ’ll need to build a fence they ca n’t wax over – or dig under .
Link recommends begin with five - groundwork - tall fencing . Then he paint a picture impart outward-bound - careen 15 - inch extenders to the top of the fencing to keep the canine from climbing over .
And to forbid them from diggingunder , extend the fence underground about eight inches , using wire mesh .
or else , create an “ apron ” on the ground that extend 15 inches on the exterior of the fencing .
Insects
For many nurseryman , worm may be more problematical than the furred , four - legged type of garden cuss .
To foreclose equipment casualty , it ’s helpful to know which types of insect plague your garden , what they look like , and how to prevent them from destroying your harvest .
Keeping insects under control is important not only because these pest can manducate up your plant life , but because they can also spread disease .
Melonaphidsand wanderer mites can colonise leaf bottom and leaf backsheesh , interfering with photosynthesis . If you remark either of these on your plant , transfer them with a strong spurt ofwater from your hose .
Another pest to be on the observation tower for is the stripy cucumber mallet . Prevent damage from these cucurbit pests by usingfloating dustup coversup until efflorescence – and with even review of your plants .
If you notice pests , cull them off and destruct them .
Learn more about these and other dirt ball that can bug your crops in our article on Citrullus vulgaris cuss . ( come soon ! )
Disease
Just like other garden works , watermelons too can succumb to disease from time to metre .
Prevention is your practiced descent of defense . Here are some estimable preventive measuring rod to take :
Now that you ’ve familiarized yourself with these effective strategy for Citrullus vulgaris disease prevention , keep an oculus out for brownish lesions and hollow in plant life leaf , a star sign of anthracnose .
If you notice vine tips wilting , fusarium wilt may be the perpetrator . There are insubordinate variety to each of these fungal disease , and starting off with these will give your plants an advantage over other cultivars .
Also be on the lookout for blossom - end decomposition , a nutrient deficiency which alsoaffects tomatoes .
Learn more about these and other uncouth trouble in our guide to fighting watermelon disease . ( coming soon ! )
Harvesting
It ’s of import to await until your watermelon are fully ripe before you pluck them . This is one fruit , unlikeapricotsoravocados , that willnotcontinue to mature after harvesting .
However , watermelons can go from unripe to spoiled in just a few day , so be vigilant about turn back them as they approach maturity .
When you see the yield starting to farm big , it ’s fourth dimension to check daily for ripeness .
When you plant your seed , it ’s a dear idea to count forward the routine of days to maturity and mark this date on your calendar or in your gardening journal .
That way , when your yield is approaching full ripeness , you’re able to start keeping an eye on it and will soon be ready to featherbed in a sweet , juicy slice of watermelon .
If the yield has separated from the vine , or the vine is dead , go in front and pick the yield . It wo n’t mature any further once it ’s off the vine .
If the yield is still attached to the vine , and the vine is alert , there are several different tricks you could use to decide whether a Citrullus vulgaris is ripe or not .
You may want to try out each – or all – of these method and decide what seems to work best for you :
What ? No thumping ?
“ Thumping ” is also a common way to judge whether a watermelon is ripe , but unluckily this method acting is undependable .
A tiresome thud is hypothecate to signal that the fruit is right , but it ’s not the case with all varieties .
In the pillow slip of some cultivars , a dull thump can even betoken that the fruit is overripe .
Another questionable testing method acting is the fingernail mental test , in which you scratch the rind with a fingernail to determine whether the yield is ripe .
The problem with this method acting is that any damage to the rind serves as a distribution channel for bacteria to enroll , which can speed up the rotting physical process .
If you scratch your melon vine and settle it ’s not advanced , you ’re open up the yield up to the theory of disease .
To harvest a ripe watermelon , use a sharp knife to edit the fruit off of the vine , leaving a two - column inch - recollective while of root word on the fruit .
You may have other melon continue to mature on that same vine , so be blue-blooded as you shorten .
Once the fruit is remove from the vine , handle it mildly to stave off bruising or harm to the rind .
Find more tips on settle Citrullus vulgaris ripeness here .
Storage
After you have picked your melons , mark off to see if any have split up or cracked during harvest – if so , these fruit should be used immediately .
entire fruits can deal some storage . impudently harvested melon will last seven to ten daylight when store indoors at room temperature in the 68 - 72 ° F range .
According to Jim Shrefler and colleague at theOklahoma Cooperative Extension , watermelons can actually improve in flavor and colour when go along at room temperature for up to a week .
watermelon will keep for two to three weeks in a locating with a temperature of 52 - 60 ° farad and 85 - 90 percent relative humidness . This could be your cellar or root cellar .
What about the refrigerator ? Chilling injury can take position when the fruit is hive away at temperature below 50 ° degree Fahrenheit .
Once the fruit has been cut , it will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days in an airtight container .
Of of course , you may prefer to eat your melon vine as soon as you harvest it .
Some the great unwashed favor it fresh from the garden , while others ( this writer include ) savor it more after it has been chilled in the fridge .
However you prefer your melon , just ensure you thoroughly cleanse the rind before slicing it open , since bacteria such asE. colican be transferred from unwashed rind to the flesh when it ’s slice .
Preserving
There are several ways to preserve this terrific summer fruit so that you may bask it even in the depths of wintertime .
Drying
Drying or dehydrating is one way to save this fruit for later enjoyment .
dry out watermelon is n’t exactly banal in North America , but perhaps it ’s ready to become the next big thing .
This dried treat is also phone “ watermelon jerky , ” which should give you an idea of its leathery texture .
Drying fruit results in a more concentrated package of bread and flavor , and watermelon is no different .
If you are using a dehydrator , refer to the manufacturer ’s recommendations on how long to dry the fruit .
For Citrullus vulgaris , cutting it into half - in - stocky slices and drying for around 20 hour at 135 ° F is a good rule of thumb .
If you ’d like to learn more about the cognitive process in great item , check out our guide to dehydrate fruits and veggies .
In Asia , Citrullus vulgaris seeds are eat much like helianthus seeds .
you may render making your own savoury seed for a healthy snack . Prepare them like you would pumpkin seeds – you canlearn how to do it on Foodal .
Freezing
If you prefer your Citrullus vulgaris fresh but have a bumper crop that you ca n’t eat all at once , you’re able to block some of it .
you could get a line about the best technique for freezing fruiton our baby site , Foodal .
freeze does change the grain a number , so it ’s intimately used where the smack can radiate but the grain no longer matters , such as in smoothies or slushies .
Or or else of freezing it in clod , you could work out some culinary magic on it first . Does n’t watermelon vine sorbet sound delicious ?
you may determine how to make sorbet out of any type of fruiton Foodal .
Canning
Citrullus vulgaris can be canned in the contour of muddle , muddle , juice , or vino .
Since this fruit is a depleted - acid food , you ’ll need to pickle it if you want to can it with a hot water bath , or utilize a air pressure canner for non - acidic preparations .
quick to be guided through the canning process ? There ’s a complete pathfinder to canning intellectual nourishment at homealso on Foodal .
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
Citrullus vulgaris is so respectable to exhaust by the slice that many of us probably do n’t think about total it as an constituent to our meal .
But if your thumbs are both bright greenish and you cease up with a jumbo crop of homegrown Citrullus vulgaris , you might be open to some Modern ideas .
Here ’s a thought – try using it as a salad ingredient . Personally , I love how the feeling of Citrullus vulgaris mixes with feta cheese and freshmintleaves .
Citrullus vulgaris cater flavor and texture in yield salads , but to excite thing up a bit , how about using a cooky pinnace to cut shapes out of Citrullus vulgaris slices or else of going with standard chunk or balls ?
And while star - mold watermelon vine pieces might thrill the kids ( or your internal child ) , how about something for the adults ?
This delicious recipe for watermelon daiquirisover at Foodalmixes Inner Light rummy with sweet , frozen watermelon and reinvigorated squeezed quicklime juice for a deglutition that is doubly refreshing .
Or leave the rummy out and make virgin rum cocktail rather .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
To Grow Watermelon Is to Love It!
How ’bout it , nurseryman ? Are you ready to grow your own ?
Once you ’ve put a successful season of watermelon growing behind you , your appreciation for these fruit is certain to farm .
While we ’re on thesubject of melon vine , why not hone your cantaloup - growing science too ? We have just the articles you ’ll need right here :
Photo by Nikki Cervone © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally issue on April 13th , 2017 . Last updated March 16th , 2023 . Revised and expanded from an original article by Linsey Knerl . Product exposure via Arbico Organics , Eden Brothers , and Home Depot . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Kristina Hicks - Hamblin
