How to Grow Watermelons Sow seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep outdoors or 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in seed-starting containers indoors. Use bigger starting pots than you would for most seedlings to encourage increased root development. Consider using biodegradable containers that can be cut away or planted directly in the garden, since this will reduce the danger of transplanting-related root damage to seedlings.
If direct planting outdoors, plant four to six seeds per hill and thin to two to three seedlings. Transplanting Seedlings When transplanting, handle watermelon seedlings with extraordinary care. Their roots are quite delicate, so avoid disturbing the soil when removing them from their pots. After transplanting, protect the plants from pests by covering them with row covers.
Remember to remove the row covers after both male and female flowers have appeared on the vine, since pollinators will require access to the blossoms. Find much more in your own garden. Watering From the time of planting until fruit begins to develop, watering is vital.
While melons are developing, flowering, and fruiting, they require one to two inches of water every week. Keep soil wet, but not soggy. Water the base of the vine in the morning, avoiding soaking the leaves and watering from above. Reduce watering after fruit begins to develop. The melon that is produced in the driest climate is the sweetest.
Fertilizing If you prefer to fertilize (and many people do), ensure that the fertilizer has more nitrogen than phosphate and potassium, since this will promote leaf and vine development. However, after flowering has begun, apply a fertilizer containing less nitrogen to promote the development of flowers and fruit.
- We like to use a fertilizer derived from seaweed.
- Flowering and Bearing Fruit Male and female flowers are produced independently on the same plant by vines.
- Typically, male flowers develop several weeks before their female counterparts.
- Not to worry if the male blooms drop off.
- The female blooms (those with a bulbous base) will remain on the vine and produce fruit.
To produce fruit, blossoms require pollination; thus, be polite to bees! As fruit ripens, keep it from rotting by raising it carefully and placing cardboard or straw between it and the earth. General Care Tips Mulching the plants with black plastic or straw will serve numerous functions: it will warm the soil, inhibit growth, and keep growing fruits off the ground. In general, watermelon plants do not require pruning, however vine yield may be increased if lateral (side) vines are not allowed to develop and attach to the main vine.
When the plant is young, just remove the developing terminal buds (before the side shoots become vines). You can also pinch off some petals to concentrate the plant’s energies on a smaller number of melons (but it is difficult to harm a prospective fruit). Sugar Baby: maturity in 80 days Produces melons weighing 10 pounds with brilliant red flesh.
This smaller fruit type may be planted at 4 feet apart. “Sweet Beauty”: maturity in 80 days. A 2004 All-American pick. Bears 6-pound, oblong, red-fleshed melons. Golden Midget: maturity in 70 days. Bears 3-pound melons with yellow skin and pink flesh. Beneficial to northern gardeners.
How do you sow watermelon seeds optimally?
Requirements for Spacing – Plant watermelon in 12-inch-tall dirt hills that are at least 6 feet apart. Sow six to eight seeds per hill, then thin to three to four plants per hill. Sow watermelon seeds ½-inch deep. After sowing seeds on the hills, water them.
Watermelons may be produced from either direct planting or transplants. For transplants, start seeds inside around four to five weeks prior to the final frost. That suggests they should be planted in southern Georgia towards the end of February. This will be the end of March and beginning of April in northern Georgia.
- One to two seeds per container.
- Cover the seeds with soil or potting mix, and set them in a warm, well-lit area.
- Indoors, additional light may be necessary to support robust plant development and reduce legginess.
- Install lights 6 to 12 inches above the plants and leave them on for around 14 hours every day.
Utilize a thin mist to keep the soil and plants wet. Before transferring the plants into the garden, harden them off. This may be accomplished by exposing them to the elements for two or three days, but bringing them back inside each night. On the fourth day, expose them to the elements for 24 hours.
How many days does a watermelon take to mature?
Summer is incomplete without biting into a luscious piece of fresh watermelon. It is nearly impossible to have a BBQ or picnic without a platter since it is so refreshing on a hot day. But if you’ve only ever purchased watermelons from the grocery store, you’re severely losing out on flavor.
- Growing your own watermelons and allowing them to mature in the sun is a must for any genuine watermelon aficionado; they will be more flavorful and you may eat them directly from the garden.
- You only need a sunny space in your yard and some seeds to get started.
- Choosing the variety of watermelon to produce is the first step in cultivating juicy, delectable melons.
There are three primary types of watermelons: early season, main season, and seedless. Within these categories, you have the option of selecting red, pink, yellow, or orange flesh. Early-season watermelons are frequently referred to as icebox melons due to their little size, which allows them to fit neatly on a refrigerator shelf.
- It matures in the shortest length of time, around 70 to 75 days.
- Main-season watermelons are bigger and take longer to mature, often between 80 and 90 days.
- Watermelons without seeds are a fascinating example of plant genetics.
- Plant breeders manufacture seeds for watermelon plants that cannot produce their own seeds but can produce fruit when their flowers are pollinated by neighboring regular-seeded watermelons.
Seedless watermelons develop similarly to other varieties of watermelons, but because they are not using energy on creating seeds, they are often sweeter and their vines are more robust in the summer. Blaine Moats
