NE OF THE GREAT PLEASURES of gardening is growing your own watermelon, chilling it, and eating it on a hot summer day. Thanks to plant breeders, there are now many varieties that will mature even in northern climates.

Most varieties are ripe when the stem that attaches the melon to the vine becomes brown and crisp. Try piercing the melon skin with your fingernail. If this is easy to do, the melon is most likely ripe.

Another clue comes from melon skin color. The spot where the melon touches the ground is usually yellow when ripe, and the upper side of the skin becomes a bit more shiny.

Old-timers swore they could tell if a melon was ripe simply by giving it a sharp rap. If thumping produces a dull, hollow thud, the melon is ripe. A higher ringing sound means the fruit is still green.

If you're raising your watermelon up north, the arrival of cold weather may be the final arbiter of ripeness. Get your melons in before the first frost, cross your fingers, and cut one open. If they're not dead ripe, you can always turn them into pickles.