Image Credit:
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Citrullus lanatus
Grown as
Toxicity
Sun Exposure
Water Needs
Height
Spread
Soil pH
Bloom Time
Flower Color
Special Features
Resilience
Plant Type
Planting
When to Plant Watermelons
- In cool climates with short growing seasons, start seeds indoors 2 to 3 weeks before your last frost date. Plan to transplant seedlings into the garden about 2 weeks after that date or when the soil has warmed to at least 65°F (18°C).
- In warmer climates with long growing seasons, sow seeds directly outdoors 1 to 2 weeks after your last frost date, as long as the soil temperature has warmed to at least 65°F (18°C).
- Young watermelon plants can also be bought from nurseries. Plant these after there is no longer a chance of frost; they are very tender. Watch the local forecast and err on the side of caution! Consider laying black plastic over your planting area to warm the soil even more.
- Tip: Starting with young plants can result in an earlier harvest (usually up to 2 weeks earlier), so consider buying young plants, particularly if you live in a cooler climate.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
- Amend soil with aged manure, seaweed, and/or compost before planting. Watermelons are heavy feeders, meaning they need soil that is fertile and has a high nutrient level. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
- Watermelons do best in loamy, somewhat sandy, well-drained soil. They can struggle in soil that contains too much clay and doesn’t drain well.
- Watermelons prefer a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.5 (“slightly acidic to neutral”).
- Watermelons need A LOT of space—up to 20 square feet per plant. Their vines need room to sprawl, so plant them in a place where they won’t crowd out other crops.
- Growing the vines in raised rows, known as hills, ensures good drainage and will hold the sun’s heat longer.
- Plan to space the plants 2-3 feet apart in a 5-foot-wide hill.
- If you’re growing in traditional rows, space them at least 6 feet apart.
How to Plant Watermelons
- Sow seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep outdoors or 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in seed-starting pots indoors.
- Tip: To allow for more root growth, use larger starting pots than you would for most seeds. Also, consider using compostable pots that can be cut away or planted directly in the garden, as this will minimize the risk of damaging seedlings’ tender roots during transplanting.
- If direct seeding outdoors, sow 4 to 6 seeds per hill, eventually thinning to 2 to 3 seedlings.
Transplanting Seedlings
- Handle watermelon seedlings with extreme care when you transplant. Their roots are very fragile, so try not to disturb the soil when removing them from pots.
- After transplanting, cover the plants with row covers to keep pests at bay. Remember to remove the row covers when you see both male and female flowers on the vine, as pollinators will need to access the flowers.
- Find even more tips for planting melons in your home garden.
Growing
Watering Watermelons
- Watering is very important—from planting until fruit begins to form. While melon plants are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
- Keep soil moist but not waterlogged. Water at the vine’s base in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves and avoid overhead watering. Reduce watering once fruit is growing. Dry weather produces the sweetest melon.
Fertilizing
- If you choose to fertilize (and many do), make sure it delivers more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium, as this will encourage leaf and vine growth. However, after flowering begins, use a fertilizer with less nitrogen to instead encourage flowers and fruit. We like to use a seaweed-based fertilizer.
Flowering and Fruiting
- Vines produce male and female flowers separately on the same plant. They often begin producing male flowers several weeks before the females appear. Do not be concerned if the male flowers fall off. The female flowers (which have a swollen bulb at the base) will stay on the vine and bear fruit.
- Blossoms require pollination to set fruit, so be kind to the bees!
- As the fruit is ripening, prevent rotting by gently lifting it and putting cardboard or straw between the fruit and the soil.
General Watermelon Care Tips
- Mulching with black plastic or straw around the plants will serve multiple purposes: it will warm the soil, hinder weed growth, and keep developing fruits off the soil.
- Pruning generally isn’t necessary for watermelon plants, but vine productivity may be improved if you do not allow lateral (side) vines to grow and stick to the main vine. When the plant is young, just cut off the end buds as they form (before the side shoots become vines). You can also pinch off some blossoms to focus the energy on fewer melons (though it’s challenging to kill off a potential fruit).
Types
- ‘Golden Midget’: 70 days to maturity. Bears petite, yellow-skinned, 3-pound melons with pink flesh. Good for northern gardeners.
- ‘Sugar Baby’: 80 days to maturity. Produces 10-pound melons with bright red flesh. This variety of smaller fruit can be planted just 4 feet apart.
- ‘Sweet Beauty’: 80 days to maturity. A 2004 All-America Selection. Bears 6-pound, oblong melons with red flesh.
Comments
Your write up is so educating, thank you. I'm interested in watermelon farming, how can I learn all I need to know about this? E.g . Best variaties of water melon, Favourable environment, Maturity period, Best farming seasons, Best fertilizers to be used, Planting methods e.t.c.
I live in Nigeria. I'll really appreciate your help in this regard. Thanks.
Ambrose Alufah
Many thanks for your kind words. Unfortunately, we can only give gardening advice for North America. The Old Farmer's Almanac is only published in the U.S. and Canada, hence our expertise. However, there is much information above about watermelon planting and growing which should apply to you, regardless of region. All the best.
Go to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds' website bakercreekseeds.com and they have a huge variety and all the information you could use. Also I'd say don't transplant your watermelons, squash and melons of all kinds like to stay put.
I am watermellon farmer i live in warri delta state nigeria. No variaty is bad it depends on ur kind of soil dare4 test
Good day Mr.Ugochukwu Ekeruche. Can I contact you? I'm just starting the watermelon farming near Warri.
You can contact me via 08059067489 or via WhatsApp on 08055330844.
I am from the southern part of Nigerian, please I am interested in this watermelon farming and I need advice and guidance as to the following
1. Best variaties of water melon
2. Favourable environment
3. Maturity period
4. Best farming seasons
5. Best fertilizers to be used
6. Planting methods
7. Any other things I need to know
Thanks ...
Nosa Uyi
Dangoteofbenin@gmail.com
I am interested in growing watermelon, cucumber, okra, tomato and carrot so I am looking for any practical guide on organic farming resource with direct link to were the seeds can be sourced.
Thanks
Is there anything wrong if i plant water melon in November
There is nothing "wrong" with planting watermelon in November if you can be certain that summer conditions will prevail for the next 100-or-so days (the number of days to maturity will appear on the seed packet). If you are entering the winter season, now is not the time to plant watermelon outdoors.
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Plan to fertilize with a general all-purpose produce when seedlings emerge, making sure to get it to the roots (use liquid, not solid fertilizer). Liquid seaweed fertilizer can be applied after leaves appear and once flowers emerge. Watermelons also benefit from nitrogen when vines begin to take off and when fruit appears. Use a 33-0-0, well diluted. Stop nitrogen applications when fruit has set and replace it with something high in phosphorus and potassium. Read more about these essential beneficial ingredients—and more—here: http://www.almanac.com/content/preparing-soil-planting