Growing Watermelons

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Watermelons

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Everyone seems to love juicy watermelon in the summertime. Native to Africa, melons need warm temperatures (up to 80°F during the day) and a long growing season.

Gardeners in colder climates can still have success in growing watermelon vines by starting seeds indoors and choosing short-season varieties. Days to maturity range from 70 to 90, depending on the variety.

Planting

If you live in warmer climes, you can sow seeds directly outdoors, but wait until the soil temperature warms to at least 70°F to avoid poor germination.
Watermelon vines are very tender and should not be transplanted until all danger of frost has passed. (To be safe, wait at least two weeks past your last frost date.)
If you are in a cooler zone, start seeds indoors about a month before transplanting.
Amend soil with aged manure, seaweed, and/or compost before planting. Watermelons are heavy feeders. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
Watermelons prefer a soil pH between 6 and 6.8.
Growing the vines in raised rows, known as hills, ensures good drainage and will hold the sun’s heat longer. Space the plants about 2 feet apart in a 5-foot-wide hill.
If you’re growing in rows, space 6 feet by 6 feet apart.
Watermelons like loamy, well-drained soil. Handle them gently when you transplant.
After you transplant, cover the plants with row covers to keep pests at bay. You’ll remove the row covers when you see both male and female flowers on the vine.
Find even more tips for planting watermelon in your home garden.

Care

Mulching with black plastic will serve multiple purposes: it will warm the soil, hinder weed growth, and keep developing fruits clean.
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 are growing. Dry weather produces the sweetest melon.
If you choose to fertilize (and many do), make sure it delivers more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium. However, after flowering begins, use a fertilizer with less nitrogen. We like to use liquid seaweed.
Pruning isn’t necessary, 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 a challenge to kill off a potential fruit).
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 fruit is ripening, prevent rotting by gently lifting it and putting cardboard or straw between the fruit and the soil.

Pests/Diseases

Harvest/Storage

Watermelons don’t sweeten after they are picked, so harvest time is important. They generally ripen over two weeks so keep your eye on them.

Dr. Bill Rhodes, professor of horticulture at Clemson University, offers the following advice on how to tell if watermelons are ripe:

Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow, it’s ripe.
Look at the color on the top. The watermelon is ripe when there is little contrast between the stripes.
Look at the color on the bottom. A green watermelon will have a white bottom; a ripe melon will have a cream- or yellow-colored bottom.
Press on it. If the watermelon sounds like it gives a little, it’s ripe. (Rhodes doesn’t like this method because it can ruin the quality of the fruit.)
Check the tendril. If it’s green, wait. If it’s half-dead, the watermelon is nearly ripe or ripe. If the tendril is fully dead, it’s ripe or overripe; it’s not going to get any riper, so you might as well pick!
Stems should be cut with a sharp knife close to the fruit.
Watermelons can be stored uncut for about 10 days. If cut, they can last in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Wrap tightly in plastic.

Recommended Varieties

‘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.
‘Golden Midget’: 70 days to maturity. Bears petite, yellow-skinned 3-pound melons with pink flesh. Good for Northern gardeners.

Wit & Wisdom

What’s in a name? Watermelon is 90% water.

The pumpkin vine never bears watermelons.

August 3 is National Watermelon Day (U.S.)!

Recipes

Reader Comments

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Watermelon plants should be

Watermelon plants should be spaced 3 to 5 feet apart.

I am in the southern part of

I am in the southern part of Nigeria, i planted watermelon and it started well, but after producing fruit, It started rusting and some are even cracking. Please what can i do to prevent these terrible damage to my farm? at least almost 45 percent of the fruits are affected, please help.

It sounds like charcoal rot.

It sounds like charcoal rot. There are no effective controls for this fungus. Try altering irrigation to prevent water stress. This may alleviate the problem.

First looks like you don't

First looks like you don't give enough water and food to them, you must prepare you soil before planting, make a canal about 1 feet deep x 2 feet wide, start with manure mix with hay or grass, then put some sand and after mix good dirt with compost, try to make elevated beds for them about a feet high you can plant 4 plants in a 9 feet bed in between you can plant beans or peas to feed the grown, then live 9 feet free where you can plant other crops, and again 4 watermelons in a 9 feet bed, if you need more information about Poly Culture feel free to contact me B r o t h e r a y i n j e s u s at p r i e s t dot c o m I will be more than happy to help you! I hope this tip help a lot of people. The Peace of Our Good Lord Be with You All!

We live in Central fl, and

We live in Central fl, and planted jubilee water melons in grow box's. have 3 and 4 vines in both box's.
Have lots of fruit the size of quarters now, doing well. The leaves are looking a little dry and some look wilted. We water 2 times a day down the tubes. When planting we added a rather large row of slow release Fertilizer down the middle. Do I need to do any thing else?

Make sure the water is at the

Make sure the water is at the proper level (including, not too high). Watermelons may wilt during the heat of the day, but should perk back up at night. If not, check for pests such as aphids or squash bugs, or the squash vine borer. Fusarium wilt can also cause vines to wilt at midday, with leaf margins drying, but hopefully that's not the case with your plants. As the plants grow, they will need support--provide trellising, and support the fruit as it grows.

i have about three acres of

i have about three acres of watermelon can be able to get a good market were i can sale at once.

Are Carlina cross sweet

Are Carlina cross sweet melon.? 1st time farmer

Carolina Cross is a giant

Carolina Cross is a giant watermelon. You can see an example on www.burpee.com/

I live here in South Florida,

I live here in South Florida, Zone 10,
I planted watermelon 1 month ago, March, I have a nice vine growing now. How much direct sun should this plant get? Should I have it grow on the ground or set up a trellis?

Watermelons grow in full Sun

Watermelons grow in full Sun and love hot, humid weather and light, moist, fertile, well-draining soil. During harvest, watermelons must be shaded from burning sunlight to minimize heating and sunburn. The dense leaves help provide that shade.
Many people just grow the melons on the ground, however trellising would improve air circulation and reduce disease problems. If growing melons on a trellis, support fruit with slings made from netting, fabric, or pantyhose. Choose a smaller-fruited variety for trellising.

I have planted water melons

I have planted water melons at the Kenyan coast.They're turning yellow before even growing fruits.What can i do to remedy this?

Newbie here. Have started

Newbie here. Have started seedlings indoors and done built our raised boxes. Live outside of Houston Texas. We have 4 4x4 boxes, and We did kind of a wrap around box that is 8 ft on left and right and 24 feet in the back but 2 ft wide. Wanting to know best place to plant what where. I am doing watermelon and cantaloupe. was hoping the long 24 ft but 2 feet wide with maybe a trellises on the back would be enough room but doubting myself. Cucumbers I thought would go in its own 4x4 box. And then we also have tomatoes, onions, broccoli, carrots, green beans. I am maybe wanting to do another box of undecided size for strawberries, and maybe blueberries if they grow well here. My boyfriend, wants to get the miracle grow soil, and I want reassurance that is enough fertilizer and whatever is needed to use for soil and I am digging up the ground beneath the boxes to get rocks,grass and roots out. And we are going to use newspaper and cardboard to line in between. Anything you see that I shouldn't do or make any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance. :)

You can use trellises for the

You can use trellises for the vining melons and the cucumbers. Just be aware that the melons may need extra support when the fruit starts developing. Cucumbers will do well on a trellis. Mix compost and/or aged manure into the soil in the raised beds. Make sure that the soil drains well. During the growing season you can add more compost or use fertilizers for the specific needs of the different veggies and berries. Note that blueberries need acidic soil.
almanac.com/content/raised-garden-beds-how-build has more information about raised bed gardening.

I grow using raised square

I grow using raised square foot gardening methods as well. I use 1 melon per foot. I do clip side vines and try to keep to 2 vines max per plant. I made some adjustments to my beds. My melon beds have an 8 foot tall trellis made with three 2x4s and chicken wire. A cattle panel would work well too. The net fell last year due to weight of the melons. The 2 foot bed will be fine. I wrap my vine up, over, down, then back up again tying the vine gently every few inches for support. A cattle panel would probably allow you to wind the vine in and out, but I used what I had. I get better results with the stronger trellis. I wouldn't go more than 4 feet without a 2x4. We helped our friends put together their square foot garden beds and they bent the cattle panels over from one bed to another in an arch and planted shade loving veggies under it. Works well. Slanting it would help support fruit too. Hope this gives you some ideas.

What is the best soil for

What is the best soil for growing watermelons? I hear sandy type soil, but I never heard anyone mention the names of the soil, and where it can be purchased? Example, can you give me an example of sandy type soil? What other minerals need to be added?

Thanks.

Hi Matt, Watermelons like

Hi Matt,

Watermelons like rich soil that drains well. Amend the soil with aged manure or compost before planting. If you have clay soil you can mix some sand into it. Watermelons are heavy feeders and prefer a soil pH between 6 and 6.8.

I live in kenya, coast

I live in kenya, coast province, specifically kilifi. I want to plant watermelon. when is the right time to do that

the right time would be just

the right time would be just before the end of the short rains to allow for germination and early vegetative growth using available rainwater .
For more info contact me at siyulesi@gmail.com. Am in Kitale Kenya working as an agronomist.

approximadetly how many

approximadetly how many watermelon plants can you grow in 1 acre of land how many fruits does each plant harvest ,thank you

The fruit size of a

The fruit size of a watermelon varies from 5 to 30 pounds, depending on variety. See this page for more information about producing watermelons for market:
http://extension.psu.edu/busin...

I am presently in Nigeria and

I am presently in Nigeria and about to start watermelon for the first time. Is this the right time for me to start planting. Here we have two seasons(Rainy season and Dry Season). We are presently in the dry season when we have much sunlight and higher temperature. is it compulsory I have to raise them in the nursery before transplanting them?

i grew my mellons five days

i grew my mellons five days ago,which pesticides should i use and when.

Does underground salty water

Does underground salty water suitable for watering watermelon?

No . They will not grow if

No . They will not grow if the water has too much salt . Even ground water .

i hope you will answer

I am planning on planting

I am planning on planting water melon here in Kenya however my concern is the climate of the area i want to farm. Its at the foot of Mt. Kenya and the temperatures are very low and especially during the rainy season. Generally its a cold place. Would watermelons do well in such climate? What advice would you give to a first time farmer like me and considering the climate i intend to work under.

Thank you. Will be grateful for the feedback.

No . Watermelons want a warm

No . Watermelons want a warm climate ..21-37 c. If you would like to grow a crop there . Just tell me a few things about your farm . Exposure when is you longest day of the year . When is your rainy season . When is your dry season water source ? Flat or hillside ? Mark

I would like to see the video

I would like to see the video on the square watermelon, or how , or what to use to make it that way...

Hi I'm trying growing

Hi I'm trying growing watermelons in the greenhouse in Kenya.The most obvious challenge here is limited space.After my first harvest,I realized I have to invest heavily in pruning.An experiment I carried out on the same revealed that watermelon can actually be made to have two stages of growth,i.e primary and secondary stage.I am still working on the research that is aimed to produce nothing but extra large fruits for competition.
I just needed to know if you can help me with some tips,please.