Make room for the sweet crunch of watermelons. They can even be coaxed to grow up trellises in smaller gardens.
On a hot summertime afternoon , we did n’t require much more than the nicety of a mimosa tree and a watermelon to stay put coolheaded . My grandad would split up one capable , spear up the flesh with his fingers , and take out out a chunk . We ate it with our hands and were n’t afraid to make a plenty . Citrullus vulgaris and I were a dear match made in heaven — literally it turns out . Little did I know then that I would grow up to marry a watermelon granger whose category has grow the fruits for the past 90 long time .
Though it would be easy enough to work house watermelon from the field , we enjoy growing them in the garden beside the house . raising has reduce watermelons ’ demand for luxuriousness berths in the garden . As you will see , they can even be trellis . When you pick and eat a perfectly good watermelon vine from your own garden , you will understand the substance of dwelling house - grown fun .
The origins of the watermelon
Whence watermelons came remain a botanical conundrum . Southern Italy , the source of so much good feeding , delight for a time the position of chief defendant as the original abode . The case could not be closed because the region harbor no wild Citrullus vulgaris plant life .
In 1850 , explorer David Livingstone called attention to Africa by report a great haven of wild watermelons in the Kalahari Desert . Claims from other regions can be found as well , though most sources repoint to Africa first . Origins away , these stiff and obese fruit have been bear across the continent and sea , with good understanding . Mark Twain proffered a fine line for the fruit ’s star - spangled popularity . “ When one has taste it , he knows what the holy person corrode . ”
Finding time and space
No getting around it , the 25 - pound . behemoths such as ‘ Crimson Sweet ’ , a orotund , red - fleshed melon vine with dark light-green stripes , and ‘ Royal Majesty ’ , also red - fleshed but oblong , call for 6 foot . by 4 foot . garden plots for each plant .
On the other handwriting , icebox watermelon such as ‘ Sugar Baby ’ , a pear-shaped , red - fleshed fruit with a very dark green hide , and ‘ Yellow Doll ’ , with its namesake flesh and low-cal dark-green peel , are perfectly suitable for small garden . They ’ll do fine with 2 ft . by 4 ft . spaces per plant and bend out fruits of 5 lb . to 18 lb .
you’re able to tighten the quarter a minute more with a bush type Citrullus vulgaris , such as ‘ Garden Baby ’ . These compact vine necessitate just a 2 ft . by 2 ft . spot and can even be acquire in a large container on a patio .
Although a tender - climate craw , watermelons can be maturate in northern surface area if you have the correct variety . Icebox types like ‘ Sugar Baby ’ , ‘ Yellow Doll ’ , ‘ Tiger Baby ’ , and ‘ Garden Baby ’ mature in 75 to 85 daylight , which should be enough time for a bountiful harvest time . The large watermelons typically take 85 to 95 solar day to mature . On the Delmarva peninsula , we set about cull watermelon vine around July 4 and continue through early to mid - September , harvest two or three fruit per plant . But it wo n’t devote to race watermelon vine seed into the ground when it ’s coolheaded . The plant life will just idle until fond weather arrives .
Get fruit faster with transplants
Sources For Watermelon Seed
Harris Seeds355 Paul RoadP.O. Box 24966Rochester , NY 14624-0966877-892-9197www.harrisseeds.com
Twilley Seed Company121 Gary RoadHodges , SC 29653800-622-7333www.twilleyseed.com
Willhite Seed Inc. PO Box 23Poolville , TX 76487800-828-1840www.willhiteseed.com
Liberty Seed CompanyPO Box 806 , New Philadelphia , OH 44663 ; 330/364- 1611
transplantation are great because the plants will conduct watermelons about a hebdomad preferably than their direct - seed vis-a-vis . set forth seed four weeks before you plan to found in the garden . Many types of containers work , as long as they have good drainage . Those that are 2 in . across are ideal and make well - rooted seedling that will take off after transplanting .
Watermelon seed germinates well at temperatures of 70˚ to 95˚F and take four to six days to emerge . Harden off graft by reducing the absolute frequency of lacrimation to slow emergence , and move the plant life to an area with cooler temperature for about a week . transplant ready for the garden will be 4 in . to 5 in . tall , with two or three true leaves . Set them out in well - run out stain . Watermelon plants do n’t like “ wet feet ” and are great candidates for elevate beds .
Seedless fruits take special effort . Seedless watermelons , which , despite the name , do contain subdued , ashen source , do n’t farm their own pollen . They ask the company of a pollenizer , which can be any sown variety . Every third industrial plant in a row of seedless watermelon should be a sown variety . prefer a pollenizer with different surface marking so it ’s easier to tell at piece time which have seeds and which do not .
With seedless diversity , I specially favour transplants . The seeded player are expensive , 15 penny to 17 cents each , and they are fussy about germinating . The seed coat tends to cohere to the cotyledon and needs to be removed so growth is n’t handicap . Whatever supererogatory work is involved , though , is deserving it to me because I bonk the taste of these melon vine and I do n’t have to pick out the seeds for my shaver .
Proper nutrition depends on watering
Watermelons require steady lacrimation throughout the season , at least 1 in . per week . Blossom remnant bunk , stimulate by a calcium inadequacy during fruit development , can be a problem . Maintaining the proper soil wet attain Ca available when it ’s needed .
Watermelons are weighty self-feeder and may need a boost for just development if you do n’t have rich grease . Laying down 3 lb . of 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer or the organic equivalent per 100 sq . ft . just prior to planting would not be out of line of work . A minuscule side cut back when the vines set about to run and a little more after the first fruit is harvested may be in social club as well .
Even behemoth face attacks . The best defense against watermelon woes , such as gluey stem blight , is planting disease - tolerant miscellanea , rotate crops , and spacing plants to permit good air circulation .
Do n’t mistake a scandalmongering dapple on the top of the melon for disease . It ’s sunburn , and if you see it , just cover the fruit with a basket or cloth .
As for worm , keep an middle out for cucumber beetle . They do the most equipment casualty ahead of time in the time of year when plants are young and susceptible .
Halos for Watermelons
In 1850 , adventurer David Livingstone called attention to Africa by reporting a great oasis of wild watermelon in the Kalahari Desert . Claims from other region can be found as well , though most sources aim to Africa first .
descent aside , these wet and weighty fruits have been gestate across the continents and seas , with good reason .
Mark Twain proffered a fine cable for the fruit ’s star topology - bespangle popularity . “ When one has tasted it , he knows what the holy man eat . ”
Pull watermelons out of thin air
If you ’re wonder what you ’d have to push out of your garden to make room for watermelons , do n’t despair . All you need to do is educate your watermelon to go up . As the vines , which should be about two feet apart , begin to run , send them up a sturdy trellis . You will need to tie the runners to the treillage , since watermelon vine are not innate crampoon .
Once the plants set fruit , stick out the burgeon melons with slings , which can be made with cheesecloth , nylon stockings , or older tetraiodothyronine - shirt . If the triangular bandage whole covers the yield , it provide protection from insects . In addition to lay aside place , trellising improves air circulation and help forbid disease .
Of course , trellis requires more work than just let the vines ply over the ground . And the flowers of trellised plants are more prostrate to drop in a stiff wind before the fruit sets . But if you ’re up for a challenge , or stymied over how to upstage the neighbors ’ Lycopersicon esculentum , harvesting a trellised watermelon may be just the trick .
Tips for growing watermelon
•Watermelons arise well in well - drained grease with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.• Form planting mounds about 3 in . tall and 12 in . to 18 in . wide to improve drainage.• To lineal ejaculate , plant two ejaculate 1 in . late in each pitcher’s mound and thin to one plant after they have at least two leaves.• meliorate development by controlling weeds with cultivation , which also helps aerate roots .
How to tell when they’re ready
Although determining the optimum adulthood of a watermelon can be hard , the plant provides clues . First , scrutinize the curly tendril near where the watermelon attaches at the stem . It should be utter or brown .
secondly , turn the melon on its side and audit the belly . The underside of the watermelon should be creamy - white for seeded varieties and golden yellowness for seedless varieties .
Third , thump . A ripe melon should cede a deep , low - pitch sound . This has always been a democratic mode to discover ripeness , but I have found it take a lot of experience to truly narrate the right sound .
Brilliantly colored and dripping with sweet juice, a perfectly ripe watermelon is a refreshing summer treat.
And finally , if you ’ll observe , watermelon vine have a glossy , burnished green color on the outside as they grow . When the Citrullus vulgaris matures , this coloring will muffle . This method of fix ripeness also charter practice , and it amazes me to watch my father - in - police force harvest home watermelons . He can stand up at a distance and tell you if the watermelon is ripe or not . He rag me because , although I have had quite a second of experience harvesting , I still check for the brown tendril and the coloration of the abdomen to be sure it ’s ready .
— Tracy Wootten of Galestown , Maryland , is an farming researcher at the University of Delaware .
Photo / Illustration : Andre Baranowski .
A flower forms on a watermelon vine.
FromKitchen Gardener # 16
Learn more:
Video : How to foot a Ripe Citrullus vulgaris
How to Grow Sweet Watermelons
Make Room for ‘ Moon and Stars ’ …
Cllimbing is learned behavior. Watermelons don’t climb by habit, but once shown the way they can rise with the best.
Watermelon Carving Ideas
okay Gardening advocate Products
Hasegawa Tripod Ladder
Watermelons rest easy in hammocks. Swelling fruits will definitely need support on the trellis, and an old T-shirt makes a perfect sling. A sling supports the heavy melons as they ripen.
Fine horticulture have a perpetration for items purchased through connection on this site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Chapin International 10509 Upside - Down Trigger Sprayer
Get our latest tips , how - to article , and instructional videos mail to your inbox .
Signing you up …
Related Articles
How to Grow the Best Watermelon From Seed
How to Harvest Watermelons
How to Care for Watermelons
How to Plant Watermelon
conjoin Fine horticulture for a free engaging live webinar feature Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant pathologist as well as prof emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals expert manager …
When I spotted a particular sand dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …
When we only prioritize plant life we want over plant our landscape painting pauperization , each time of year is filled with a never - ending list of chores : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , rectify , and fertilizing , with …
A perfectly ripe melon is sweet and juicy.
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you get into the backyard of garden interior designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - fail by a pair …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access member get more
sign up up for afree trialand get admittance to ALL our regional content , plus the rest of the member - only subject library .
Start Free Trial
Get all over site access to expert advice , regional content , and more , plus the photographic print magazine .
Start your FREE run
Already a member?access
