Home Grown Watermelon

                  How to Grow Watermelon

                 Online Fact Sheet By Abigal Gordon

Watermelons are available in many sizes, shapes, and colors. The shapes vary from round to oblong, with colors ranging from light green to almost black. The fruit skin color can be solid, striped, or marbled. The edible portion of the flesh can be yellow, pink, pink-red, bright red, or deep red. An additional choice of seeded vs. seedless is also available.  And don't forget National Watermelon Day - August 3rd

 

Planting Watermelon Irrigating Watermelon Fertilizing Watermelon Watermelon Varieties		Diseases & Common Pests Harvesting Watermelon References
	Melons for the Passionate Grower  ... "There's more to the world of melons than just the cantaloupe and honeydew, but this may not be true for long: many varieties are "on the brink of extinction," according to cultivator and collector GoldmanThis handsome volume documents unusual types of melon like the Collective Farm Woman (originally from Ukraine) and the serpent-shaped Snake melon with lavish color photos and playful descriptions. Goldman also instructs readers on how to pollinate, grow and harvest these plants; includes a list of commercial sources.." Publishers Weekly

 

 

Planting     

Watermelon is very susceptible to frost damage,  it requires a long growing season with relatively high temperatures. Daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees F and nighttime temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees F are ideal. Select a site with Full Sun , no shade, or minimal shade.

Gardeners in northern areas should choose early varieties and use transplants. Mulching also promotes earliness by warming the soil .

Plant after the soil is warm and when all danger of frost is past. Watermelons grow best on a sandy loam soil, although yields on clay soils can be increased significantly by mulching raised planting rows.

As watermelon require a relatively long/warm growing season it is advisable to start your seedlings indoors, and transplant into your garden when frost danger has disappeared.

Start the seeds inside 3 weeks before they are to be set out in the garden. Plant 2 or 3 seeds in peat pellets, peat pots or cell packs  and thin to the best one or two plants.

Transplanted watermelons will mature 10 to 12 days earlier than plants that are direct-seeded. Use of seedless varieties, is recommended if you are not seed saving The seed-coat of seedless varieties adheres tightly to the cotyledons, so place seeds with the point up when starting transplants.

 

 

Watering  

Watering is critical in growing watermelons. The key time to water is from the time the fruit begins to form until it is half-grown. Excessive watering too close to harvesting of watermelon will reduce the sugar content and cause the fruit to have hollow centers. Inexpensive Water timer systems are available.

Fertilizing
When setting out transplants, apply a common starter solution.
For sandy loam soils or coarser soils apply  fertilizer based on soil tests {See Soil pH} when the watermelon vines begin to spread about.

 If heavy rainfall occurs early in the season apply an extra side dressing.

 

Varieties

There are dozens of varieties of Melons both heirloom and hybrid  Ambrosia Melons , Amish Melons, Amur Melons, Anne Arundel Melons, Densuke Melons, Ein Dor Melons, Fastbreak Melons, Osage Melons, Planter's Jumbo Melons, Summer Melons, Tokyo King Melons, Vert Grimpant Melons, Babáco Melons, Banana Melons, Blue Ridge Melons, Bolero Melons, Butterscotch Melons, Cassabanana Melons, Emerald Gem Melons, Emerald Jewel Melons, Emerald Pearl Melons, Honeyball Melons, Horned Melons, Kharbuza Melons, Lambkin Melon , Pineapple Melons, Sharlyn Melons, Sprite Melons, Winter Melons , Yellow Melons, Yubari Melons ....

The following are my personal favorites, you of course may prefer to scan any of the many online nurseries and seed catalogs.

Standard Varieties			Novelty Varieties
Sugar Baby Watermelon Sweet, fine-textured, medium-red flesh. The round, 12 lb., dark green skinned melons grow 8 in. across.			'Yellow Baby' Watermelon Rated best in taste tests,  Naturally self-pollinating and almost entirely seedless. Tolerates cooler weather.
Black Diamond Watermelon Produces 40 to 75 lb watermelons if properly cared for. It has very flavorful bright red flesh. Tough rind helps fruit from bruising.			Moon & Stars Watermelon yellow dots on black skin  red fruit. Resembles a very large Eggplant with yellow dots.
'Charleston Gray' Watermelon This old favorite produces fruits up to 2 feet long and weigh up to 16kg (35lbs). Gray-green rind with succulent, crisp, red, fiberless flesh. Resistant to fusarium wilt and anthracnose.			Densuke Melons - Actually this will be my first season attempting to grow this melon it is also known as Hokkaido Black .  A Japanese man recently bought one at Auction for $6100
Mexican Miniature Watermelon Not a true Watermelon, more closely related to cucumbers but have the appearance of miniature watermelons. A sweet cucumber flavor, contrasted by a mild sour pickle taste - bizarre but good .
Seed & Nursery Catalogs

 

 

Diseases Common to Watermelon  

Fusarium wilt Watermelons is attacked by Fusarium wilt at all stages of development. Seeds may decay in the soil. Seedlings wilt collapse and die before or after emergence. Older plants wilt, wither, and die any time during the growing season.  If melons do form, it is generally small and unpalatable. Wilting of runners usually progresses slowly, showing initially during the midday heat . Such plants recover at night, but after a few days they wilt permanently and die. Favored by soil temperatures around 80 F, a low soil pH, Fusarium wilt is more common in southern latitudes.   See : UC Pest Management Guidelines Fusarium Wilt (Watermelon)

Anthracnose Very destructive disease of watermelons and other curcubits. Anthracnose attacks all above-ground parts of the plant. Watermelon can be infected at any stage of development, however, disease symptoms are first noticed as round to angular reddish brown spots on older leaves. Spots may later dry, turn almost black and tear out, giving a leaf a ragged appearance. Often the leaves at the center of the plant are killed first, leaving the stem and a portion of the runners bare. See Also: NC State Watermelon Disease Handbook

Gummy Stem Blight  Causes damping off, crown rot, leaf spot, stem canker, and fruit rot of watermelons. Lesions on the cotyledons and leaves are round or irregular and brown in color. Lesions on the crown and stem are brown and turn white as they age. Early infection usually comes from diseased seeds. As the season advances, gummy stem blight attacks vines causing elongated, water soaked areas that become light brown to gray. Cankers are most common near the crown of the plant. Gum oozes from the stem cracks, and runners usually die one at a time. Gummy Stem Blight generally does not cause fruit rot in watermelons. See Also: Gummy Stem Blight and Phoma Blight on Cucurbits

Blossom End Rot  can be caused by a calcium deficiency and occurs frequently on acid soils or during stress periods on soils with seemingly sufficient calcium. Recommended treatment Blossom-End Rot Control

Watermelon mosaic virus Caused by two distinct viruses referred to as Watermelon Mosaic Number I and Watermelon Mosaic Number II [How clever!]. The most common symptom is mottling of the leaf, some plants are stunted with abnormally shaped leaves.  The diseases is usually spread by aphids which can spread through an entire planting during the growing season.

Common Pests  Aphids Worms - wireworms, cutworms, and pickle worms Beetles -Cucumber Beetles Mites - red spider mites Vegetable leafminer - Colorless to bright yellow maggot, up to 3 mm long, with pointed head; makes serpentine mines in leaves; each mine slightly enlarged at one end Nematodes - microscopic worms which live in the soil and feed on the host plants roots preventing the the plants from taking up the nutrients they need to grow . Some forms of nematodes are highly beneficial , while others can wreak total destruction . Tomato plant nematodes are prevalent throughout North America, but they are most damaging to tomato plants in the Southern regions of the US. Sharpshooter Natural Insecticide Citric acid destroys the wax coating of the insect's respiratory system. When applied directly, the insect suffocates. Sharpshooter is biodegradable. Persons with known citrus allergies may be affected. Do not spray on red mature fruits.  Effective on most insects including aphids, beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, earwigs, flies, gnats, lacebugs, leafhoppers, loopers, mites, moths, snails/slugs, mosquitoes, whiteflies Hot Pepper Wax repels bugs from your plants, fruits and flowers.  100% natural spray uses pepper extract and wax to effectively discourage pests. Helps to reduce stress on cuttings. See Pest Control for more extensive data

 

Weed Control 

Weed control in Watermelon is critical primarily in the watermelon plants early early stages. Once the plant is healthy and established it should be dominating the area . Cultivate shallowly near roots , very shallow.

See: Weeds: Control Without Poisons

 

 

Harvesting Watermelon

Determining optimum maturity of a watermelon can be difficult
Many home gardeners experience difficulty in determining when watermelons are ripe. Use a combination of the following indicators: (1) light green, curly tendrils on the stem near the point of attachment of the melon usually turn brown and dry; (2) the surface color of the fruit turns dull; (3) the skin becomes resistant to penetration by the thumbnail and is rough to the touch; and (4) the bottom of the melon (where it lies on the soil) turns from light green to a yellowish color. These indicators for choosing a ripe watermelon are much more reliable than "thumping" the melon with a knuckle. Many watermelons do not emit the proverbial "dull thud" when ripe. For these, the dull thud may indicate an over-ripe, mushy melon.

Harvest watermelons when: the stem starts to shrivel, the underside yellows and you when you knock the melon you get a dull, hollow sound - sometimes.
 

References

The Organic Home Garden: How to Grow Fruits and Vegetables Naturally

Garden Wisdom: Traditional Tips for Making Your Garden Grow

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