How to grow watermelons? There are 3 basics you need which are space, good soil and optimum temperatures. Growing watermelons is not really the best choice for small home vegetable gardens, but if you have the space, definitely give it a go!
The other problem with growing watermelons is that for all the hard work you are going to put into them the nutritional value is low (except for the seeds) and they are susceptible to many pests and diseases.
In the first year that I grew watermelons I made the mistake of using seeds I had saved from a shop bought melon. The problem with this is that you are almost guarenteed that the melons in shops are hybrids. So when my watermelon creepers had made flowers, they never formed fruit. This was so disheartening for us all when we had pictured all these lovely melons to eat on hot summer days.
Be sure to purchase open pollinated heirloom seeds. This means that you will be able to harvest your seeds and use them again, and never have to buy seed again…that’s the beauty of heirloom seeds.
Watermelon seeds can be sown directly in your area that you have set aside. Make sure your soil is enriched with compost and other well rotted organic matter. You can also add bonemeal and volcanic rock dust to the area and dig it in. Sow two seeds to a hole and choose the strongest to develop.How to grow watermelons – planting
All melons like full sun and and continuous warmth for a long period. Sow in spring as soon as the soil is warming. Once the seeds have germinated pinch out to get 4 true leaves. They will begin to trail, just let them go and let the bees and other insects do their work.
How to grow watermelons – long term care
Watermelons are a greedy crop. You will need to feed them often during summer for good fruit setting. Purchase some SEAGRO or other seaweed solution and feed the watermelons at root level. You can also make some liquid feed with chicken manure. Never let your plants dry out in the heat, but do try and water at root level not with a sprinkler so that you discourage powdery mildew from forming.
If you notice that your fruits are not developing you have a problem with either no bees to pollinate or too little water. You can hand pollinate your flowers with a Q-tip after you have identified the male and female flowers. Male flowers are much smaller than the female flowers. Do this first thing in the morning for best results. We spent many a morning playing honey bee with our other squashes.
Harvesting Watermelons
There are all sorts of coloration pointers to look for to see whether your watermelons are ripe, but you can also determine this by knocking the fruit with your knuckle and listening for a hollow sound. You can then cut the melon from the creeper with a sharp knife.
Quick Notes
When to plant: Early spring.
How many plants: 2 seeds to a hole. About 5 plants should be planted over a large area
How long to harvest: 12 – 16 weeks from sowing.
Successive planting: You may only have time for one planting.
WATERMELON RECIPE
Nothing is better than fresh cold crunchy watermelons as a snack. But you can also serve it in fruit salad with ice cream for a summer desert.
If you have an abundance of berries you can blend the berries and watermelon and pour them into lolly moulds to have a frozen berry and watermelon lolly.
