Watermelons

Watermelons need full sun, good air circulation, good drainage, and plenty of space to grow. They like a lot of water, so making sure the soil has plenty of humus is important, and keeping it moist is essential. Adding compost, fully cured manure, and leaves liberally to your soil before planting will help keep the soil moist, but not soggy. The larger watermelons take a long growing season, so if you live in an area where the growing season is relatively short, it would be best to stick with growing the smaller varieties.

Most people who live in areas with short growing seasons need to start their watermelons indoors. Planting the seeds in a little peat pot is recommended by most gardeners, that way there is far less transplant shock when they are planted outdoors. However, if you live where the growing season is long enough, planting directly in your garden is best. Planting can be done in hills eight to ten feet apart with four seeds per hill, and then thinning to two seedlings after they have germinated. Or you can plant them in rows ten feet apart with four to six inches between each seed, and then thinning seedlings to about a foot apart. For the smaller bush varieties, you can cut those spaces in half.

Knowing when to harvest watermelons is an art and takes time to develop. Basically, when the curly tendrils at the stem end of the plant dries and becomes brown, there is a deep thunk when the watermelon is thumped, and the bottom has turned a yellowish, creamy color, chances are pretty good it is ready to harvest. For the smaller bush varieties, you should allow 80 to 90 days, and for the larger kinds, allow 90 to 100 days to reach maturity.