How to Grow Watermelons

Do you want to grow watermelons, but you have a shorter growing season? There are varieties that ripen in a shorter amount of time.

Latin Name: Citrullis lanatus
Plant Family: Cucurbit (Cucurbitaceae)
Warm-season crop

Did You Know?

Eating a big, juicy slice of watermelon is the quintessential summertime experience. It used to be that only gardeners with long growing seasons could produce these luscious melons but that isn’t the case anymore. Today, there are many cultivars that produce mature melons in the same time it takes to grow a cantaloupe. Follow my tips below for getting them off to a great start.

Plant Seeds or Seedlings? Direct-sow seeds in the garden or start seeds indoors 2 weeks prior to transplanting them out in the garden.

When: After all danger of frost has passed.

Days to Germination: 7 to 10 days

Depth to Sow: 1 inch. Plant seeds with the pointed end facing downward for the best germination.

Spacing: Plant seeds or seedlings 2 feet apart.

Days to Maturity: 70 to 100 days

Cultural Information:

To grow watermelons, prepare bed prior to planting by adding compost and bonemeal to the top 3 inches of the soil. Watermelons grow on vining plants so give them room to wander a bit.

Once planted, cover the seeds or seedlings with floating row cover to provide them with a warm, greenhouse-like environment. Remove the cover after 2 to 3 weeks, before the plants start blooming. That way, pollinators can access those blossoms. Water the plants regularly.

Here’s a tip if you want to grow watermelons in USDA zone 7 and below. Once each vine has a watermelon the size of a baseball growing on it, trim the vine back to a few inches past the melon. The plant will focus on growing and ripening the, instead of continuing to bloom and grow more leaves.

Susan’s Picks: ‘Ali Baba’, ‘Blacktail Mountain’, ‘Gold in Gold’, ‘Harvest Moon’, ‘Moon & Stars’, ‘Orange Crunch’, ‘Sugar Baby’

Potential Insect Problems: pillbugs, cutworms

When to Harvest:

Sometimes it can be confusing knowing when to pick a watermelon at its peak of ripeness. Here are three things to look for. The tendril closest to the melon will be dry and brown. The side of the melon where it rested on the ground should be yellow. And if you lightly rap on the side of the watermelon, it should have a rather hollow sound.

How to Cook & Preserve:

Ripe watermelons don’t last a long time so eat and enjoy them as soon as you can. It’s possible to store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You also can make watermelon rind pickles and can them in a boiling water bath.

Back to Vegetable Grow Guide Chart

Copyright: Susan Mulvihill, Susan’s in the Garden, SusansintheGarden.com.