Watermelon
- Botanical Name
- Citrullus lanatus
- Hardiness
- Tender annual
- Height
- 1 to 2 feet
- Width
- 3 to 20 feet
- Fruit
- Red and yellow flesh, maturing in 70 (early) to 85 days, seedless varieties available, 6 to 25 pounds
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, organic, warm
- Planting & Care
- Watermelons germinate in warm temperatures of 60°F to 95°F
- Direct seed after last frost and the soil has warmed to an ideal 70°F and above. Plant seeds in hills 1/2 inch deep, 6 seeds per hill. Thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill. Space hills 4 to 6 feet apart.
- Or sow seeds in rows - spacing plants 3 feet apart and rows 8 feet apart
- When growing in areas with cooler temperatures or a shorter growing season, select varieties that are fast growing or start plants indoors 3 to 4 weeks before planting outside
- When starting indoors, plant seed in individual peat pots so not to damage this plant's tender roots. Melons do not transplant well when their roots are disturbed. Set 2 to 3 plants per hill. Space hills 4 to 6 feet apart. Or set in rows, spacing plants 3 feet apart in rows 8 feet apart.
- Mulch soil around plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds
- Use a floating row cover to protect young plants from a late frost, to combat insects and to warm the soil. Remove once plants begin to flower to allow for bees to pollinate.
- Problems
- Powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic virus, squash vine borer, striped cucumber beetle, aphids, scab, flea beetles, fusarium wilt
- Varieties
- Sweet Favorite - 20 pound fruit
- Golden Crown - early, skin is yellow when ripe, All-America Selections winner
- Cotton Candy - seedless, red, 15-20 pound fruit
- Sweet Beauty - 5-7 pound oblong fruit with dark skin and medium green stripes, harvest in about 80 days, AAS winner
- Shiny Boy - globe-shaped melon up to 20 pounds, sweet fruit and high yielding plant, AAS winner
- Faerie - 7-8" creamy yellow rinded fruit with subtle stripes, pinkish-red super sweet flesh, disease and insect resistance, AAS winner
- Harvest Moon - medium sized sweet fruit, crisp pinkish-red flesh, dark green rind with yellow dots, seedless, AAS winner
- Mini Love - compact plants produce sweet fruit, AAS winner
- Gold in Gold - oblong fruit with yellow rind sporting gold stripes, flesh is orange gold, high sugar content, high yielding, 11-16 pound fruit
- Cal Sweet Bush - very compact plants ideal for small spaces, each plant produces 2-3 10-12 pound round fruit, sweet taste, AAS winner
- Mambo - the 9" fruit weighs up to 11 pounds, nearly seedless, AAS winner
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