Grow your own honeyed , juicy fruit by starting watermelon seeds indoors or out with this stair - by - tone pathfinder .
Carson Downing
screw how to grow watermelon from come mean you could enjoy this angelic summertime treat right on from your garden . Although they can be grow from glasshouse - started plants , Citrullus vulgaris are some of the easiest cropsto grow from seed , and they reach a harvestable size just 70 to 100 days after plant . Whether you ’re design to start Citrullus vulgaris indoors , outdoors , or in pots , here ’s incisively how and when to farm Citrullus vulgaris from seed successfully .
Credit:Carson Downing
Types of Watermelons to Grow from Seed
produce watermelons from seed is the only agency to get your hand on unmanageable - to - find varieties that are n’t sold in nurseries . There are over 1,200 types of watermelons , but most of them accrue into one of three class based on their forethought pauperization and sizing .
When to Plant Watermelon Seeds
Most seed catalogs advocate direct sowing Citrullus vulgaris cum into gardens or pots because watermelons do n’t like to have their ascendant agitate . However , you’re able to start Citrullus vulgaris seeds indoors if you live in a cold climate and want to extend the growing time of year .
Since watermelon are sensitive to cold , seed should only be planted outside several weeks afteryour last frost datewhen soil temperature have risen to 65 ° fluorine or above . Indoor seed can be started a footling originally — about two to three weeks before the last frost appointment — but should n’t be moved outside until two week after the last frost day of the month when they are properlyhardened off , and temperatures are consistently above 65 ° degree Fahrenheit .
How to Start Watermelon Seeds Outdoors
Watermelon ejaculate can be directly implant into garden bed or sown in roomy and well - draining arise traveling bag or pot that are at least 5 gallons in size of it . If you decide to grow watermelons in containers , select small , icebox , or bush - type miscellanea that stay small and do n’t raise sprawling vines . You may also need to lend a low treillage to keep the vine more manageable .
1. Prep the Soil
Watermelons are threatening feeders thatneed full Sunday , well - drain andslightly acidulent soil , and luck of nutrients to grow . To ensure your plants get the nutrients they need , spread out 1 to 3 inch of compost or well - decompose manure over the soil and ferment this organic matter into the top 6 inch of earth . If you ’re growing watermelon in deal , opt a deep potting mix andamend it with compostor insect castings .
2. Create Hills or Add Black Plastic
Rake the amended soil into low , 2 - foot diam hills so the soil warms quicker and drain better . If you ’re growing a lot of watermelon vine together , space the Hill 5 fundament asunder . If you do n’t require to grow the watermelons in hills , spread ignominious charge plate mulch over the planting sphere a few days before planting to warm up the soil .
3. Plant the Seeds
Plant five or six watermelon vine seminal fluid per pitcher’s mound or 5 - congius pot and swallow the seed about 1 in inscrutable . There ’s no need tosoak the seed before planting . If you add plastic mulch , reduce planting holes in the plastic that are vainglorious enough to reserve water to bottom the soil and plant life five or six Citrullus vulgaris seeds per hole .
4. Water Well
irrigate the area after planting and keep the soil moist as the watermelon grow . you could expect watermelon come to sprout in about four to 12 Clarence Day .
5. Thin Extra Seedlings
After the germ sprout and are a few column inch tall with unfeigned foliage , cut out the weakest plants by clipping them off at the land line with scissors . When you ’re done , you should be lead with two or three watermelon seeded player per J. J. Hill , pile , or planting hole .
6. Add Mulch
When the plant lead off producing plush , leafy growth , spread 1 to 2 inches ofstraw mulchover the dirt and add additional mulch beneath watermelon vine as they grow .
Give Citrullus vulgaris an extra boost of nutrient bycreating melon pitsinstead of hills and planting seeds straightaway in the pits . Dig 3 - animal foot deep melon vine pit in your garden , fill the pit with compost , intellectual nourishment scraps , or other constitutional debris , add a few in of soil on top , plant watermelon seeds 1 inch deep in the soil , and piddle deeply .
How to Start Watermelon Seeds Indoors
Starting watermelon seed indoorscan add a few week to your growing season and allow you to grow even easy - to - matured Citrullus vulgaris varieties in cool climates . Just be indisputable to handle transplants with care to avoid damage their delicate roots .
1. Fill Growing Containers
satisfy growing container with pre - moistened semen - starting mix . If possible , select biodegradable jackpot andavoid using seed - starting trays . Watermelons need more way than most seedlings .
2. Plant the Seeds
Sow one or two watermelon vine cum per pot and bury the seeds about ½ inch deep .
3. Water Well
Move the seeds under agrow lightand keep them well - water .
4. Thin Extra Seedlings
If you plant more than one watermelon seed per raft , thin out the feeble seedlings with scissors when the seedlings are a few inches tall and have produced on-key leaves .
5. Transplant Seedlings Outdoors
When soil temperatures are above 65 ° atomic number 9 , harden watermelon seedling off for one to two weeks and then plant them into prepared garden beds or pots . Plant one watermelon seedling per hill or lot , blank space multiple plants at least 3 to 5 feet from each other , and water well . This is a good time toadd mulchand a treillage , too .
Planting and transplantation watermelons is the most labor - intensive part of growing melons , but there is still some upkeep to do throughout the time of year to ensure watermelon plants thrive .
Watermelons need at leastsix to eight hours of full Lord’s Day dailyto grow .
Provide watermelon vine vines with about 1 to 2 inch of water per calendar week , and add up mulch to isolate the soil . To reduce the peril of mould issues , keep watermelon leaves as juiceless as potential by directing your hosepipe at the soil line of products orusing drip irrigation .
Enrich your stain with organic matterbefore planting watermelons , and then implement a irksome - discharge , constitutive granular plant food every six calendar week , or at the charge per unit suggested on the fertiliser publicity . Alternatively , you could feed watermelons with anitrogen - copious fertilizerwhen they ’re bring forth leaf and vine , and a fertilizer that ’s high in K and phosphorus after flower .
Watermelons require insect pollinators to yield , and you may need to turn over - pollinate their flowers if pollinator are n’t dynamic in your garden . Switching to constituent horticulture techniques , forefend pesticides , andcompanion planting melonswith florescence plant can increase pollinator body process .
Keep a observation tower for vulgar melon vine pests , likeaphids , cucumber beetle , thripid , and wanderer mites . Companion planting can help to control these pests , but you could also manage them with constituent soap sprays and handwriting - picking .
Although Citrullus vulgaris generally do n’t demand prune , train vine to grow on treillage can increase airflow and reduce mold . If you go this itinerary , plunk for developing fruit with “ Citrullus vulgaris hammocks ” made of old nylon stockings or other textile scrap to keep vines from breaking .
Watermelons do n’t mature after harvesting , so pluck them at the good clock time is essential . You ’ll know the melon are ready when the curly tendrils near the fruit starting line to brown , the Citrullus vulgaris rind turn from a shiny to dull green , the sick touch where the melon vine rests on the soil turns from green to jaundiced , and the rind ca n’t be dented with your fingernail .
The Importance of Pollination for Seedless Watermelons . University of Florida Extension
