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Heat-loving watermelons can be a challenge to grow in cooler regions of New York. To increase success, choose short-season varieties, start them inside, warm soil with black plastic or IRT mulch, and protect young plants with fabric row covers. |
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Growing Guide
GROWING NOTES
Prefers warm, well-drained, soil, high in organic matter with pH 6.5 to 7.5. Consistent, plentiful moisture needed until fruit is about the size of a tennis ball. Soil temperatures below 50 F slow growth. Consider using black plastic and fabric row covers to speed soil warming. Sandy or light-textured soils that warm quickly in spring are best.
Tender annual.
In many areas, successful crops require starting plants indoors, using plastic mulch to warm soil, and fabric row covers to protect young transplants.
MAINTAINING
If you have long, hot growing seasons direct-seed into garden. To ensure ripening in areas with shorter growing seasons and cooler weather, choose fast-maturing, small-fruited cultivars, start plants inside, and use black or IRT plastic mulch and fabric row covers to warm soil and protect plants.
Direct seed 1 to 2 weeks after average last frost when soil is 70 F or warmer. Plant ½ inch deep, 6 seeds per hill, hills 3 feet apart each way for bush varieties, or 3 feet apart in rows 8 feet apart for vining types. Thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill.
For transplanting, sow seeds indoors ¼ inch deep in peat pots (2-inch square or bigger), 2 to 4 weeks before setting out. Set outside 2 weeks after average last frost, 3 plants per hill, hills 3 feet apart each way for bush varieties, or 3 feet apart in rows 8 feet apart for vining types. Transplants are delicate. Keep soil intact when transplanting.
Mulch plantings after soil has warmed to help maintain consistent moisture and suppress weeds.
If using fabric row covers, remove at flowering to allow pollination by bees. Good pollination is critical to fruit set.
Plants require consistent moisture until pollination. Once fruit are about the size of a tennis ball, only water if soil is dry and leaves show signs of wilting.
To prevent insect damage to developing fruits, place watermelons on pots or pieces of wood.
If growing melons on a trellis, support fruit with slings made from netting, fabric, or pantyhose. Trellising improves air circulation around plants and can help reduce foliar disease problems. Choose small-fruited varieties and reduce plant spacing.
Avoid planting cucumber family crops (melons, squash, pumpkins) in the same spot two years in a row.
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Harvesting Guide
HARVESTING
Harveting watermelons is not as straight forward as many other vegetables when it comes to deciding exactly when to harvest. One of the reasons is that they do not slip off the vine like cantaloupes when ripe. This makes it is necessary to look for other indicators. Rolling the melon over and looking at the ground spot where the melon was laying is probably the best method. If that portion of the watermelon is a pale yellow color, the melon should be ripe. You can also look at the tendrils (short, curly, stem-like vine) next to the melon. The tendrils are close to the area where a leaf is attached to the main vine. When the first tendril next to the fruit looks dead and dried up, the melon closest to that tendril should be ripe. Watermelons will store longer than other melons and should be refrigerated, especially after cut.
SAVING SEEDS
Scoop out the seeds from a ripe melon and put them into a wire mesh sieve, then with running water over the seeds rub them gently against the mesh, using it to loosen and remove the stringy fibers. Next place the cleaned seeds in a bowl of water, stir it a few times. Some seeds will float to the top....these are immature or sterile melon seeds, they are hollow and/or light-weight and will float to the top of the water. Skim away these bad seeds and discard them. Stir a few more times and repeat the process until no more sterile seeds float to the the top. Drain the water from the remaining seeds.
Afterwards, line a heavy plate or baking pan with waxed paper, spread the seeds out in a single layer onto the waxed paper and place it in sunny spot to air-dry.
Stir the seeds occasionally during the next few hours to make sure all sides are exposed to fresh air, this facilitates even drying. After a day in the sun bring the seeds into the house where they continue to dry for another week or two, stir them daily so they dry evenly. If you've got rainy weather the increased humidity can prolong the drying process another week or so.
Melons have thick seeds so be sure they are thoroughly dry before packing them for storage.
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