Anyone growing watermelon......?

[clickie]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has grown watermelon before. I just planted some and wanted to know what to expect since this is my first time planting it. Will it take over the garden like guards do? and how long will it take for fruit to grow. Thank you in advance for any other advice.

 

[saddina]

I grow 5 or so kinds of melon a year. Unless you specifically bought "bush" seeds, yes it'll vine out, maybe 20 feet of vines from the planting spot. To make this managable, be willing to redirect vines back over once the hit the boundry you set for them. Some smaller melons, say under 10 Lbs can be grown on lattice, you'll want to make them a sling out of old pantyhose, so they won't slip the vines and crack.

Keep them watered and keep the watering constant (sudden inflow of water can cause the melons to split). once you see female flowers, it should be about 45 more days to harvest, check the tendril next to each melon, when it shrivles and dries, it's ready.

 

[mjdtexan]

Me me me me. I have over 40 of them in the yard right now. 30 of them are going to become wine.

 

[clickie]

thank you for your replies, I am not sure what type of water melon it will be, hopefully a small one lol. I did not know that there were bush watermelons, that seems cool. I guess I will have to wait and see, since they are just little plants right now.

 

[Southernbelle]

Thanks Saddina!!!! I just planted melons for the 1st time this year and I'm hoping they do well

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Quote:
Ok, silly question....does that mean that the melon plants have both male and female flowers? if so how do you tell the difference?

 

[clickie]

saddina wrote:
I grow 5 or so kinds of melon a year. Unless you specifically bought "bush" seeds, yes it'll vine out, maybe 20 feet of vines from the planting spot. To make this managable, be willing to redirect vines back over once the hit the boundry you set for them. Some smaller melons, say under 10 Lbs can be grown on lattice, you'll want to make them a sling out of old pantyhose, so they won't slip the vines and crack.

Keep them watered and keep the watering constant (sudden inflow of water can cause the melons to split). once you see female flowers, it should be about 45 more days to harvest, check the tendril next to each melon, when it shrivles and dries, it's ready.

Ok, silly question....does that mean that the melon plants have both male and female flowers? if so how do you tell the difference?

I was wondering the same thing. lol. I just looked in my gardening book and they didn't have much info on planting watermelons. Thanks for the tips again.​

 

[saddina]

Let me scrounge up a photo....

http://media.photobucket.com/image/watermelon flowers/kuehlapis/richardwatermelon3.jpg

Look below the petals, you'll see a tiny melon shaped area, that's what becomes a melon after fertilization.

http://www.mybalconyjungle.com/images/male_watermelon_flower.jpg

Boy flower straight stem.

This is the same for all curcubits (melons, cucumbers, squash, gourds).

Photo is from last month, this is 2 vines growing in the 2 X14 ft dirt next to my garage when a vine tries to grow out of it's place, I simple arc it back into it's borders. I like to tuck my melons away from the main garden, so they get to streach out on the other side. Another grows around the air conditioner in a similar sized dirt bed.

*note this is a different melon, called Collective Farm Woman, not a watermelon plant, but same concept.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Thank you Saddina for the pictures and explanations! This leads me to another question....should I pick off most or at least some of the boy flowers so that the melon plant can put it's energy and resources into developing melons rather than maintaining boy flowers?

 

[saddina]

Leave the boy flowers on, reasoing is compaired to the vines, the flowers are small, and you want bees to think of your vines as a pollen source before you need them there. You can hand pollenate using tweezers and tape, but I find if i leave the boy flowers, the bees find the vines on thier own.... my passion fruit on the other hand.....

If you decide later you love growing melons, there's a book melons for the passionate gardner, that is just amazing, and gives sources.

http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQcpidZ1094741571QQprZ2266073

For seeds the best place I've found is:

http://rareseeds.com/seeds/

Out here in the dry heat I find melons from the middle east, russia, and spain to do the best.

So far best melons: piel de sappo, moon & stars, collective farm woman, I like my melons sweet and strong on melon flavor.