how can you tell when a watermelon is ripe on the vine?

Question

Yes i am in western australia and with us its not the groundhogs its the shingle back lizards

Its just that the vine is still growing, has flowers and small fruit, but it has 1 on it at about 5 kilos, 70cm long and about 30cm wide.

Answer 1

I grew up in the watermelon capital of the world-southern oklahoma. My neighbors shipped by the semi truck load.

We always pulled the melons when the curls next to the stem turned brown--tiny little tendrils that just look like curly hair on the stem. If you wait till the stem is brown, your melon won't be fit to eat. Another way to tell is look at the belly of the melon, if it is no longer bright white, but more yellowish, it is getting ripe or is ripe. But the drying curls method is the preferred method of watermelon farmers.

Answer 2

when the little curly vein on the watermelon starts turning brown its ready. There is also the thump test.(thump the watermelon) Its a little hard to explain the thumping sound that it makes when its ready to be picked- Its kinda like a fullness sound. most farmers like to pick the watermelons before the stem turns brown because insects will start eating on it if it lies on the grown ripe for to long.

Answer 3

You must be Australian!
The stem falls off easily
It seems heavy for its size
The skin has a tacky (maybe sticky) feeling
It sounds hollow when tapped
It may smell sweet -- but this could also be a sign of being over-ripe

Answer 4

When the vine starts to die back and when you tap the watermelon you will hear a hollow sound.

Answer 5

In days of old, when I was a kid stealing watermelons, we thumped them. If the sound is hollow, they are ripe enough to eat.

Answer 6

As soon as the groundhogs start eating them...

Answer 7

Where are you growing watermelons in January,Dear?