What are some good techniques for growing juicy, and sweet watermelon?

Question

We live in MO and can't decide good ways to grow delicious watermelon. Can you help?

Answer 1

Do not start too early - large watermelon seedlings transplant poorly. Growing transplants inside requires a warm temperature, ideally between 80 and 85°F. Place black plastic film over the row before planting. Use a starter fertilizer when transplanting, & plant in full sun. Your soil should be enriched with compost to provide nutrients & to aid in moisture retention. If you grow seedless melons, you must plant a standard seeded variety alongside. The seedless melon varieties do not have the fertile pollen necessary to pollinate and set the fruit.

Because seedless types do not put energy into seed production, the flesh is often sweeter than normal types and the vines are noticeably more vigorous as the season progresses.

In cooler areas, gardeners may find floating row covers, drip irrigation and black plastic mulch advantageous in producing a good crop in a short season. "Supplying water throughout the growth of the plant is important, but absolutely critical during flowering and development of the fruit. Watermelons transpire 0.3 inches per day. To account for this, irrigation should occur two to three times a week (in good weather) with 0.5 - 0.8 inches of water being applied at each application. The primary focus of irrigation is to keep the top few inches of soil moist at all times, but to keep the soil from being waterlogged." That's why it makes sense to plant on hills (or elevated rows) & to mulch.
http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/watermelon.html

In determining when watermelons are ripe. Use a combination of the following indicators: (1) light green, curly tendrils on the stem near the point of attachment of the melon usually turn brown and dry; (2) the surface color of the fruit turns dull; (3) the skin becomes resistant to penetration by the thumbnail and is rough to the touch; and (4) the bottom of the melon (where it lies on the soil) turns from light green to a yellowish color. These indicators for choosing a ripe watermelon are much more reliable than "thumping" the melon with a knuckle.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/watermelon1.html
Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I just harvested my first watermelon of the season. It is a black diamond and it's huge. The only thing I did for it was water it weekly. It's not even growing in great soil because it has lots of gravel in it. The vines are huge as well. I planted a watermelon in my good soil and it did nothing, but this vine has exceeded my expectations. So, I don't know if there is a difference between watermelon varieties, but the black diamond doesn't seem to require anything special. Just lots of sun and weekly watering. Don't water the fruit though. Only water where it is in the ground. Also, I like to use the plastic mesh plant crates you can get at the garden centers to keep the melon off the ground.

Answer 3

Lots and lots of compost! Create a 2-3 foot hill and water well. Full sun of couse and keep a constant source of nutrients on it (fish emulshin or blood & bone meal weekly). They are heavy eaters! Also, use a black plastic or weed block on the ground to absorb heat. Watermelon LOVE to be warm and it will grow like a weed :-)

Answer 4

It makes you sense like summer season, makes you smile and takes you lower back to a simplier time once you sat outdoors spitting seeds into the dirt and dripping watermelon juice on your bare ft and knees and guffawing approximately it. I not salt my watermelon because of the fact it style large purely as that's and that i don't might desire to function to any extent further sodium to my weight loss plan yet we used to while i grew to become right into a toddler. between the treats mom used to grant us as dessert grew to become into ice cream on cantolop yet she under no circumstances messed with the organic ask your self of watermelon. We even had a canine who enjoyed watermelon and as quickly as we've visited Mexico and places, we've offered many watermelons, had the locals chop them open and shared it with the community infants (and others as quickly as the youngsters have been all served) just to have unfold the excitement. I nonetheless want the huge previous vogue wmelons over the hot bowling ball length or the smaller "toddler" watermelons or seedless ones. To me, the mere green with crimson with black (seed) coloring is magnificent and that i like spitting out the seeds, like burying my face in a huge slice of watermelon so the juice gets on your eyebrows and cheeks and issues. even however we can get watermelon all 3 hundred and sixty 5 days around now (in wintry climate from Mexico and S.united statesa.) I continuously wait till summer season for relatives watermelon purely reason you're able to anticipate the good issues; then that first chew is purely soooo slurpy scrumptious, so pleasurable, so happifying.

Answer 5

water it alot, let it have lots of sun, let it be in super rich soil.