Watermelon Seed Starting Guidelines – Harvest to Table

Watermelons are easy to broaden from seed. They simply require warmth soil, a prolonged warmth emerging season, numerous space, and numerous water.

Watermelons with crimson flesh are most not unusual, alternatively there are also watermelons with white, yellow, orange, and purple flesh.

That is our knowledge to emerging watermelons from seed. We moreover come up with a watermelon emerging calendar that can assist you get started.

Watermelon Emerging Speedy Guidelines

• Sow watermelon seeds or set vegetation in an instant inside the garden in spring 2 weeks in spite of everything danger of frost has passed after the soil has warmed to 70°F (21°C).
• Watermelon seed will also be started indoors 8 to 6 weeks previous to vegetation are set out.
• For the sweetest style, watermelons require a prolonged, sizzling emerging season and numerous room; watermelon vines require 10 to 15 toes of emerging room.
• Watermelons mature 70 to 100 frost-free days after sowing depending on the variety.

Watermelon Seed Starting Basics

• Common name: Watermelon
• Botanical name: Citrullus lanatus
• Family: Cucurbitaceae
• Lifestyles cycle: Annual
• Fruit sort: Berry
• Seed-sowing depth: 1inch (3 cm)
• Seed starting tips: Sow 2-3 seeds in step with specific particular person peat pot or biodegradable pots indoors. Use a sterile seed starting mix or potting soil. Bottom heat is not very important alternatively it will speed germination. Use low heat in case you use a heat mat.
• Pre-sprouting seeds: Lay the seeds on a moist paper towel, roll up the towel, and place it in a plastic bag; seal the bag and keep it in a warmth place until seeds germinate; then place seedlings specifically particular person pots.
• Seed-starting soil temperature: 80-90°F (27-32°C)
• Indoor seed starting time: Get began indoors as early as 4 weeks previous to without equal frost in spring; no longer quicker than 3-4 weeks previous to transplanting outside. Thin seedlings to essentially the most robust plant after seedlings have formed their true leaves.
• Delicate prerequisites: Whole gentle
• Transplant time: Transplant outside two weeks after without equal frost. Avoid demanding the roots when transplanting.
• Direct sowing time: Plant seeds after the danger of frost is earlier and when temperatures reasonable 70-85°F (21-29°C). Use black plastic sheeting or black plastic mulch to warmth the soil early inside the season and keep moisture in sizzling local weather. Give protection to more youthful vegetation with floating row covers or cloches.
• Spacing inside the garden: Plant in hills, one or two vegetation in step with hill, spaced 6-8 toes (2-2.5 m) apart. Amend the garden soil with aged compost or aged manure ahead of planting.
• Seed germination: 3-10 days
• Watermelon crops: Monoecious (male crops and female crops on the equivalent plant); the principle female crops to look are the ones perhaps to set fruit.
• Pollination: Insects, bees
• Go-pollination: Can cross-pollinate with differing types. Cage vegetation or bag blossoms to stop cross-pollination. Hand-pollinate or introduce insects.
• Isolation distance: 800 toes to at least one/2 mile; isolate vegetation in case you plant to save some seeds
• Days to maturity: 70-110 days from planting depending on the variety. Be sure to search the recommendation of the seed packet for days to maturity and mark your garden calendar. For massive fruit cull the emerging fruit so that only one or two keep on the vine.
• Harvest time: Harvest when the fruit rind that touches the ground turns yellow; harvest when the tendril closest to the fruit turns dry and black. You are able to moreover check out watermelon ripeness by the use of rapping the melon at the side of your knuckles; if if sounds hollow it’s ready. Use a sharp knife to cut ripe fruit transparent of the vine. Decrease water a few days prior to reap to increase the fruit sugar content material subject matter.
• Seed saving: Save seeds from fruit with the best flavors, most popular shapes, and hues
• Seed processing: Scoop out seed; rinse away pulp and dry for 1 week. Seeds should be utterly dry previous to storing.
• Seed energy: 5 years. Store seed in a cool, dry, sealed container.

Watermelon Sowing and Planting Guidelines

• Broaden watermelons from seeds or seedlings.
• Seed is viable for 4 to 5 years.
• Get began watermelon seed indoors 3 to 4 weeks previous to transplanting seedlings to the garden; set out transplants 2 or additional weeks after without equal frost in spring. (Seedless watermelons are hybrids; the ones cultivar vegetation are most easily grown from cultivar transplants purchased at the garden center.)
• Sow seed indoors in peat pots stuffed with seed starting mix. The indoor temperature should be between 80-90°F (27-32°C) until germination. Broaden watermelon seedlings at 75°F (24°C).
• Direct sow watermelons in the home garden in spring in spite of everything danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to 70°F (21°C). In warm-winter spaces, sow watermelons in midwinter for harvest in early summer season.
• Watermelon seeds isn’t going to germinate at a soil temperature beneath 65°F (18°C).
• Sow seed ½ inch (13 mm) deep.
• Watermelon seed germination occurs in 3 to 10 days at 80°F (27°C) or warmer.
• Transplant seedlings to the garden bed after the soil has warmed to at least 70°F (21°C).
• Plant on mounds or hills 12 to 24 inches (30-60 cm) high, space mounds 10 toes apart; vines can merely spread 10 to 15 toes.
• Watermelons will also be grown in containers; use a 10 to 15-gallon container and set a trellis in place to broaden the vine up. Small watermelons are merely grown on trellises.
• Water to stick the soil from drying. Mulch spherical vegetation to keep soil moisture. Watermelons have an overly high water content material subject matter; the soil should on no account go dry.
• Fertilize with fish emulsion or a soluble complete fertilizer at phase energy.
• Add aged compost to planting beds upfront of transplanting. Watermelons like sandy, humus-rich soil.
• Watermelons want a soil pH range of 7.0 to 8.0. Perform a soil check out previous to planting.
• Broaden watermelons in entire sun for the best plant enlargement and yield.
• Avoid planting watermelons where cucumbers or squash have grown no longer too way back.
• Common pest enemies include aphids, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, squash bugs, squash vine borers, slugs, and snails.
• Common illnesses include bacterial wilt, fusarium wilt, downy mildew, powdery mildew, and cucumber mosaic.

Interplanting: Plant watermelons with bush beans, corn, dill, eggplant, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes.

Container Emerging Watermelon: Watermelons aren’t a good choice for container emerging. They require necessary room to spread and broaden.

Watermelon Planting Calendar

• 8-6 weeks previous to without equal frost in spring: get began seed indoors for vegetation that can be transplanted proper right into a plastic tunnel in 4 weeks.
• 5-4 weeks previous to without equal frost in spring: get began seed indoors for seedlings to be transplanted into the garden.
• 4-2 weeks previous to without equal frost in spring: transplant seedlings to a plastic tunnel.
• 1-2 weeks after without equal frost in spring: direct sow or transplant seedlings into the garden; minimum soil temperature is 60°F.

Really useful Watermelon Varieties

• ‘Sugar Baby’ and ‘Sugar Bush’ are small, 8-10 pounds.
• ‘Fiesta’, ‘Regency’, and ‘Sangria’ are 20 to 25 pounds—all are very sweet.

Botanical Name: Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus

Melons are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family; other cucurbits are cucumbers, squash, watermelon, and pumpkins.

Additional tips: Discover ways to Broaden Watermelon.