Watermelon Planting - The Complete Guide

watermelons that ubiquitous summer superstar that has eluded many a grower in fact I've only been successful with these guys a handful of times and that's after many many tries but like all things gardening the only way to get better is to try and then learn from our mistakes as it is I finally nailed down the parameters necessary for guaranteeing Harvest after harvest of these beauties today let's go over the planting stage of watermelons right from dry seed all the way up to the adult Vines we'll touch on Direct seating as that's actually the preferred method for growing watermelons but we'll also Deep dive into pre-started transplants no question watermelons are a notoriously long crop and if you've got finite summer days to work with well it might be your only way to grow them so sit back and relax as we talk all things planting watermelons you know these Vines can be a bit tricky to grow so if anything this should be an interesting episode watermelons known scientifically as centralis lenatus are a species of desert Vines originating from Northeast Africa as a cucurbit these guys are close cousins to zucchinis and squash as well as cucumbers in fact when you really look at them side by side I find that they grow extremely similar to cucumbers albeit superficially but in terms of the vine structure the small yellow insignificant type flowers and the number of fruit per Vine well the resemblance is uncanny however watermelons make for very poor climbers and that fruit it gets obnoxiously heavy so I want to be growing mine along the ground watermelons do produce quite active tendrils yes which in these guys are actually modified stems but unlike peas and even those cucumbers they only sort of half use them to help with climbing but those tendrils have an even more important purpose which we'll get to later so make sure to stay tuned to the end to find out as far as varieties there's over 50 watermelon cultivars to buy seeds that is as watermelons are almost never sold as starter plants of all those varieties however watermelons fall into four main types or categories ice blocks which are going to be your smaller 5 to 15 pound varieties and what we're going to be growing today with our Sugar Babies then you have the picnic types which are much larger at 15 to 50 pounds plus these are going to be your record Breakers that you see at the county fairs popular varieties such as all sweet and black diamond are going to be in this category the third type which is actually a pretty recent entry into the watermelon scene are gonna be your seedless kinds now they still have seeds it's just that they're edible and very small usually white or sort of an off yellow and finally we have the Lesser known but equally as tasty the yellow orange types these guys can get a bit bigger topping out around 30 pounds and come in both seedless and seeded varieties okay once you picked up what type you want to grow all watermelons are pretty much cultivated the same way first and foremost they're a sun-loving plant that needs better than better than average drainage no joke these plants hate wet feet and they'll perish in short order if grown in wet soggy conditions they also need their space which we'll get into in a bit when we start planting for containers 10 gallons really is the minimum size that I go but they are Vines set up in opposing directions I've actually had success with two plants in a single fabric pot maybe something to try if you've got some extras this year out in the garden though the standard is to plant them three to four feet apart unless you can trellis a portion of the vines to take advantage of some vertical space today like I mentioned before we're going to be growing ours crawling along the ground so in this six foot bed here I'm gonna stagger three to four healthy plants as that's worked for me great in the past okay pretty standard stuff so far but right here is where watermelons get a little bit tricky as with any plant any crop you can direct seed your watermelons if you live in zones 10 or higher simply plant the seeds at the desired spacing roughly an inch deep once your nighttime lows hit 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher I would plant two to three seeds in the same spot to guarantee germination and then simply thin to the strongest plant after they sprout mulch first then water thoroughly and you should see germination in two weeks or less easy stuff but we won't be doing any of that today because where I live in zone 9 there just isn't enough summer months to reliably ripen the fruit so we turn to transplanting and this is the part that's got me several times too early too late conditions not perfect I hate to say it but watermelons simply don't transplant very well fortunately through trial and error I've worked out the procedure and after literally hundreds of watermelons I can safely say it can be done that means if you're like me and you live in a cooler climate with short Summers you can still grow watermelons it's not that hard let me show you how I plant them starting roughly a month before your first frost date which you're going to have to look up for your specific area assemble an army of paper biodegradable cups a few more than the number of plants you wish to grow punch seven or eight holes in the bottom for drainage and fill those cups up to the top with a quality potting or even better a seeding soil mix plant the seeds the same way two or three about an inch deep I then water the cups from below because that's the easiest way couple inches of water just enough to soak the soil thoroughly in the past I did used to miss the seeds and that topsoil air just to get started and while it does work just watering them from below is infinitely easier indoors at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit your watermelons are gonna Sprout pretty quick within about a week or so two large cotyledons or seed leaves pop up first followed by the more ovate and lobe true leaves right out of the center about a week after that give the plants full light right away preferably direct sunlight through a window if you can if not then LED grow lights at close range will suffice keep the watermelon younglings well watered but not soaking wet I generally don't feed them at this time but if you notice those young leaves yellowing or if they're growing extraordinarily fast a quick liquid boost won't hurt okay here's where we earn our paycheck with these guys like we already stated watermelons are poor transplanters they hate having their Roots Disturbed once they're established if any part of this process is going to go wrong it's this part right now to combat this we're gonna strive for perfection right time right place the right conditions so right off the bat we need to make sure that our nighttime lows are above 65 degrees Fahrenheit also at this point your young watermelon plants should be hardened off at least for about a week or so with the plants and the temperatures ready we should be planting on a calm cool overcast day but before that our better pots need to be prepared first let's go ahead and start with container watermelons get your 10 gallon or larger pot and fill it right to the top with that quality potting mix pack it down slightly to make that soil more uniform and then soak it from Below in a tub of water for about two hours this is going to completely moisten that soil mitigating any chances of transplant shock in the center make a hole and simply place the watermelon cup and all right down to the existing root collar planting doesn't get any easier than this thanks to those biodegradable cups Mulch and place in a sunny location and that's it no need to water again here as that soil has all that it can hold already regimented yes lots of rules sure but literally two steps and you're done okay on to the beds here I've got a six foot bed that I cleared out a few weeks ago to plant these watermelons I'm going to pick out the spots for my three to four foot spacing and then I'm gonna make holes about five times larger than the cups they're currently in next I just fill in the holes with that same potting mix that we used before right up to the surface there give that potting mix a light soaking if it's on the dry side and just like with the container potting make a hole in the center the same depth as the cups and place the watermelon in cup and all back fill in if you have to or even add some more potting mix whichever is easier go ahead and do the same for all the holes in the bed being as gentle and careful with the plants as possible next mulch the whole bed not just around the plants same thing with the watering really give that bed a good soaking we want the Watermelons to expand their root systems so making the soil profile as inviting as possible is really important the key here is that extra potting soil the plants are going to treat it as an extension of their own current conditions and Transplant shock or delay is virtually eliminated it's brilliant and it works I've tested it over and over and over and it really makes a difference so not a lot of extra work but you can kind of see how watermelons are a different Beast than other crops let's go ahead and recap all those main points to make sure we didn't miss anything as a crawling Vine with tropical desert Origins watermelons pose some unique challenges to the home grower warm climate Growers can direct seed them as soon as their soil temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for all other Growers though including me we'll be starting our watermelon seeds early indoors and then transplanting them outside after about six weeks therein lies the problem with melons in general and watermelons in particular these guys are poor transplanters so we pull out all the stops to ensure our planting success calm cool overcast days only and pre-soaking the area to minimize transplant shock a liberal use of organic potting soil also helps and really facilitates the roots transition to their new home mulch after planting and then water the entire area thoroughly to finish it off breaking it down watermelons need full sun a loose Rich neutral pH soil and temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit for a solid two months plus in containers they need seven gallons minimum with 10 gallons preferred out in the garden spacing is just as important and try to give your watermelon plants at least three feet between the next one if you can satisfy all these requirements growing watermelons is well within your grasp even if you've been buying yours at the store there's no doubt that watermelons are a summertime staple with a few tweaks here and there and some diligent timing virtually anyone can grow them hopefully this means you and I hope that the few tips and tricks that we talked about today help you get over that watermelon hump this year so that later on this summer all of us can be enjoying some epic melon harvests foreign hey thanks so much for watching guys I appreciate the support more than you know and if you're getting value from these videos please like and share them to spread the word and help your fellow Gardener to grow better foreign

Channel: The Ripe Tomato Farms

Views: 253,537

Keywords: growing watermelon, how to grow watermelon, grow watermelon, watermelon, watermelons, the ripe tomato farms, planting watermelon seeds, planting watermelon, planting watermelon in containers, growing watermelon from seed, growing watermelons in containers, how to grow watermelon from seed, how to grow watermelon at home

Id: XQ-DhDzBJPQ

Length: 14min 35sec (875 seconds)

Published: Wed May 31 2023