I am preparing hills to plant watermelon seeds and wonder if anyone else is planting watermelon this spring? The instructions say sow 6 seeds per hill each hill six feet apart. The hardest part growing watermelons seems controlling weed growth. The last time I grew watermelons the weeds took over and did not get any watermelons that year. Is mulch better for controlling weeds or should I lay outdoor fabric? I also did not amend the soil last time which is probably a mistake since watermelon likes sandy soil. Each hill this time will be about 10 inches high and 2 feet across.


The variety I have is Moon and Stars and Crimson Sweet. The Moon and Stars is interesting with watermelon skin speckled with bright yellow splashes ranging from moon size to stars. The leaves are also speckled. The fruit is large and oval shape up to 40 lbs. The Crimson sweet is round and up to 25 lbs. I only have room for one variety and will try the Moon and Stars this time.

They like as much heat as you can give them. I like mulch.

i grew some last year some were good and some not so good. it was my first time trying. i decided to skip this year. store bought ones were more consistently good.

Whenever I grow watermelon, almost always the weeds take over the patch, its hard to weed around vines.

In my case though, this generally does not affect the production of melons much, and also makes looking for the melons kind of like a game like hunting easter eggs.

Mulch them as much as possible.

We grow lots of various types of watermelons. I plant the seed early in the greenhouse, then transplant the young plants into the field after the last frost date. This year we are growing three varieties of Cantaloupe (Imperial, Hales Best Jumbo, and Heart Of Gold), three varieties of Watermelons, (Delight Seedless Watermelon, Crimson Sweet, as the pollinator for the seedless melons, and an Orange flesh Watermelon hybrid), one variety of a Honeydew melon, plus a new melon that we never grew before, actually never even heard of before, called a Sapomiel melon. The Sapomiel is supposed to be quit sweet -- we'll see. One problem with growing seedless watermelons is that no one wants the seeded watermelons that must be grown as their pollinator. We don't sell the fruit, they are given away to the employees and their families. - Millet (650-)

My wife bought two pots of watermelons last year from Home Depot. Each pot contained 4 plants. I planted the 4 plants together at one spot, and another one about four feet away. They were then covered with weed protecting fabric. The plots were prepared by having had it covered with grass clippings for about a month or two before planting on them. The grass clippings had killed off most of the weeds. We ate a few soccer ball sized watermelons, and few were smaller. The taste was ok.

This year, I planted watermelon seeds at 4 different spots. They were somewhat prepared last year by having mounds of grass clippings killing the weeds. They are about two inches tall now. Hopefully they'll taste better than last year's.

I planted my watermelon seeds today with six seeds in two hills about 5 feet apart. In 1999, the year I planted my citrus trees, I grew watermelon and the quality was excellent with the exception of the bottle neck melons. The vines were growing all over and created a tangled mess with weeds taking over. It was so bad I could not access my citrus plants without stepping on the vines! I think I planted too many watermelon vines that year. This year the seeds are planted in a spot far removed from any fruit trees. One melon weighted about 30 pounds and was very very good flavor. All of the melons had good flavor and most were about 20 to 30 pounds. Some vines got a virus though. Hopefully that will not be a problem this year.

CAN I GROW WATERMELONS?

To increase the sugar content of the watermelon stop watering the vine about a week or so before you intend to pick the mature melon. Applying water to the vine just before a melon is to be picked dilutes the sugar concentration within the fruit. - Millet (648-)

Instead of fabric I use newspaper and then put grass clippings on top of the newspaper. I do this for everything in the garden. I do get some weeds but the amount is so small they are easy to control. The newspaper then gets tilled into the garden at then end of growing season.

I was thinking of laying fabric ground cover and then placing mulch on top to stop weed growth. The watermelon vines also grab onto weeds which makes removing them difficult without damaging the vines. St. Augustine lawn grass is also a problem since it is so invasive. Weeds shade and prevent air circulation around the vines which increases fungal disease problems.


I decided to plant both Moon and Stars and Crimson Sweet.


A dry climate is probably better for watermelon cultivation. My climate is hot and humid over the spring, summer and fall with a lot of rainfall some years. This summer will likely be dry though.

Is most of the commercial production of watermelon in south Texas? I bought my first watermelon last week, an import from Mexico, and it was OK

I should have planted already but I am planting next week. In the past I have started out with a weeded and tilled area. After building the mounds and planting I mulch HEAVILY with oak tree leaves at least six inches deep. No weeds and if I don't like where a vine is headed I just gently lift it and lay it down where I want it to go. I'll post again when I plant. I have tilled and leaves are down lightly as I have to rake them back to build the hills.

April rainfall to date 00.04 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and none predicted and with only a slight chance on the 27th.

The water melons are growing fast and have fruit already! That is fast! They are ripe when the bottom is yellow?

It is very very windy here today. I am glad I am not offshore in my boat with this wind! The seas must be over 10 feet now. Gust to over 30 mph.

Where the vine attached onto the watermelon, you will find a small 2-inch tendril. When the tendril dries up the watermelon is ready to pick. - Millet (605-)

Anyone hand pollinate watermelons? I notice the female flowers are only open during the day for only one day. Not much time for bees to pollinate them! So I am trying hand pollination and it seems to be hit and miss. I read that it is about 50% successful.