We all look ahead to that time of the year when watermelons are in time of year . We get to the grocery store store and peer into the large melon vine bin to discover they ’ve already been pick over , and all the dear ones are gone . At this metre you adjudicate you want to learn how to rise watermelon from cum in your abode garden .
Watermelons are one of the most famous summer fruit with their mellow water content full of pleasantness . There is just something about biting into a watermelon slice that makes you finger like all is right in the world , if for just a moment .
A fruit salad bowl fill up to the lip with succulent ball of cantaloupe , honeydew , and watermelon is the unadulterated centrepiece on the pushover table .
Growing and Caring for Watermelon Plants
While the easiest way to get these melons is from the depot or your local farmer ’s marketplace , growing watermelon in the garden is relatively well-fixed if you experience in an country with a foresighted growing time of year and provide your works with enough body of water to produce melon . Growing your own is also the greatest way to assure you get melons with the perfect ripeness .
So , you decide to try your hand at planting watermelons . While uprise Citrullus vulgaris from seed , whether you areplanting watermelon in potsor straight in the garden , is fairly dewy-eyed , there are some important things to cognise before planting them in your cubic yard .
Which type do you need to mature , how much space do you have in your backyard , and how long do you have to wait for them to get hold of maturity ? As with any other fruit or vegetable , watermelons necessitate specific filth and climate condition to flourish .
Learn how to plant Citrullus vulgaris seeds indoors and in the garden and give your works the care they need to produce healthy fruit . get a line when to harvest them at the goal of the season and store and prepare them for eating .
Things to Know before Growing Watermelon from Seed
While some plant seeds develop quite well no matter where you sow them , watermelons are a different tarradiddle . Like whengrowing Cucumis melo cantalupensis from semen , these plants take some time to grow and are finicky about their care .
Here are some vital bits of selective information to know before growing watermelon from germ to ensure your plants get what they want to produce the perfect - sized melons tamp down with perfumed goodness .
When is the good time to plant Citrullus vulgaris seeds ? Watermelon plant are irksome growers with a long growing time of year , and they can not survive outside until after the last freeze passes .
It ’s vital to start the seeds indoors in other springiness if you live in an arena with a forgetful grow season . These plant life bang rich soil , and they are heavy bird feeder , so it ’s a great estimation to try your garden dirt pH to ensure it is between 7.0 and 8.0 and amend it with constitutional thing if necessary .
When to plant watermelonincludes considering their needs for a batch of sun . They love uprise in the sunshine and want eight to ten hours of full sun day by day . Watermelons require plenty of room to grow , with watermelon vine vines reaching up to 20 feet per flora , so plan the garden size consequently .
However , there are unlike watermelon varieties , and some of them are idealistic choices for a smaller garden with a trellis . Some little heirloom and intercrossed types let in Sugar Baby , Jubilee , and Charleston Gray .
How to Plant Watermelon Seeds Indoors
It ’s always utilitarian to jump your seeds inside where the temperature is systematically lovesome a month or two before transplanting them in the garden , particularly if you know in an area with a shorter grow time of year . receive out how to plant watermelon seeds indoors and wish for them for healthy germination .
About seven week before spring ’s last frost , fill up seed get down trays with soil and seed the watermelon vine seed indoors . An optimal way to shape how rich to plant watermelon seeds is to check the seed parcel since the eccentric change .
Generally , place the seeds a half - inch deep beneath the poop . Spray the soil surface with a urine bottle to moisten it without getting it too soggy .
Set the tray in a warm area where the temperature is between 80 to 90 ° F , and keep the dirt moist to encourage sprouting . If your home is n’t tender enough , consider using a grow lighting or plant heating mat . Once the seeds sprout , keep the temperature around 75 ° F as they grow into seedling .
How to Grow Watermelon from Seed in the Garden
After your watermelon seeds germinate , it ’s sentence to prepare them for the outdoors after the danger of rime is no longer a scourge and the grunge temperature is just good . Prepare the garden bed and transplant your seedlings in the ground with the right spacing .
Before you plant the seedlings outside , harden them off first to prevent the plant from too much temperature shock . Move them outside for a couple of hours every day for about a week .
Start by setting them in a shady area and eventually move them to a sunny fleck as the week work up . Prepare the garden bed by ensuring the grease is well - draining and alimental - fertile .
If your filth is missing , tote up a duo of inch of compost or organic material and figure out it into the garden . Dig hole slimly bad than the understructure of each works . ensure to give them proper spatial arrangement by making them three to five feet apart .
cautiously bump off each seedling and set it in its hole before pushing soil around the radical . Press the scandal down lightly but hard , and body of water thoroughly to help the ascendent settle .
Spread a adequate amount of mulch or straw over the ground to keep the dirt lovesome , retain moisture , and keep widow’s weeds under control . This stuff also keep the melon from pillow on the dirt as they develop and ripen .
What Do Watermelons Need to Grow Healthy?
After transplanting your plant , it ’s time to give them some TLC . watermelon trust the right amount of watering and fertilizing to thrive , and there are sealed step to take to keep your plants safe from pests and disease . Discover how to care for your watermelon patch to produce healthy melon vine .
Since watermelons carry a fate of water , their requirements are a bite more than many other garden plants . They want roughly one to two inches of water each week , so consider installing a drip irrigation system or pelter hose .
If you water your plant by deal , keep off contract the foliage wet and swash dirt on the plant to prevent open disease , and do not waterlog them .
These plant enjoy grow in warm temperatures , so regard diffuse black plastic or mulch over the ground around them to keep the grime quick . They also have a bombastic appetite , so use a dull - freeing fertilizer regularly as organise or feed them a fish photographic emulsion or Epsom common salt .
An easy at home ingredient to apply in your garden isEpsom saltiness for watermelon plants . The table salt adds nitrogen to the dirt to boost production and development .
pollenation is all-important to watermelon vine plant increase . These plant have manful and female flower , and good insect piece up pollen from the male flowers and transfer them to the females to advance yield outgrowth .
It ’s also easy to pollinate the flower by handwriting if your area is miss in pollinators . Use a small paintbrush or Q - tip and take pollen from the male flowers with the long stamen and sweep them inside the female as soon as they open .
Cucumber beetles , flea beetles , aphids , squeeze bug , slugs , and snails are common watermelon plant pests . sign of an infestation include leaf masticate with holes , damage vine , and yellowing foliage .
The most reliable means to prevent a problem is to remove the germ by hand as presently as you spot them . Otherwise , utilize row covers or insecticidal goop to toss off them without damaging your crop .
Bacterial and fungous disease are other job to deal with while growing watermelons . Powdery mould , bacterial wilt disease , flossy mould , cucumber mosaic , and fusarium wilt often plague these plants , so performing crop rotary motion is good practice .
Anthracnose causes canker sore and lesions , and it ’s crucial to remove damaged or diseased vines as soon as you distinguish them , keep the garden unobjectionable of bushed flora textile , and practice a antifungal agent when necessary .
Harvesting and Storing Watermelons
You ’ve move through the full growing physical process , from seed sowing to garden maintenance , and now the time of crop draws nigh . How long do watermelon fruits take to grow ? Learn when and how to harvest your melon vine for the perfect ripeness and storage tip to keep them fresh as long as potential .
It ’s light to get raring when growing watermelons , checking daily to see if the melon are any larger than the day before . When are watermelon vine quick for picking ? They take about 65 to 90 days to reach maturity date , depending on the type .
The full style to order if your Citrullus vulgaris are ready for harvest home is by sight and speech sound . Once the rind turns from promising to dull K and has a hollow sound when you thump on them with your hand , they are ready to pick .
lop the melons forth from the vine with a sharp tongue or garden shears . To store them short - term , keep them in a cool area like the basement for two to three weeks .
After slice a melon vine opened , wrap the cut area with plastic wrapper and fructify it in the refrigerator for up to a week . If you have leftover melon chunks , put them in a memory container with a lid and set them on the fridge ledge for three or four days .
Thebest path to store and preserve watermelonfor afterward use is with the Deepfreeze . If you may not run through the remnant melons tight enough , consider freezing them for smoothy . hack the melon into lowly clod and consist them in a exclusive level on a baking shroud .
Flash freeze them for a few hours or until they are frozen solid , and then transfer the icy melon pieces to a deep-freeze bag or airtight container . Store the rooted melons in the freezer for up to six month .
Using Garden Watermelons to Make Salad
We are all familiar with a yield salad filled with melons and grapes , but what about a melon salad with cheese ? This strange Citrullus vulgaris salad check feta tall mallow and Cucumis sativus , and its refreshing flavor will allow for your menage and friends agreeably surprised .
This recipe makes four portion , so adjust the ingredients as ask for more or less . We favor to use seedless watermelons for this formula , but any melon eccentric is fine .
Start by reduce the Citrullus vulgaris into bite - sizing cube , the cucumber into fade , cube the plenty entrust , and then combine them all in a large bowl .
Pour the olive petroleum , Strategic Arms Limitation Talks , and black pepper into a belittled bowl and whisk broom . Drizzle the mixture over the fruit , toss it all gently , top with the crumbled feta cheeseflower , and dish immediately for the impertinent look .
Watermelons are a great improver to the garden , and growing these yield is not as difficult as you may suppose as long as you have the right soil and weather term and provide them with the space necessary for intelligent maturation . There are different varieties to choose from to suit your motive .
Knowing how to develop Citrullus vulgaris from seed means that you get to glean the sweetest and juiciest melons at the end of the growing time of year , so why not share our watermelon acquire guide and tips with your family and friend circle on Pinterest and Facebook ?
