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Last Updated on February 3 , 2022 by
The sweet and naughty watermelon are the best summertime talent ; you get to enjoy their explosive taste , but when do you plant Citrullus vulgaris ?
These big , delicious fruit are sluttish to arise at home and come in in many varieties . Nothing beats the smell or Sunday - advanced watermelon vine fresh from your garden on a red-hot afternoon .
Just like cantaloupe , watermelons require 2 to 3 month of the Sunday to produce ripe yield . It is hard to raise watermelon in the Northern regions due to cold , but not out of the question . apply plastic mulch to bear on the heat of the stain or floating row covers to immobilize fond air near the plant .
watermelon vine is a yield that should be find in everyone ’s dieting . It has health - promoting vitamin C and antioxidants , including lycopene and genus Beta - carotene .
Growing Watermelon
The first most important whole step in growing juicy watermelon vine is to select the type you need to originate . These fruits come in 3 main kinds :
Early Season or Icebox Melon – It produces petite - sized fruit that easily correspond in the fridge . It takes the shortest time to maturate , about 70 to 75 day .
Main Season – The fruit are big and take longer to mature about 80 to 90 day .
Seedless Watermelons – This interesting type is queer between several type to create a seedless type . They produce endearing fruit and havevigorous vines .
In these 3 seasons , you could grow yellow-bellied , pink , red , or orangish chassis melons .
When To Plant Watermelon
The tender grow season may not be foresightful enough to produce good Citrullus vulgaris from seed . If you live in the northerly region , you may take off your seeds indoors 2 to 3 hebdomad before the last frost date . Remember to implant your seeded player in a soilless potting mix .
If you live in tender and moist domain , do n’t begin your seeds too betimes . Wait till the temperatures are systematically above50 degrees Fahrenheit or warmerbefore starting your seeds . transplantation is monish to avoid disturb their rootage .
you could sow Citrullus vulgaris semen directly into the garden when the temperature is above 50 stage F. constitute your seeds at least ½ to 1 in mysterious , placing 2 to 3 seeds 18 to 24 inches aside . Once the seedlings are established , take 2 seedlings and entrust the best to keep growing .
How To Grow Watermelon
watermelon love space , so grow them where they can enjoy lot of quad . Their vines can make up to 20 feet in length . That ’s why you ca n’t give to limit their space .
Soil
watermelon vine love rich , well - drained grease . Improve your soil with raw thing like compost or fertiliser that is mellow in Nitrogen .
Watering
Watermelon plant have moderately deep rootage , and watering is essential from planting until the yield forms . During this period , these plants need at least 1 to 2 inch of water per week .
Ensure that you keep the soil humid but do not overwater it . pee at the vine ’s base in the morning ; avoid getting the leaves wet . Avoid overhead watering . dilute the wateringonce the fruit is maturate ; sunny , ironic weather create the sweetest melon .
Fertilizing
When you detect that vine begin to ramble , it ’s time to side - dress your melon vine plant with half a cup of balanced fertilizer ( 5 - 10 - 5 ) . ensure you use a plant food with more atomic number 7 than phosphorus and potassium . This encourages leaf and vine growth .
When bloom starts , use a fertiliser with less nitrogen to encourage flowers and fruit . you’re able to use a seaweed - based fertilizer .
you’re able to make a third fertilizer coating when melons are set . When the fruit began to mature , deduct water system to deepen their sweetness .
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Mulching
mulch around the plantswill serve several purposes . It warms the filth , hinder weed growth , and keeps developing fruits of the soil . habituate a black credit card straw to mulch .
Pruning
Watermelon plant do not necessarily require pruning , but you may better the vine productivity if you do not let lateral vines to grow and adhere to the main vine .
When the watermelon vine industrial plant is young , cut down off the destruction bud as they imprint before the side shoots become vines . You may also pinch some blossoms to centre on few melon , but most citizenry find it challenge to do away with a potential yield .
Flowering And Fruiting
Watermelon bring out both manlike and distaff blossom separately but on the same works . They start by producing male flowers a few week before the female appear .
Do not worry if the male flowers go down off ; the distaff flower with a vain light bulb at the base check on the vine and bear fruit .
The blossoms require pollenation to set the yield ; allow the bee to inflict your garden for pollenation to take place . Make your garden habitable by providing these bees with a good beginning of raw intellectual nourishment .
When your yield lead off to get ready and ripen , gently lift them and put stubble or cardboard between the fruit and the filth .
How Do You Know When Your Watermelon Is Ripe?
Citrullus vulgaris can be hard to recount if it ’s ripe , especially if you do n’t know how to determine the melons if they are ripe .
Here are a few tips to aid you know if your fruit are ready for harvest .
Thump it to finger if it sound hollow ; if it does , it ’s ripe .
Look at the Citrullus vulgaris people of color on the top ; a ripe one has a niggling dividing line between the stripes .
The colouring material at the bottom shows a whitish bottom for an green melon and cream or yellow - colored for a advanced one .
match the vine ; if it ’s half - stagnant , the fruit is intimately ripe or ripe ; but if it ’s dark-green , it ’s still growing , so give it more prison term . If the vine is fully dead , the yield is ripe or overripe so harvest it !
When harvesting , abbreviate the stems close to the fruit with a sharp tongue .
Do not pinch the fruit to see if it ’s good ; it can cause harm to the fruit .
notice that watermelons do not continue ripen after they are picked . They ripen over a two - week period , so keep your eye on them .
Conclusion
Growing watermelons is a playfulness bodily function that you may love doing in theearly outpouring to summer .
glad Citrullus vulgaris horticulture ! You will truly love the results .
FAQs
What month do you plant watermelon?
This is a question I get all the metre . The answer is it look on what you are engraft and what form of watermelon you are planting .
Watermelon is a summer fruit , and it is very important to pick out the right-hand time of year for planting . you’re able to start watermelons from seed in the spring , or you’re able to grease one’s palms plants from a greenhouse . The good meter for planting is recent wintertime or early spring . If you imbed in the heat of summer , your watermelon will not get enough clip to grow before it ’s too hot .
What are its closest relatives?
Watermelon is a extremity of the cucurbit sept of flora , which also includes Cucumis melo cantalupensis , squeeze and gourds .
Can you grow them in a greenhouse?
Growing watermelon in a greenhouse is easy . These fruits ask a lot of sun for their best growth . To get the most out of your greenhouse , originate watermelon vine inside . watermelon vine industrial plant produce very speedily , so you may desire to start a few seedlings at the same time to increase the yield . It is a in force idea to plant several varieties of watermelon , as they have unlike relish and texture .
you may also try out with different varieties to see which one grows good for you . If you are growing watermelon in your greenhouse , ensure to keep the temperature below 70 degrees Fahrenheit . Watermelons do not like stale temperature , as they will misplace their savour . However , you may plant them in the fall , when the temperature has dropped down to 40 degree Fahrenheit . If you wait until spring , you may have to get over the plants with credit card to protect them from the cold . watermelon vine need a lot of sparkle to originate well .
Do watermelon plants need a lot of sun?
The truth is , however , that watermelons are one of the most hard vegetable to grow in a fly-by-night area . They need lots of sunlight and even if you give them full sun , they can still only arise for a myopic meter before wilting .
What is the best way to grow watermelons?
Watermelon is one of the most popular garden vegetable . It ’s a summer yield that is gentle to develop and can be eaten sweet or used for a variety show of recipe , include watermelon vine salsa , watermelon vine salad , watermelon succus , and watermelon wine . Citrullus vulgaris are also very easy to grow from seed .
To get started you need to buy a seedless watermelon variety and plant it in the ground . Start seeds indoors about four weeks before your last frost date .
Watermelons call for plentifulness of sunlight , good drainage and high humidity to grow properly .
Can watermelon be grown in pots?
Yes , it can be develop in a pot . I ’ve had success growing it in a orotund credit card trash can with drain holes drilled in the bottom and make full with gravel . you may also use an old flowerpot with a hole cut in the bottom for drainage . Just keep the soil moist at all times and you should be okay .
Carolineisagardenerwholovestogetdowntothenitty – grittyofgardening . Sheproudlyproclaimsherselfasa‘dirtworshipper‘andcanoftenbefounddeepinthegarden , coveredinsoilandsingingtoherplants . Asaself – proclaimed‘plantwhisperer‘,Carolinebelievesthatplantsneedloveandattentionjustlikeanyotherlivingthing , andshelovestogivethemboth . Whenshe‘snottendingtohergarden , youcanoftenfindherresearchingthelatestgardeningtrends , orteachingothershowtomaketheirgardensthrive
