Growing Watermelons - The Complete Guide

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

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[@makulewahine]

I grew a small cantaloupe called Minnesota Mini this year. I didn't take very good care of it due to health issues but I was still rewarded with a very sweet although small fruit. There are still a lot of them on the vine and I hope they mature before the frost appears. Thanks for all this good information.

[@HelloMandaJo]

I grew that one this year too! We really enjoyed them.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

That's awesome! I love the varieties that are tough like that....I'm putting it on my list!

[@tesswagner895]

Thank you! Now I know what went wrong with my melons. I did find out they grew more vigorous when I covered them at night with a floating row cover. (Zone4/5 here). Next year I'll plant in a cold frame. Saved this video for next year❤

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Right on Tess, you got this! 🙂

[@tesswagner895]

@TheRipeTomatoFarms Been gardening for years but it seems like I learn something new every year or at least figure it out😁

[@t.johnson2966]

Im also on southern Vancouver Island. This helped me tremendously! Cheers!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@t.johnson2966 small world! That's great to hear!

[@KenethRodriguez-tp1xp]

One day a sprout of watermelon started growing on my front yard and now I already ate two watermelons that it gave And thanks for your advice

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@KenethRodriguez-tp1xp cheers Keneth, hope the season is going well!

[@donnakacz6460]

Can't wait to try.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

You got this Donna! 🙂

[@nadias5192]

Thankyou for the watermelon growing tips. Being my side of the worlds time for spring I sowed watermelon seeds for the first time and three have germinated in coco coir pots.. Hmm I may have made my first mistake potting them up in to a larger pot now that they have true leaves. Thankyou for the detailed instructions I will definitely be referring back to this video for its maintenance f 🤞

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Nadias, thanks for watching! 🙂

[@michaelmarchione3408]

I still like the huge old fashion type. Transplanting was always my problem. Thanks, now I know why. Thanks for the how-to! Enjoyed and take care Jeff!

[@naomi2646]

Yes, they are so sweet

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Me too Michael...seeds and all! So juicy!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@naomi2646Agreed Naomi!

[@sandyhayden-bristow1382]

Sorry I missed you live, I was in the garden. lol Great video. Love the idea of using biodegradable paper cups for those that do not like to be moved. Then I can transplant directly into grow bags. I may use that method for my tomato plants too just to get an earlier start!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Sandy, works for a lot of plants.....cucumbers, other melons, zucchinis, etc! Tomatoes as well.....but they grow so fast and actually like transplanting...

[@SistaChic]

Thanks for all the great tips. I'm thrilled I can grow watermelons in the northwest (US). Can't wait till spring.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

You got this! Can't wait to hear about the harvests!

[@lisagunn5376]

Thank you so much, I'm definitely trying next spring ❤

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Lisa! 🙂

[@JohnSmith-pn1vv]

Love this channel, personable fellow.

[@C3Voyage]

I would offer another opinion on ripeness for watermelon. Don't look at the packet for harvest days, don't thump, don't look at the spot, don't worry about the sheen, and don't be inflexible just to follow someone else's advice dead on. Local environments, variety, and growing styles could alter things to a degree. I'd certainly rule out "days to harvest" because it will always be wrong 95% of the time. You can use DTH as a general time-frame to begin inspecting plants, but that's it. Obviously, fruits on each plant set on different days and they certainly don't ripen all at the same time. I have fruit right now ripening two months after eating the first one. This is my advice as a basic guide to begin with: Wait till the tendril is VERY dried up all the way to the vine crispy and then add 5 days more. Pick the fruit, slice open, and inspect/taste it. Know the color of your watermelon and look at yours. Should be consistent to the edge (minus rind). Rind thickness varies with variety. If it's unripe or not full of color, you picked too soon. Wait longer adding two days minimal past tendril crisp if barely unripe. More if very unripe. Taste. You're not tasting for sweetness. That will vary with environment, water intake, and variety. You're tasting for texture. If mealy/mushy, and the color is there, you picked too late. Subtract two days. Often, you will not experience both conditions. More often than not, the anxious gardener harvests too soon and that too soon will include the spot and a waxy, dull fruit. So, make the minor adjustment and go for it THAT SEASON with THAT VARIETY. It'll be "Tendril plus 2", "Tendril plus 5", etc. A watermelon will still be good for a bit after ripe, so the "+" days after ripeness could go from +2 (ideal) to +4 without worry. These suggestions only apply to healthy looking vines, not dried up or dying vines or immature or small fruit that ran into an abnormal issue like disease. NOTE: This is my opinion so follow or not just like everything else in life.

[@valjalava1951]

I grew some well 2 this year

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Nice!

[@Pilotpaulie]

Great info Jeff. What would be your suggestion on watermelon varieties to grow vertically?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Paulie! Go with the smaller ones unless you can support the fruit.... If you can, then any variety will work!

[@stephenremo9200]

Haven't had much luck with watermelon until i tried blacktail mountain very vigorous vines. They are also good in colder temperatures especially helpful when they seem fine with night temperatures in the low 50s

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Oh wow, that's cool. Thanks for the reference Stephen.... Now I gotta try them!

[@michaelfoort2592]

Another excellent show. I found my mistakes!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Michael, happy to help!

[@thegardenofhomestead9930]

Thank you; great info! 🙏🏻

[@joannsilva4715]

I've tried watermelon & cantaloupe & had mini fruit, medium sized or not great results! You are such a good teacher, love your clips! 💚 laid up with a TKR maybe next yr I'll try again! ☹️ Thanks for your great gardening tips!

[@bobwatfprd2328]

I transplant watermelons every year removing it from the pot and putting it in the garden. Sometimes even upsize the pot once prior. Never had any issues or even temporary shock. I'd guess making the roots fight their way out of that paper cup is far more detrimental. I get large beautiful 17lb watermelons in SW Ontario, usually 2 per vine.

[@loriegroth2472]

Very helpful video, thank you. I’m going to try next year. What do you think about growing them inside a greenhouse?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Right on Lori, that's the spirit! They can definitely grow inside a greenhouse, 2 issues though...1) it must be open to allow bees in to pollinate and 2) they are VERY large plants that can take over an area fairly easily. But yes, it can be done. :-)

[@shannonpowell-o3o]

My watermelons didn't work out this being my 1st year trying. Buy I think this info will be great when I try again next year. I still have some babies showing, but they fall off about the size of a plum.😢 but I will try try again until I get it right. Have a blessed day

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I've definitely had that happen as well...I attributed my issue with that as too much watering and improper timing of the planting (too late in the year). Best of luck with the next batch!

[@Mai-nr1zq]

Wait can I start sugar baby melon in individual plastic pots under lights and then transplant outside???

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

100% you can.....in fact, with my short summer, its the only way I can grow them to any size!

[@Mai-nr1zq]

@TheRipeTomatoFarms at what stage would I start hardening off? Do melons need hardening before going outside? How big or how many main leaf should the melon have before introducing outdoor?? Sorry first time growing melons Iol

[@neelsscheepers8841]

Fertilize your watermelons with the diy weed fertilizer once a week until you see the first flour buds. You will be very surprised with the fruit when its time to harvest.

[@threewaysdivided7143]

Funny how these keep coming out at such timely points! (Logically I know it's because we're all following seasonal calendars for cropping but I'm surprised that your releases are so well-synced to the start of the southern hemisphere seasons.) Some people at my local community farm have been tabling the idea of growing watermelons this year - I might need to see if we can find (or build a new) shared bed in an appropriate patch of the property 🍉 Icebox varieties would probably suit us as it would let us go for a higher number of fruit per plant for divvying out.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Ha ha it so true....but still a little creepy that its sometimes soooo timely! Thanks for watching though! 🙂

[@lisakruger5289]

They definitely do take their time ripening! I am waiting not so patiently for my sugar baby watermelon to ripen and I'm wondering if it's ever going to be ripe!! Thanks so much for the tips though because I definitely don't want to pick it too early! :0

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Let us know how they do Lisa! 🙂

[@marilynmitchell2712]

It has been less than 50 degrees at night lately and just barely 70 in the afternoon.

[@roottrackerzbyyaira]

I tried watermelon then pests ate them. Tried again and it's too late. I did collect over 20 varieties at the Rare Seed Expo!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yeah, they can be a bit of a tricky one. Insects love the leaves, animals love the fruit as a water source... Sigh

[@zmblion]

20 varieties time for a land race

[@leikamorgan865]

I grew 6 this year but they were really small but sweet, average about 1 pound each

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Better than nothing! What kind were they?

[@leikamorgan865]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms sugar baby and crimson sweet

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@leikamorgan865 Nice! Great varieties!

[@Mai-nr1zq]

What does thinning them out mean? If there are 2 in 1 container does it mean keep the stronger and kill the weaker?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@Mai-nr1zq yes, it means giving each vine the proper spacing

[@RonaldCarrington-y4l]

What do you use for your mulch? Looks like straw, but I don’t want to introduce seeds.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yup, clean, fine straw. Straw inherently won't have seeds. It's when it's mixed with hay that you run into problems...

[@gardengrowngroceries]

Heyyyy! Nice melons! I grew watermelons this year (sugar baby) except my chickens got into the patch and managed to uproot the plants, killing them. I cut the melons early but not sure it will have any flavor

[@kp2637]

Where do you get your mulch, is it straw or hay?

[@blackbones15]

About how many weeks prior to harvesting should you stop fertilizing, and water less?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I go by fruit.... Once the fruit appears and gets about 1/3 in size, no more fertilizing

[@blackbones15]

@TheRipeTomatoFarms thank you very much for the advice and your very helpful videos!! God bless you and your garden!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@blackbones15 thanks so much for watching and for the support!

[@blackbones15]

@TheRipeTomatoFarms You're welcome, and thank you for taking the time to make the videos and educate us. I'm in zone 9 so any helpful tips for my area is very welcome!

[@Sea_Chel]

I got a late start and have some sugar baby watermelons in zone 8b that are about tennis ball size. There's been some warm and sunny days still, but it is about to be rainy with temperatures not going above 60. Is there a way to give the baby melons a little more time to mature? It kills me to waste them. 😢

[@crystalsmith5330]

It's only the 18th day of spring in Sydney AU and it's going be 36°c/97°f . What can I do for them when it reaches 46°c/115°f

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Shade cloth is your best bet at that point!

[@crystalsmith5330]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms I thought that would be the answer thanks

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@crystalsmith5330 best of luck! Those are not temperatures to mess around with, so you be safe too!

[@mikesdirtypillow2451]

I am growing cannabis outdoors here in southwest saskatchewan do you have any tips for pests and diseases i may encounter in our region my picture here is from this morning i also wonder if you have any opinions on electroculture in the garden using copper wire and magnets in the ground

[@beat_2008]

Fun Fact: The Watermelon symbol was used to represent Palestine at the time when it was banned and it still remains symbolically unique especially with the colours!

[@Batchat2352]

The day to harvest is not accurate. I planted My watermelons 80 days or so ago already got a fruit from each of them in pots then i tranplanted them into my raised bed. They now have 2 watermelon each. Well beyond 100 days. The leaves are not dying back like urs mine keep going. I had to pull one of the two plants in the field because it gave its fruit and there wouldnt be time for another melon. 4lbs the tendril was dry and the knock i though was hollow. I thought it was going overipe. It was very under ripe. Ould have reached 5 lbs as the avg size. Was very bummed

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Dang, what variety and what zone was this in?

[@marilynmitchell2712]

I have a watermelon that has been only 2 inches wide for a month. (The zucchinis grew well though).

[@Batchat2352]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms zone 4a early moonbean

[@Batchat2352]

The tendrils are not reliable. They can turn brown prematurely the knock is what is the most important. Like in my case this year i had my biggest watermelon go to waste because of the tendril and i lost track of that specific melon. Very underipe

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Never had a problem with the tendrils. Only grown 4 varieties though, so will report back when my list grows, but so far its been bang on.

[@C3Voyage]

Disagree big time as a breeder.

[@Batchat2352]

@@C3Voyage maybe its just my specific variety. Tendrill all dried up the watermelon was greenish yellow and thick

[@C3Voyage]

@@Batchat2352 Could be. Try another variety or another grow.

[@fredrickkoenig8584]

How do you know if the seeds are good, i have done the water test, i filled a container with water and put my seeds in the water and waited 15 minutes and if they sink they will be the seeds that are good. I purchased hairloom seeds 25 to be exactly and put all of the seeds in the water and all 25 stayed on top of the water, what a Disappointment...

[@CmdrSoCal]

Pumpkins (buttercup/cinderella) are way better in cold climates.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

My kids aren't going to bite into a slice of raw pumpkin on a hot summer day....

[@CmdrSoCal]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms I meant way easier to grow. I get at least 5 times more pumpkin vs melon in my cold climate. Better deal to buy the melons at the store and grow what grows good in my climate (pumpkins/berry bushes).

[@elisabettaepiney9896]

What is a melon d’eau 😮… it’s pastèque en français 😫