& Growing Tips

Have you ever grown something from seed, that you were 100% sure could not be grown, by you, from seed?  I have and it was watermelon.  Let me just tell you upfront, I had a lot of failures before my big success!  

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, RIGHT? 

I am fairly certain that it took five years of practicing, before I got it right.  The two main contributors to my melon growing failures have been soil quality and lack of watering.  Melons need a lot of water.  They don’t want to sit in a puddle, but they need a lot of water. Water them. Every. Day.

HOW MANY MELON SEEDS / PLANTS TO START

Start by determining the space you want to use to grow tomatoes.  You should allow 4-6′ for every healthy plant.  If you’ve got a 4′ x 4′ space, you’ll have room for 1  plant.  So give yourself 50% more seeds, so in this case you’ll want to have 2 plants.  You will end up thinning out the smallest and sickliest looking seedlings. In a single hill you should plant 3 to 4 seeds.    

VEGETABLE PLANTING SCHEDULE FOR MELONS

• Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last spring frost date.
• Wait about two weeks from the last spring frost before transplanting   
• Harden off plants over the course of a week.
• Till aged manure or compost into your garden soil
• Like pumpkins, melons grow best in hills, but widely spaced in rows can work also.
• Put them in a part of your garden where they will have full sun and well-drained soil. 
• Water the transplants very well. 

GARDEN GROWING TIPS FOR MELONS

• Mulch thickly to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature. They like a lot of water, but need to be in well drained soil.
• They are very heavy feeders, and require a lot of room
• Vines produce male and female flowers separately on the same plant. Do not be concerned if the male flowers fall off. The female flowers (which have a swollen bulb at the base) will stay on the vine and bear fruit. Blossoms require pollination to set fruit, so be kind to the bees! 
• As fruit is ripening, prevent rotting by gently lifting it and putting some cardboard or straw between the fruit and the soil.
• Don’t plant melons near the cucumbers
• Melons can be grown near the tomatoes and corn.
• Inspect for insect pests regularly.

HARVESTING TIPS FOR MELONS

• When the tendril is half dead, the the watermelon is nearly ripe or ripe. If the tendril is fully dead, it’s ripe or overripe; it’s not going to get any riper, so you might as well pick!
• Stems should be cut with a sharp knife close to the fruit.
• Watermelons can be stored uncut for about 10 days. 

FIND THIS USEFUL?

Get your printable Vegetable Planting Schedule – for reference and to help keep you on track, and check out these other gardening posts to help you get the most out of your garden. Also, check out our article on the Easiest Veggies to Grow – it’s perfect for anybody just starting out, or who doesn’t necessarily have the time to devout to a garden. 

Starting Seedlings , Laying out your Plot, Maintenance Planners, Journals, Planting Schedules for Direct Seeding, and Planting Schedules for Starting Seeds Indoors and don’t forget our growing tips for cabbage, broccoli lettuce tomatoes peppers and cauliflower.