hear how to grow watermelon organically in your backyard in this Emily Price Post !
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How to grow watermelon at home
A new off the vine watermelon is hard to beat . Sweet , gamy , and utterly delicious ! Perfect on a summer ’s day !
Citrullus vulgaris are native to Africa and involve a long , raging growing season to be successful , however , even if you are in northerly states there are many change of ice - boxwood Citrullus vulgaris that you’re able to grow and reap .
When to sow watermelon seed
Plants are very sensitive to temperature so if you are in a scant time of year domain , inseminate your Citrullus vulgaris seeds indoors in aseed trayor aseed pot . Since watermelon seedlings struggle with organ transplant shock , consider using compostable plant pots that are larger so the whole thing can be planted after the outpouring frost .
utilise a good seed starting mix , I like theJiffy Natural and Organic Seed Starting Mixor theFox Farm Ocean Forest MixandFox Farm Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil Mix .
Learn more about seed starting in The Ultimate Guide To Seed Starting
Start your watermelon vine seeds 3 - 4 weeks before your last Robert Lee Frost date in spring if you are in a brusk season sphere . If you are in a warm area you could start your semen indoors 1 - 2 weeks before your last freeze date .
Transplant or direct inseminate your Citrullus vulgaris only when the average soil and daytime air temperature are at least 70 ° F ( 21 ° C ) . Do not raise watermelon vine unprotected where nighttime aura temperature shine below 60 ° F ( 16 ° C ) . Use afloating row coverto keep seedlings snug and protected if the temperature drop .
What varieties of watermelon to grow at home?
There ’s a great deal of watermelon variety to turn and you should opt a form that will mature within your growing season . Some varieties are quick in 80 days , others over 100 days . Here are some great heirloom and open - pollinated smorgasbord to try :
Where to plant watermelons
Watermelons call for a sunny locating in the garden and are heavy feeders . They take soil that is well - draining and rich with constitutional matter . Add plenty of well - decompose compost to the planting space before planting .
Avoid implant watermelon where it will be shaded out by structures or other flora that are magniloquent like tomato plant , corn , sunflower , or sorghum .
How to grow watermelon
Citrullus vulgaris flora need blank for the vines to uprise . The vines can reach 6 metrical foot or more . If you are planting multiple plant , outer space Citrullus vulgaris 6 to 12 ft ( 1.8 - 3.6 m ) aside .
flora grow well in small hills in the garden layer . Hilling the soil up helps to keep the ascendent of the watermelon plants quick and drain good . One tip is to bring well - waste compost to a muddle then make a James Jerome Hill above the jam to sow seed or transfer a watermelon vine seedling into it after all risk of freeze has slip by . Make your Alfred Hawthorne at least 6 ft aside to permit the vine to spread out . If you are in a humid location , give the plants more space to allow good aura circulation to swerve down on diseases spreading .
If you are in arid climates , create a waffle or crater with grunge mounded on the edges . This helps to conserve water in the soil . To create a waffle or volcanic crater , delve a hole about 2 - 3 ft across and 6 in cryptical . Take the soil you remove and mound it around the bound . Make a crater 6 ft apart to allow the watermelon vines to go around .
add together compost to the crater and any other goodies likekelp repast , azomite , orworm castingsand trounce up eggshell . watermelon can succumb to blossom end rot like Lycopersicon esculentum so steady lacrimation and ease up on the atomic number 7 sources when eat your industrial plant !
Keep weeds from the watermelon planting surface area . If watermelons are competing with other plants for space or nutrient the fruit bring forth will be modest and less tasty .
Your watermelon plant need the right amount of water to flourish . During the first 4 hebdomad of mature , the plants are working on developing their root systems . Check the grunge regularly and irrigate the plants whenever the top 3 - 4 in of soil are dry . Mulch will help oneself to keep both weeds down and moisture in the soil .
As your watermelon vine plants are incur bigger and starting to set fruit , do n’t overwater your industrial plant or the yield will not be as sweet or flavorful . If the leafage of your watermelon plant are wilting before noon , irrigate your plants .
Some gardeners recommend stopping watering a watermelon about 2 weeks before the fruit are quick to glean to make the fruit sweeter .
How to grow watermelon with companion plants
A green manure commixture of oats and subject pea sown in the area that the watermelon will grow helps to meliorate the fertility of the grunge in the area . Cut the unripe manure 2 - 3 weeks before transfer the watermelon seedlings . The tops of the unripened manure mulch the soil but contribute 1 - 2 inch of compost then cover with another mulch like straw or leaves will smother green goddess , prey the soil , and aid retain water !
watermelon are reliant on pollinators to transfer pollen from the virile flowers onto the female bloom . Growing pollinator attractive bloom near the watermelon patch will avail bring pollinators near to the watermelon flowers and help grow the yield . Some great flowers and herbaceous plant to grow nearby admit tailwort , basil , flock , tansy , and marigolds . If you are farm the seedless hybrid Citrullus vulgaris , you will need to grow seeded , open - pollinated mixture too . The seedless hybrids need poll from an open - pollinated variety to develop the fruit .
Learn about heirloom , hybrid , and open - pollinated seeds in this mail .
Leeks , ail , and onions grow nearby can aid to deter pests from the arena as can marigolds .
Another great way to use plants as mulch is to grow fast - growing radish in the bed before the watermelons are transplanted . The radish grow fast , help to smother out the weed whilst the watermelons establish themselves .
Learn more about gullible manures in this related mail service .
When to harvest watermelon
Watermelons do n’t sweeten after they are picked , so harvesting at the right meter is significant . They typically ripen over a 2 week period , so keep your eye on them when they get gravid .
Do a ocular hinderance of your watermelons ! reckon at the colour on the top of the yield , the watermelon is ripe when there is footling demarcation between the chevron . If it ’s hard to recount the departure and it can be in some heirloom varieties , look at the color on the bottom of the yield . A mature melon vine will have a creamy to yellow - tinge bottom , not blank in color .
The next tab is the tendril . seem for the curly tendril close to the stem where the watermelon fruit is attached . the tendril is light-green , wait ! If it ’s half - dead , turn yellow or , brown , and go crispy , the watermelon is almost good . If the tendril is fully deadened , browned , wither , and crispy then the watermelon is advanced or even overripe so pick it ! Stems should be cut with a shrewd knife close to the yield .
Storing your watermelon harvest
Watermelons do not keep well and are best used fresh . Get one in the electric refrigerator to enjoy nerveless , crisp slices on a hot day . The rinds can also be pickled and are a luscious side for many dishes . you could also dehydrate watermelon vine for a deliciously sweet bite and even immobilize it for smoothies .
permit me have sex in theFacebook groupwhat variety of watermelon you are growing this year ! I bonk to see your garden pictures and hear from you about what you are growing !
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