What is the best way to grow watermelon?
Till the soil.
- Watermelons like loamy, fertile, well-drained soil. To determine whether your soil gets good enough drainage, take a look at it after a heavy rain. ...
- To further enrich the soil, till compost into the top of layers.
- Watermelons grow best in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. ...
What is the best way to plant watermelons?
Starting seedlings
- Water the planting media thoroughly the day before planting.
- Make sure the soil temperature in the transplant containers is between 75-90 F. ...
- Plant your seeds about 1 inch deep.
- Do not water until plants emerge.
- Do not transplant until soil temperature reaches 60 F at least 3 inches below the surface of the soil.
How to plant watermelon in Texas?
- Annually occurring insects include whiteflies, aphids, mites, lepidopteran worms, leafminers, squash bugs, and thrips. ...
- Beneficial parasitoids and predators are available but are not widely used due to low reliability.
- Diazinon, methomyl (Lannate), and dimethoate (Cygon) are three FQPA targeted products that if withdrawn could reduce yield by 10%. ...
What is the best seedless watermelon?
What is the best seedless watermelon to plant? Revolution was the best large elongated seedless variety. Crunchy Red, Vagabond, Sugar Heart, Olympia, and Independence were excellent oblong melons and Harmony, Poquito, Cooperstown, Indiana, and Ruby were excellent round watermelons.
What is the best time to plant watermelon in Texas?
Plant melons when the soil warms up in mid spring. This would be about mid April in north Texas, late March to early April in central parts of the state and mid to late March along the coastal region. Prior to planting work 1 to 2 cups of a complete fertilizer into the soil per 50 square feet of garden bed area.
What melons grow well in Texas?
Melons most commonly grown in Texas include honeydew, muskmelon and watermelon. Muskmelons are often mistakenly called cantaloupes, but the true cantaloupe is a small, warty fruit and is not usually grown in the United States.
How long does it take to grow watermelon in Texas?
85 to 100 daysBest Watermelon Varieties For North Texas Most watermelons mature in 85 to 100 days, while some need up to 130 warm days to ripen.
What watermelon grows best in Texas?
Top Central TX Watermelons and Harvesting TipsBlack Diamond (dark green rind, bright red flesh, juicy, sweet)Crimson Sweet (light and dark green stripes, red flesh, very sweet)Charleston Gray (medium green rind, red flesh, crisp, fiberless)Bush Sugar Baby (light and dark green stripes, red flesh, flavorful)More items...•
Where do watermelons grow in Texas?
Watermelons are an annual crop in Texas. Harvest starts in early May in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (South Texas), June in the Winter Garden, June-July in East Texas, late summer and early fall in the Cross Timbers/DeLeon area, and in September and October in the High Plains.
How long do watermelons take to grow?
between 70 and 100 daysAbout Watermelons However, gardeners in colder climates can still have success in growing watermelons by starting seeds indoors or purchasing young plants from a nursery, and by growing shorter-season varieties. Depending on the variety of watermelon, it can take between 70 and 100 days to go from planting to harvest.
How many watermelons do you get per plant?
2-4 fruitsHow Many Watermelons per Plant? Healthy watermelon vines produce 2-4 fruits per plant. The vines produce both male and female flowers. Both are needed to set fruit and there are fewer female flowers compared to male, about one female for every seven males.
Do watermelons need full sun?
Regardless of what variety you grow in your pots, be sure to site the containers in a location where they receive a minimum of 8 hours of full sun per day. Watermelons will not form flowers or fruits if they don't get enough sun. 'Sugar Pot' and 'Bush Sugar Baby' are the best two choices for container growing.
Can I grow watermelon on my lawn?
Watermelons in the lawn If you don't have room in the garden for watermelon vines, think about growing them in the middle of the lawn. Simply dump two 40-pound bags of composted cow manure and one 40-pound bag of topsoil into a heap on the lawn. Mix and mound with a trowel or by hand to integrate all materials.
What month do you plant watermelon?
Plant watermelon from late spring to early summer, once soil temperatures reach 70° F or above. Space watermelon 3 to 5 feet apart in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
Will cantaloupe grow in Texas?
Cantaloupes are planted in Central Texas starting in March to April (when the soil temperature is 75-89oF and can be harvested from June to November. There needs to be at least 110-140 frost-free days for cantaloupes to fully mature.
What is the watermelon Capital of Texas?
City of Hempstead, TexasHempstead, TexasCity of Hempstead, TexasNickname(s): Watermelon Capital of TexasLocation in the state of TexasCoordinates: 30°5′29″N 96°4′53″WCountryUnited States22 more rows
Will cantaloupe grow in Texas?
Cantaloupes are planted in Central Texas starting in March to April (when the soil temperature is 75-89oF and can be harvested from June to November. There needs to be at least 110-140 frost-free days for cantaloupes to fully mature.
Can you plant watermelon and cantaloupe together?
No, you shouldn't plant watermelon and cantaloupe vines close to one another because of the space requirements and shared pest and disease concerns, but you can plant them in a larger bed in different areas with good cultural practices.
What can you not plant with melons?
Plants that don't do well with melons include other cucurbits such as pumpkins, squash, summer and winter, and cucumbers. Also, avoid planting potatoes with your melons. Tomatoes and peppers don't thrive with melons because melons take up so much space they crowd them out.
What is the best month to plant cantaloupe?
springCantaloupe prefers warm weather, so don't plant it before temperatures have warmed in the spring. Cantaloupe does best when direct sown. Sow seeds outside about 2 weeks after the last frost date when soil temperatures are about 65℉.
When are watermelons ripe in Texas?
July and August are the peak season for fresh and juicy watermelons. They are the largest annual horticulture crop in Texas. Hundreds of farms grow watermelons in an area of over 17,000 hectares throughout the state. Harvest season starts in April in the lower Rio Grande Valley; in June and July watermelons are ripe in the Winter Garden and East Texas, and in August the Rolling Plains area is ready for harvest. Late summer and early fall harvests of watermelon can be found in the Southern High Plains.
When is the watermelon thumps festival?
The Watermelon Thump is a four-day festival that draws thousands of people to the small city of Luling on the last Thursday-Saturday of June.
How to grow melons in the spring?
Planting. Melons are warm-season crops and are easily injured by frost. Do not plant seeds until the soil warms in the spring and all danger of frost is past. Black plastic mulch can increase the soil temperature, giving melons an earlier start on growth. Plant the seeds in hills.
How many fruits do watermelon plants need?
Fruit size can be increased by pruning watermelons to two fruits per plant for large varieties or four to six fruits per plant on small varieties. Pruning also increases the size of muskmelon fruits, but usually it is not needed.
How to tell when watermelon is ripe?
Judging the ripeness of watermelons requires skill and experience. Some signs of ripeness in watermelons are: 1 Dull sound when thumped. This varies with the gardener and the size and type of melon and often is inaccurate. 2 Change in color of rind. Ripe melons often lose their glossy color. 3 Change in color of soil spot. The spot where the melon rests on the soil takes on a creamy, streaked color. 4 Death or drying of the tendril. The tendril near the point where the melon is attached to the vine dries when ripe. This is the most dependable sign (Fig. 6).
Why is honeydew melons yellow?
Harvest honeydew melons when the skin begins to turn yellow and the end of the fruit opposite the stem (blossom end) begins to soften. Do not harvest melons too early because the sugar content does not increase after harvest. Muskmelon can improve in flavor after harvest, but this is caused by mellowing of the flesh.
What are the most common fruits grown in Texas?
Melons. Melons most commonly grown in Texas include honeydew, muskmelon and watermelon. Muskmelons are often mistakenly called cantaloupes, but the true cantaloupe is a small, warty fruit and is not usually grown in the United States.
What type of soil do melons grow in?
Melons grow best on a deep, well drained, sandy or sandy loam soil with plenty of organic matter. Heavy soils with a lot of clay often cause small, weak plants that produce fewer melons. Melons prefer soils with a neutral pH, and if the soil is too acidic the plants will drop their blossoms. Figure 1.
How long does it take for a melon plant to break through the soil?
Melon plants break through the soil 10 to 12 days after planting. After the plants are up, thin them to three to four plants per hill. After the plants have two or three leaves, thin them again, leaving two plants per hill. Insect or other damage often makes another thinning unnecessary.
