how long does it take for a watermelon to get ripe

How long does it take for a watermelon to grow?

It's typically a range like 80 to 120 days. If you're growing watermelon from seedlings your bought, just note when flowers open. It typically takes about five calendar weeks for a watermelon to go from flower to ripe fruit.

How long do watermelons last on the vine?

A fully ripe watermelon with brown tendril will keep on the vine up to two weeks as long as no heavy rainfall occurs, which causes ripe melons to split open (like tomatoes).

How big do watermelons get when they are ripe?

It’s a bush watermelon that yields two to three 10- to 12-pound melons on vines that are 14 to 18 inches long. A fully ripe watermelon has a distinctive sound when you thump it. To thump a watermelon, brace the tip of your middle finger against your thumb and flick it against the melon.

How do you know when a watermelon is ready to pick?

While more difficult to detect than most other methods, the smell of a watermelon can help indicate when it is ripe and ready to pick. Get close up to the watermelon and inhale deeply. A ripe melon should have a sweet scent to it, and remind you of the flavor of a perfectly ripe watermelon.

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Did you make this recipe?

Listen for a hollow sound when the melon is hit. Hold the watermelon up to your ear and knock on it with your knuckles or flick with one finger. A ripe watermelon will give off a lower-pitched and more hollow sound, whereas an unripe one will have a higher pitch to it. This can take some practice but is one of the more reliable ways to check for ripeness.

How long does it take for watermelon to ripen?

1. Let the watermelon grow for 2-4 months. There are a lot of different factors which will determine how long it takes for your melons to ripen, but it should be somewhere between 2 to 4 months. Look at the seed packet for the watermelons you're planting for an approximation of how long it'll take for them to ripen.

What color are watermelon rinds?

As watermelons mature, they will shift from having a bright green rind with a slight shine to a duller and more uniform tone over the top. Look for melons without a shine and with very little contrast between its stripes. ...

How to tell when a watermelon is ready to pick?

While the vines the watermelon grow off of will remain green up until they start to die, some of the tendrils around each melon may start to brown as the melon ripens. Look for this around each melon to help determine which ones are ready to be picked.

What does it mean when watermelon vines turn brown?

If the whole vine starts to turn brown while there are still watermelons left on it, harvest them immediately. This indicates that the vine is dying , and the watermelons are as ripe as they'll ever be.

How to keep track of watermelon seeds?

Write the date you planted your seeds on the seed packet and store it in a safe place. That way you can always keep track of exactly when your watermelons will be ready.

How long can you keep watermelon?

Thanks! Once harvested, watermelon can be stored uncut for around 10 days, but they won't ripen any further in this time. Once cut, the slices can be tightly wrapped and kept for 4 days.

How to tell if a watermelon is ripe?

Do a thump test. A ripe watermelon should have a deep hollow sound when you thump the rind with your hand, similar to a knock on the door. An unripe melon will have a more high-pitched resonance, whereas an overripe melon will sound more like a thud. Check the field spot.

What does it mean when a watermelon is yellow?

A yellow spot is a good sign that the watermelon was left to ripen on the vine long enough. A ripe melon will have a buttery or creamy yellow field spot along its belly, and a less ripe melon will typically have a white field spot. Feel its weight. When comparing two watermelons of the same size, the heavier one is more likely to be ripe.

What does a yellow spot on a watermelon sound like?

An unripe melon will have a more high-pitched resonance, whereas an overripe melon will sound more like a thud. Check the field spot. A field spot (or ground spot) is the underside of the melon that rests on the field as it grows. A yellow spot is a good sign that the watermelon was left to ripen on the vine long enough.

What happens if you pick a watermelon too early?

This method may not work at the grocery store but can help when growing watermelon in your own garden or choosing one at a local farmer’s market. Squeeze the flesh .

Why is watermelon considered a fruit?

Botanically, watermelon is considered a fruit due to its development process— it is a flowering plant that bears fruit after its flowers bloom. Watermelons have a lightly sweet taste that can accommodate a variety of summer flavors. It is important to make sure that your watermelon is ripe because—unlike cantaloupe—watermelon doesn’t continue ...

How long can you keep watermelon in the refrigerator?

For a whole watermelon: Whole, uncut watermelon can be kept at room temperature for one to two weeks or stored in the refrigerator for one week. Keep your watermelon away from other fruits—like apples—that may give off ethylene gas to avoid premature decomposition.

Is a watermelon ripe or unripe?

An unripe watermelon will feel lighter and less sturdy than a ripened, juicy watermelon. However, a melon that feels too heavy can also indicate overripeness. Smell the melon. You will be able to smell the sweet watermelon aroma through the rind of a ripe watermelon.

How long does it take for a watermelon to ripen?

Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones, but they require warm weather, full sun and a long growing season. Watermelons can take 90 days or longer from seed planting to harvest. Many inland gardeners who experience hot, bright summers will have little trouble creating an acceptable environment for watermelon growth. Gardeners in coastal areas with mild summers and frequently overcast conditions may find ripening long-season watermelon to be unrealistic and short-season, dwarf varieties of watermelon will fare better in these locations. Plant your watermelon in a location of the garden with as much sun exposure as possible. Plastic mulch will help by warming the soil and decreasing the time it takes to reach harvest.

How long can you keep watermelon in the refrigerator?

Harvested fruit stored in temperatures below 41 degrees Fahrenheit will experience chilling injury after several days. The best conditions for storing watermelon are between 45 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but standard room temperatures are acceptable. Uncut fruit can be stored in these temperatures for up to two weeks before eating. Once cut, the fruit will last in the refrigerator for only a few days. Wrap cut slices of watermelon in plastic wrap.

How do you know when a watermelon is ready to harvest?

When the spot beneath the watermelon has changed color, you'll know the fruit is ready to harvest. The sound you hear when you tap the ripened watermelon should be slightly different from previous days. Memorize this sound by repeating this process with other watermelons in your garden.

What is the color of watermelon?

A mature watermelon will have a hard rind with a creamy or yellow colored spot on its underside where it touches the ground. On an unripe watermelon, this spot will be white or light green. This spot is the most reliable indicator of ripeness, but other signs may also be present.

Does watermelon keep ripening after picking?

Does Watermelon Keep Ripening After It's Picked? Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus) can take a long time to mature and for excited gardeners, the temptation to harvest fruits early may be high.

Who is Leslie Rose?

Leslie Rose has been a freelance writer publishing with Demand Studios since 2008. In addition to her work as a writer, she is an accomplished painter and experienced art teacher. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in art with a minor in English.

Ripening on the Vine

To guarantee that your homemade watermelons achieve their optimal sweetness, allow them to fully mature. The curly green shoots around the stem have gone brown and dried out, which is one of the first indicators of a completely matured watermelon.

Tell if Your Watermelon is Ripe

Picking out watermelons and cutting watermelon boats for parties were two of my responsibilities at the family catering business when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I was regarded as the resident watermelon expert, nearly always able to identify the ideal melon, if there was one to be found.

1: Check to See if Your Watermelon Is Fully Grown

If you keep an eye on the patch, you’ll notice when a melon is huge, well-filled out, and hasn’t altered in size in a long time. For first-time growers, the best way to know is to examine the melon’s development patterns.

2. Main Vine for Ripe Melon

There should be a little curled tendril or curly cue of the vine where the stem of your melon joins the main vine. If this tiny tendril is dark and dried, your melon is likely to be fully ripe. The melon is still developing if the tendon is still green and springy. Before you harvest, all of your vines, not just a tendril, may begin to die back.

4. Listen to the Sound of Ripe Melon

This is a classic, and the internet is full of descriptions of what a watermelon should sound like when thumped. “Flat” or “dull” is what most people say. That, in my opinion, is an inadequate description.

What temperature should watermelon be?

The best temperatures for growing watermelons are between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but above this temperature range, the plants could drop their flowers, and bland melons result from consistent temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season.

How to get watermelon to pollinate?

To ensure proper pollination without relying on bees, hand pollinate the watermelons. Look for the male flowers, which have short stems. Take one of these and pull away the petals to expose the center. Rub this into the middle of a female flower, which will be borne on a longer stem with a slight bulge at the base. The best time to pollinate is during the morning hours after the dew dries because the female flowers will only open for a single day starting an hour or two after sunrise, and the watermelon plant will only produce one female flower, which will produce the fruit, for every seven male flowers.

How to grow watermelon in a sunny spot?

Place your watermelon bed in a sunny location with well-drained, loose, rich soil that has a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Give your watermelons at least 6 to 8 feet of space between plants because planting them too close discourages the growth of large melons and encourages vegetation growth.

Why is it important to pick a watermelon at its peak?

Picking a melon at its peak is important because watermelons will not get any sweeter after picking. Before you pick a watermelon from the vine, look for signs that it has fully ripened. Contrary to popular belief, thumping a watermelon is not the best way to determine ripeness.

How long does it take for a watermelon to grow?

The time it takes for a watermelon to mature can be anywhere from 65 to 90 days after planting. Once the fruit sets to tiny marble-sized melons, it only takes up to 45 days for those tiny melons to develop into watermelons 10 pounds in size or more.

When is the best time to pollinate watermelon?

The best time to pollinate is during the morning hours after the dew dries because the female flowers will only open for a single day starting an hour or two after sunrise, and the watermelon plant will only produce one female flower, which will produce the fruit, for every seven male flowers.

Pollination of watermelon flowers

Watermelon is a cross-pollinated species, and its flowering habit is both andromonoecious and monoecious. Many people have heard that watermelon should not be grown near other cucurbits, because pollen from other plants will negatively affect its flavor.

Pruning of watermelon vines

After fruit set, prune watermelon vines to reduce the size of the fruit. Watermelon vines produce many male flowers, but only one female flower per seven male flowers. Pollination occurs from male to female flowers, and if both are pollinated, the fruit will be a melon.

Size of ripe fruit

The size of a ripe watermelon fruit after flower is not easily recognizable. It will not ripen further once removed from the vine. A curly tendril located closest to the stem should be brown. When the fruit is fully grown and has reached the desired size, it is ready to be picked. When the tendril is brown, it means that the melon is ripe.

Diseases that can affect watermelon

Bacterial fruit blotch is a common disease that affects seeds and seedlings of watermelons. The bacterial infection does not affect the fruit’s meat, but it does cause the rind to crack, allowing a secondary pathogen to infect it. The fruit will rot as a result. Here are some ways to control the disease:

Fertilizing watermelon

If your plants are starting to set fruit, you can use a nutrient-rich fertilizer to keep them flourishing. Shultz All Purpose Plant Food Plus contains higher phosphorus than nitrogen and doesn’t promote excessive foliage growth. Its simple measurement allows you to accurately dose the plant’s needs and releases nutrients when watered.