Plant watermelons outdoors, or if the summer season is shorter, plant them inside up to four weeks before the last frost date. Sow seeds 1 inch deep. Watermelons grow best in mounds, so plant six to eight seeds per mound with mounds space 4 feet apart.
Why are watermelon planted in mounds?
Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) usually grow on long vines that trail for many feet. Often watermelon seeds are planted in small mounds or hills to allow the roots to spread freely and excess water to drain. Four to six seeds are planted in each mound.
How do you Mound a watermelon?
Wait until to soil temperatures have warmed to 70 degrees F before planting watermelon. Using a hoe or garden rake, create mounds or hills that are 4 feet across and about 6 inches high. Using the end of a hoe or your finger, make holes in the mounds 1 inch deep and 6-8 inches apart.
Do watermelons have to grow on the ground?
If you live in a cooler climate (or just want to ensure germination), you can start your watermelon seeds indoors, but we do recommend you do so using a seed starting method that will not disturb the roots during transplanting. Newspaper pots or soil blocking are both good options.
What do you put under watermelon when growing?
In order to grow great watermelons, you’ll need to put a barrier between the watermelons and the ground. This is to reduce the risk of rot and disease. Good ground barriers are straw, or even cardboard.
How big should watermelon Mounds be?
Planting Watermelons in Hills
When you use hills for watermelons, plant the watermelon seeds in small groups or clusters in a mound of soil. Each watermelon hill should be a few inches high and 6 to 12 inches in diameter, with four or five seeds planted about 1 inch deep in each hill.
Can I plant watermelons next to tomatoes?
Warm-season plants like tomatoes and melons thrive together with the same temperature, sun, nutrition and water needs, but they require generous spacing for growth. Plant these crops at the same time, and with the same considerations.
Should you trim watermelon vines?
Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. Look for irregular or rotting fruit to prune from the plant. Removing the less than perfect melons will enable the plant to focus energy towards growing bigger, healthier, juicier melons.
How do you increase watermelon fruit size?
To maximize the size of the melon, water the plants regularly in deep water sessions that keep the soil moist. Side dress the Watermelon plants with fertilizer prepared for edible crops or fertilizer tea to feed the plants. Fertilizer encourages growth to produce large melons.
How many watermelons will one seed make?
How Many Watermelons per Plant? Healthy watermelon vines produce 2-4 fruits per plant.
Can watermelons grow on grass?
Watermelons in the lawn
Water well and plant 6 to 8 seeds and later thin to three plants. The vines will ramble all over the lawn, and you will have to mow around them. But, the watermelon foliage will shade most of the grass underneath it and slow growth.
Can watermelons grow on rocks?
It turns out, you can grow a pretty wild garden in a few cups of gravel. Richard Campbell, of Ellicott City, Maryland, has been gardening sans soil for more than 20 years — ever since he witnessed a watermelon vine growing out of rocks in his uncle’s yard.
Should you mulch around watermelons?
Weeds are life-suckers in relation to your crops, so do your best to keep weeds at a minimum. Your new best friend as far as growing watermelons is mulch. Mulch not only suppresses weeds by smothering them and not letting light reach them, it keeps the ground warm; holding heat in the soil.
What can you not plant near watermelon?
The best plants to companion with watermelons are herbs, lettuces, marigolds, nasturtiums, and radishes. Avoid planting cucumbers, squash, and potatoes near watermelons to help reduce the risk of pests.
How do I make my watermelon sweeter when growing?
Heat brings out melons’ sweetness, so make sure to plant them in a location that warms up early in spring and stays hot through the end of September. The south side of a fence or wall is ideal as the structure will absorb heat and light from the sun and reflect it back onto the melons.
What is the best mulch for watermelons?
Melons need heat and plastic mulch can make a big difference. Black plastic mulch is most widely available and will raise soil temperatures 5°F versus bare ground. You can generate even more heat by using clear plastic mulch (8–14°F).
How long does it take for a watermelon to grow to full size?
80 to 90 days
It takes the shortest amount of time to mature, about 70 to 75 days. A main-season watermelon is larger and takes longer to ripen, usually 80 to 90 days.
Can you water watermelons too much?
A watermelon plant (Citrullus lanatus) needs enough moisture to ensure proper growth and fruit development. Too much water can be detrimental when growing watermelons, reducing the quality of the fruit or causing it to burst.
Would six seeds in a watermelon be enough?
If you want to plant watermelon in hills rather than rows, put 6-8 seeds in one hill and leave 2-3 plants when you thin out the seedlings.
Is Epsom salt good for watermelons?
Flat, tasteless melons can be due to a lack of magnesium or boron in the soil. It has been found that such fruits can be sweetened by giving them a dose of Epsom salts and borax. For home garden use, use about 6 1/2 tablespoons of Epsom salts and 3 1/2 tablespoons of household borax, all added to five gallons of water.
How much space do watermelons need?
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.