6 to 10 inches across.
Icebox watermelons, including ‘Sugar Baby’, earn their name from their small fruit, which weighs in at 6 to 15 pounds and measures 6 to 10 inches across. Where full-size watermelons need a cool basement, spring house or walk-in cooler for storage, icebox watermelons fit easily into a standard fridge or picnic hamper.
When should I pick my icebox watermelon?
Bush ‘Sugar Baby’ Watermelon Vine
Each vine produces two, 12-pound melons. The exception to the brown tendril rule is ‘Sugar Baby,’ an icebox-type watermelon. When the tendril turns brown and dries, you need to wait another seven to 10 days before picking.
How Big Should I let my watermelon grow?
Quick Reference Growing Guide
| Plant Type: | Annual fruit | Moderate |
|---|---|---|
| Spacing: | 3-6 feet, in rows 6-18 feet apart | Corn, sunflowers |
| Planting Depth: | 1 inch | Cucurbitales |
| Height: | 15-24 inches | Cucurbitaceae |
| Spread: | 10 feet or more | Citrullus |
How big do icebox Sugar Baby watermelons get?
Sugar Baby melons are round “picnic” or “icebox” watermelons perfect for small families and as the name suggests, small enough to fit into the icebox. They weigh in at between 8 to 10 pounds (4-5 kg.) and are 7 to 8 inches (18-20 cm.) across.
What does a ripe icebox watermelon look like?
You’ll see some visual signs of ripeness as well, according to Clemson University. The melon’s skin will lose its glossiness, you may see a pale spot developing on the fruit’s underside, and the tendril closest to the melon will turn brown.
How can you tell if a small watermelon is good?
If the watermelon is ripe, the field spot should be a large, yellow patch on one side of the melon. If it is ripe, the color should be a creamy, almost butter-like yellow. The bigger the yellow belly and the creamier the color means the more time the melon spent ripening on the vine.
Should you turn watermelons as they grow?
Yes! We always recommend you rotate crops in your garden as much as possible to prevent diseases and pests. Watermelons should not come after or before any other melons, and if possible, any other members of the cucurbit family (winter squash, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, pumpkins).
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.
Should I 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 often should you fertilize watermelon plants?
Melons do best when treated with small amounts of fertilizer in two or three applications. During the growing season, liquid (soluble) fertilizers may be applied every 2 weeks and granular fertilizers about every 6 to 8 weeks. Since slow-release fertilizers work for months, one application is generally adequate.
How do you care for an icebox watermelon?
Gardeners must plant icebox watermelons in well-drained soil. Keep the soil free from weeds as they take away the nutrients and water in the earth from the surrounding plants. The soil should be warm, about 10 degrees celsius. Covering the area with a plastic bag raises the temperature.
What is the sweetest watermelon?
Sultan. Sultan is one of the sweetest varieties you’ll find, this one measures 12.3 on the Brix scale. The fruits average 15 pounds and ripen within 95 days.
How do you tell if a watermelon is sweet or ripe?
Look for an orange creamy field spot. The darker yellow field spot usually means it was on the vine longer and is full of flavor. If the field spot is white that’s a sign that the melon is not quite ripe. Larger “webbing” or “sugar spots” means that the melon is seeping out sugar and is usually the sign of sweet melon.
Are icebox watermelon seedless?
At 10-12″ in diameter and 6-8 lb., this seedless watermelon is the classic “icebox” size, like a smaller but seedless Charleston Gray. Fruit has gray-green outer skin and a firm, crisp, bright red interior. Keeps its superb taste and ripe texture an extra-long time after cutting.
How long does it take watermelons to ripen?
Watermelon mature rapidly during hot weather. Most are ripe about 32 days after blooming and are easily picked off the vine at that point.
What is the tastiest watermelon?
25 of the Best Watermelon Varieties
- Picnic. Allsweet. Charleston Gray. Crimson Sweet.
- Icebox. Blacktail Mountain. Bush Sugar Baby. Sweet Beauty.
- Personal. Golden Midget. Little Darling.
- Giant. Black Diamond Yellow Belly. Carolina Cross #183.
- Seedless. Big Tasty. Mini Piccolo.
- Orange, Yellow, or White Flesh. Orange Crisp. Orangeglo.
How can you tell if a watermelon is male or female?
There is no such thing as a boy versus girl watermelon, even though there are male and female watermelon flowers. North Carolina is in peak watermelon season right now, so regardless of the size or variety, your watermelon should taste sweet and juicy.
What does webbing on watermelon mean?
PA Department of Agriculture on Twitter: “The webbing on a watermelon, the more a bee pollinated the flower. The more pollination, the sweeter the fruit!
What to put under watermelons while 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.
Should I pinch off watermelon flowers?
Some believe that pinching off a vine’s growing shoots as watermelons start to ripen will cause the plant to divert all its energies to fruit ripening. Recent research has shown this to be false.
What kind of fertilizer do you put on watermelon?
For watermelons, apply a fertilizer high in phosphorous, such as 10-10-10, at a rate of 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet (60 to 90 feet of row). Make a trench on the planting bed 4 to 6 inches deep and 2 inches from the side of the row. Cover the fertilizer and plant so seeds do not touch the fertilizer.