There's nothing better on a hot summer day than to cool your palette with some yummy, sweet melon. The best part about this sweet treat is that you can grow it just about anywhere in the country. Watermelon tastes as good as it looks. Not only is it fun to eat, it's also good for you. This fruit is low in calories and high in vitamins A and C.
When you plant watermelon, you have two choices: You can use transplants, which will give you about a two-week jumpstart, or you can use seeds. The nice thing about seeds is that you get a wide variety of watermelons, such as the typical red, yellow or even a little bit orange. With transplants, you don't get that much of a selection. If you live in a northern climate where growing seasons are much shorter, think of buying early-maturing melon varieties.
Remember that watermelon is a warm-season crop, which means that if it gets cold at night, the stress put on the plant could kill it. For healthy watermelon vines, use a soil thermometer to test the ground temperature. Soil temperatures should be anywhere between 60 and 70 degrees, and overnight soil temperature should be about 55 degrees on a consistent level. Watermelons grow best in an area that gets full sunshine.
When planting melon, a mound system works best. The soil heats up faster with the soil-mound method, and watermelons prefer warm soil. It also allows water to drain more quickly, and it's good for air circulation.
To start, build up a mound about eight to 12 inches tall and then lightly pat the mound down to form a flat top. Next, plant the seeds three to four times their diameter apart, pushing them down into the soil about an inch or so. Instead of just planting one seed in the mound, plant four to six seeds to ensure germination. Thin out the weaker plants once they're up and growing. Be sure to space each mound about four to six feet apart because watermelon vines need plenty of room to roam. If you use transplants, dig a hole as deep as the container and don't forget to tease the roots before planting.
Once you finish planting your watermelon, give it a good drink. Especially with seeds, you want to keep the bed moist until the seeds germinate. After that, be very consistent with your watering, allowing the soil to dry out slightly in between waterings. Fertilize them every three to four weeks with an all-purpose fertilizer.
In just a few months, mounds of melons on the vine will be ready to be harvested. To make sure they're ripe, check the bottom of the melon where it lies on the soil. It should be light green or a yellowish color. Also, the surface of the fruit usually turns dull. Then, just grab some pruners and snip off the fruits of your labor.
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