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How to Grow and Care for Watermelons

Lowe's Editorial Team

By Lowe's Editorial Team
Published January 9, 2025

Watermelons are a quintessential summer fruit, with various types catering to different tastes and garden spaces. By growing watermelon at home, you can enjoy fresh flavors and ensure organic quality. This article will show you how to grow watermelons in your backyard.

Types Of Watermelon

Before learning how to grow watermelons, understand the many types of watermelons, to help you care for your watermelons. Each type has its own set of features. Here are three popular varieties you can consider.

Type 1: Watermelon Baby Sugar

This watermelon type is the best choice for those with limited gardening space due to its small size. Known for its delightful sweetness, this type is both easy to manage and enjoyable to eat.

Type 2: Honey Golden Watermelon

The honey golden watermelon stands out with its golden flesh and a distinctly sweet, honey-like flavor. It is appealing to those who enjoy a twist on the traditional red watermelon.

Type 3: Grey Charleston Watermelon

The grey Charleston watermelon is known for its robust size and tough gray-green rind and is a larger variety requiring more garden space. This type provides a classic watermelon flavor and produces plenty of fruit.

Things to Consider Before Growing Watermelon:

Choosing the best type of watermelon to grow depends on a few important factors:

Choice Depending on Space:

Baby Sugar is a great choice if your garden space is limited. Since it is a smaller variety of watermelon, it does not need as much room to spread out. If you are working with a smaller patch or even a larger container, Baby Sugar can fit well without crowding your space.

If you have a lot of room, Gray Charleston is the way to go. This larger variety needs more space to flourish because it spreads out a lot. If you have a big garden and want to grow a traditional, big watermelon, this is the one for you.

Soil:

All varieties of watermelon require soil that drains well so that water doesn’t sit and cause the roots to rot. The soil should be rich and should have a good mix of nutrients to feed the plants as they grow.  

You can make your soil richer by adding compost or old manure, which will also help the soil retain the right amount of moisture. Before planting your watermelon seeds, work the soil to ensure it’s not too hard or clumpy. This makes it easier for the young roots to spread out and take hold.

Climate:

Watermelons love warmth and need a good stretch of sunny, hot weather to grow properly. They thrive in temperatures between 70°F and 90°F. If you live in a place that has cool or very short summers, you can start the seeds indoors in pots about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost. This way, your plants get a head start and you can move them outside when the weather is consistently warm enough.

Make sure they are in a spot in your garden where they will get full sunlight for most of the day. If they don’t get enough heat and sun, they might not grow as big or taste as sweet as they should.

How to Grow Watermelon: Step-by-step Guide

Here are the steps on how to grow watermelon in your backyard. 

Ways to Care for Watermelon

Light

Watermelons love sunlight. Aim for full sun exposure to encourage healthy growth.

Soil

Watermelons prefer a sandy and well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8.

Water

Keep them moist with deep watering sessions so that the soil is moist but not waterlogged, especially during fruit set.

Fertilizer

Feed your plants with a balanced fertilizer and side-dress with a high-potassium fertilizer during the fruiting season.

Pollination

Pollinators like bees are vital for flowering and fruit development, so consider planting bee-attracting flowers nearby.

Harvesting of Watermelon

You can find out if the watermelon is ripe when you see the yellow belly, the part of the melon sitting on the ground, turn a creamy yellow. Check the rind too which should be hard. 

Saving The Watermelon Seeds

For saving the seeds, let one or two fruits fully mature on the plant then save the seeds by washing and drying them.

Pruning

Though it is an option, pruning can help focus energy on fruit production. Trim back some of the sprawling vines if needed. 

Common Pest and Plant Diseases

While growing watermelons, just like with other plants, you might run into pests like aphids and cucumber beetles and plant diseases like powdery mildew might occur. Here are a few tips to keep these disturbances at bay: 

Check Your Plants Often

The sooner you find pests or diseases, the easier they are to deal with. Check your plant every few days and address these problems immediately. 

Keep Your Garden Clean

Remove any dead leaves or plants. They can be a home for pests and diseases.

Healthy Soil

Using compost not only feeds your plants but can also help them fight diseases. Healthy plants are better able to handle pests and diseases.

FAQs

1. What is the best way to water my watermelons?

Drip irrigation or soaking the soil directly while avoiding wetting leaves is best to prevent diseases.

2. Can I train watermelon vines on a trellis?

Yes, especially the smaller varieties, but you must support the growing fruits with slings.

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