Nothing says summer like a sweet slice of watermelon. Interestingly, the original watermelons were quite bitter and were selectively bred to be sweet over thousands of years. The ancestors of our modern watermelons were first cultivated in Africa, and scientists recently traced the genome to a wild variety found in Libya and Sudan at least 6,000 years ago.
It is many generations of people and their agricultural efforts to get us our sweet and juicy modern watermelons! Fortunately for the modern gardener, growing watermelons it’s easier than ever. A few simple tips and tricks will help you grow the sweetest, juiciest watermelons you’ve ever tasted. It just takes a little gardening know-how.
Let’s unlock the secrets to growing better watermelons this summer!
1. Turn up the heat
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As mentioned above, watermelons they are native to the northern part of the African continent, so they like it warm. The warmer the conditions, the sweeter your watermelons will be. Soil temperatures should be at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 C) before planting seeds or transplanting indoor plants. You can control the top two centimeters of soil with one soil thermometer to ensure suitable conditions for good vegetation and healthy plants. This The Soil Thermometer from Urban Worm is available on Amazon and features a large easy-to-read dial.
If you they live in a colder climateyou can increase the warmth of your watermelons by growing them under a floating row cover until temperatures are warm enough. series cover fabric, our favorite is on Amazon, can be used with hoops or simply placed directly over plants. If using a row cover, be sure to ventilate when the air temperature reaches 80 degrees F (26.6 C) and remove the cover if the temperature reaches 90 degrees F (32.2 C). Watermelons need at least 8 hours of direct sunlight to convert solar energy into delicious fruit.
2. Banish pests
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If your watermelon is damaged by pests, it’s not going to be juicy or sweet because you won’t eat it! Common pests of watermelon include aphids, army worms, cucumber beetles, leaf miners, cut worms, crickets, dark beetlesand spider mite. Your backyard wildlife may also try to nibble on your melons (I lost several to a family of wild hogs living under my shed). However, pest management must be applied carefully because your watermelons rely on them pollination by bees and more beneficial insects. Pesticides do not discriminate between good and bad bugs.
Using row covers early in the season can help prevent pests from watermelon seedlings, handpicking worms and other caterpillars from the plants is an easy daily chore. You should too rotate your crops to reduce pests. It is also important to pay attention to plant types when rotating. Watermelons and cucumbers both belong to the same family (Cucurbitaceae), so the pests that were attracted to your cucumbers last year will attack your watermelons this year.
I have had success in keeping animals from nibbling on my watermelons by putting the fruit in some old pantyhose. Pantyhose also make a great material for supporting melons that grow from trellises or need to be raised off the ground. And even something as simple as placing a laundry basket upside down on top of the fruit and weighing it down with a brick will keep most animals away.
3. Give them space
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Watermelons need plenty of elbow room grow up and be sweet. Each plant needs at least 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m) of space. Your plant’s lush leaves turn the sun’s rays into sugars in the fruit, so giving them room to grow will help you get the tastiest watermelon.
Planting watermelons too close to each other or other plants increases the chance of leaf fungi such as powdery mildew and anthracnose. Your watermelon leaves and vines need good air flow to prevent fungal infections. You should also watch the bottom of your watermelons, if they are sitting in wet soil the fruit can develop sepsis of the abdomen. Place a thick layer of straw or wood under the fruit to keep it from getting too wet.
4. Proper Watering
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Watermelons are more than 90% water so they must be watered deeply to be juicy and tasty. It is recommended that you give watermelon plants 1 to 2 inches of water per week. A soaker hose buried under the mulch will help keep the leaves dry and prevent fungal infections. You can find one affordable soaker hose from Walmart if you are not already using one.
However, at the end of the season everything changes. You should stop watering about a week before harvesting watermelons. This will concentrate the sweetness in the fruit and prevent cracking as it continues to ripen.
Proper watering, plant spacing, pest control, and growing conditions will ensure your watermelons are filled with the sweetness of summer. Time to grow up!
