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Watermelon is a delicious, juicy treat. You will be able to grow one in your garden. All it takes is a little work and some know-how. But, what is the best time of the year to plant your watermelon?
You’ll need to plant in the spring months. Wait a few weeks after the last frost of winter. The ground should be relatively warm, around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a limited growing season, though, you can start planting a few weeks early. You’ll need to keep the seedlings inside, where you can control the temperature and humidity.
Getting your watermelons planted at the right time is a good start. But there will be more to growing a successful crop than this. Keep reading to learn the essential tips you need to know to get an excellent watermelon crop.
Knowing the Right Time to Start Planting
When you start planting the seeds will depend on the environmental conditions you face. If you are putting them outside, it’s best to do it during the spring. It will need to be when the weather has already started to warm up. Often, it will need to be a few weeks after the last frost of the winter has occurred.
More specifically, we can ask what month the best time to plant watermelon is. This will vary a little depending on your local conditions. Usually, though, it will be in either March or April, depending on how cold it gets during the spring.
The easiest way to decide whether the soil is ready for the watermelons is by measuring the temperature. It will need to be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit
before you can start planting it outside. If you plant it too early and it needs to endure frost, there is a chance that the fruit will start to lose its flavor.
As you are waiting for the right weather conditions to occur, you can get a head start on the growing process. You can plant the seeds inside. All you need is to give them moist soil and plenty of light. You’ll also have to control the temperature, so it’s around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This approach is best for colder areas, where you might only have a limited time to grow the watermelon.
If you are doing this, it’s a good idea to put them into a biodegradable pot. This will allow you to put the pot into the soil. If you don’t want to take this option, you’ll need to be careful when transferring the seeds into the soil. You don’t want to disturb the roots when they are so vulnerable.
Preparing the Soil for Watermelon
When the weather is ready for you to start planting, you’ll need to ensure that you have the right soil conditions. There are a few things that you should look for include:
- Getting nutrient-rich soil. The first thing that you need to do is make sure that there are plenty of nutrients in the soil. Because of this, you might want to till the soil before you plant. It can also be a good idea to use some compost or manure. These will slowly release nutrients into the soil.
- Check the pH. Ideally, your soil will have slightly acidic soil. It should be around 6. Though they have been known to grow in soils that have a pH of 5. You should be able to get a pH strip from the hardware store to test this.
- Use some sand. This is a good way of improving the drainage in the soil, so the water is getting to the roots of the plants.
- Give them plenty of water. As the name suggests, you’ll need to have plenty of water to grow a watermelon. When you have just planted them, you will need to give the seedlings one inch of water per week. You’ll need to make sure that the soil is uniformly wet. You can use a drip system to do this. This will ensure that the water won’t get on the leaves.
- Put them in a sunny area. Ideally, the watermelons should be getting full-sun exposure during the day.
- Find a hot area. As we mentioned, the soil will need to be fairly warm for the watermelon to grow. Because of this, you might want to put them against a wall. The heat will reflect off the surface onto your watermelon patch.
When you have prepared your patch of soil, it’s time to sow the seeds. You’ll need to make sure that you put them around one inch deep into the soil. You’ll need to make sure that you are spreading them out. Leave around five feet of space between each one.
It’s best to ensure that you are using more seeds than you will need. The more you plant, the more chances you will get a prosperous harvest. From there, you’ll be able to weed out the weaker ones so that the stronger seeds can get all the nutrients in the soil.
When Will Watermelon Bloom?
It can take a while for the watermelon seeds to start to grow. You’ll need to wait around two weeks before you start to see flowers appearing. At first, it will be the male flowers, but the females will follow soon after. It is these female flowers that will turn into fruit.
Sometimes, you will see a plant putting out its flowers early. If this happens, you’ll need to make sure that you cut off the buds. This will allow it to save its nutrients for other melons.
How Long Does it Take for a Watermelon to Grow to Full Size?
It will usually be around three months before your watermelons will be ready to harvest. However, you should double-check this. Some species will grow smaller, so they can be harvested sooner.
When you see fruit starting to emerge, you should reduce the amount of water you give them. By doing this, you will be able to get sweeter watermelon.
Unlike some other types of fruit, it can be hard to tell when the watermelon is ready to be harvested. There are a few simple things that you should be looking for. First, you should tap on the watermelon. Ideally, it should produce a hollow sound. This is how you know it is ripe.
Another good option is to look at the tendril. If it has gone brown, it will signal that the melon is ready to remove.
Other Tips for Growing Watermelons
There are a few other things that you should bear in mind when you are growing watermelons. These include:
- Using straw to protect melons. When you see the melons start to emerge, you should put a bed of straw beneath them. This will ensure that they are protected from accidental knocks.
- Get the vines to climb trellises. Given the chance, the vines will spread around your yard. This will make it hard for you to walk anywhere without tripping over one.
- Trim the vines. Usually, a watermelon won’t need too much trimming to maintain. You’ll just have to cut off any vines that are forming off the main vine. This will allow the plant to dedicate more resources to this main vine.
- Weed early. When the vines have started to grow, it will be harder for you to get under them and remove the weeds. Use a thick layer of mulch to stop them from re-occurring.
Final Thoughts
March and April are the best months to plant your watermelon. This will allow it to grow during the warmth of the summer. Once planted, you just need a little maintenance to make sure that it grows strongly and bears plenty of fruit.