Help with Watermelons

[faller49]

This is my first time growing watermelon.. and I a very amateur gardener. I am not in a ideal watermelon growing are being on the southern Oregon coast but our temperatures this year have been helpful (I Think) in a lot of daytime temps from the low 80's to low 90's .. Nights getting to the mid 60's to mid 70's.
We have melons that start andlok like they are doing very good.. and then some of them stop growing. this happens to some a walnut size but to soe a baseball size..

Any help would be appreciated.. My wife loves watermelon.. LOL

In my picture the watermelons at the upper left and far right are still going strong so far.. the to at the bottom left have stopped growing. They were the first to grow and were the biggest for awhile.. all watermelons are on different vines. out of the picture is the 5th melon on a different plant and is the size of the 2 that have stopped growin,, but seems to be still doing good. Thank You for any help..

 

[oneeye]

Your garden looks so sweet and thanks for the post. The amount of water that the plants get is key when it comes to melon growth. Always check the soil before watering and when the top few inches dry, water well. Never water your plants without first using your finger to check the soil. If you have any questions about the moisture take your hand and dig down a few inches to make sure the moisture is deep. Only having one melon per one plant will grow the biggest melons.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

The leaves look rather small and thin. It should be bushy and the vines fighting each other over light. Watermelons are greedy feeders. I want to say you need a lot more nitrogen to get it to grow bushy which will help the size of the melon.

I use no less than 12 cups of organic fertilizer for about 4-5 vines. A higher nitrogen fertilizer is best.

MOD

 

[Meadowlark]

The leaves look rather small and thin. ...

That struck me also when I viewed the photo. Those vines indicate to me insufficient nutrients and possibly water. Watermelon vines on good producing plants are very vigorous and cover everything.

 

[faller49]

That struck me also when I viewed the photo. Those vines indicate to me insufficient nutrients and possibly water. Watermelon vines on good producing plants are very vigorous and cover everything.

Thak You.. I get your point but i think the camera anle is not the greatest we only let a few vines spillover the side but the box itself is completely covered in vines.. I will look into a nutrient change.. the nitrogen part worries me because this is the first time I have been told to use more nitrogen on plants that have flowered or fruited.. I have always read and been told the opposite... Not tring toargue and I truly thank and appreciate all input..

 

[oneeye]

Thak You.. I get your point but i think the camera anle is not the greatest we only let a few vines spillover the side but the box itself is completely covered in vines.. I will look into a nutrient change.. the nitrogen part worries me because this is the first time I have been told to use more nitrogen on plants that have flowered or fruited.. I have always read and been told the opposite... Not tring toargue and I truly thank and appreciate all input..

You still have a few months left so don't worry about fertilizer. Your plants are growing without any deficiencies. Just keep them watered well and allow the microbes to do their jobs. Adding anything is a gamble with out a soil test or a pour thur.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

The vines should look bushy. This year my WM patch is not the greatest but OK. No where near as good as in the past.

I continually feed my watermelons once the vine is big. They need it to keep growing and to continue to produce big melons until frost. At least that is what works for me.

Picked my first 2 WMs Saturday.

MOD