What Is Your Secret To Growing Watermelons?

[Verity Darkwaters]

I love watermelon, but I have never been able to grow them well. Nor has my parents or grandparents. I am convinced there is some super secret that we are missing. But, they grow and get to small to medium size and then stop, sometimes smaller and they just aren't very good. Do you guys have any amazing tips?

 

[Chuck]

I love watermelon, but I have never been able to grow them well. Nor has my parents or grandparents. I am convinced there is some super secret that we are missing. But, they grow and get to small to medium size and then stop, sometimes smaller and they just aren't very good. Do you guys have any amazing tips?

Years ago I grew acres of prime watermelons. The soil was very sandy. Today I cannot grow a watermelon at all. They get about as big as a softball. My very fertile soil is absolutely full of organic materials and other nutrients and not a grain of sand to be found. I have tried watering and not watering. High nitrogen and no nitrogen. The same with potassium and potash. I think it is soil type more than anything else. Maybe someone out there knows for sure

 

[Verity Darkwaters]

Oh wow! The soil I have always used is full of nutrients, always thought it would help the plants grow. I wonder if the soil is the secret. Hm...maybe we'll get some answers soon, because that would be very interesting if it is the case. I was just convinced there was a secret. That or my family was cursed and would never be able to grow a good watermelon. lol

 

[Corzhens]

We have grown watermelons several times although the harvest is not that encouraging. The watermelons are medium size and looking good. However, the taste is not that sweet and the color is drab red. On the second planting, the same thing happened even if we used different seeds. Maybe watermelon is not for us. By the way, we had planted cantaloupe and the seedlings are beginning to sprout.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

I love watermelons but we don't have a bigger space that is right for planting this kind of fruit. How I wish someday we can buy a lot just for planting fruits and vegetables. I dream of having a farm too someday.

 

[Verity Darkwaters]

@Corzhens That is how mine turn out, very disappointing. I am happy to hear about your cantaloupes though. Not a fan of that melon, but I am still super excited for you! @ReadmeByAmy I feel the same way! One day maybe, but where I live there is seriously no room. I even have it all drawn out. Maybe one day in the future we can have great farms!

 

[Tracey Hash]

I too struggle with watermelons. Three years ago we managed to get five small sized ones to grow, but after slicing them open, they weren't very sweet at all. Last year, we tried a new method by creating huge mounds to plant the seeds on so the melon vines would create a sort of down hill effect of growing. It worked amazing for our zucchini, but the melons rotted before they even grew full size. It is truly frustrating each year.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

@Corzhens That is how mine turn out, very disappointing. I am happy to hear about your cantaloupes though. Not a fan of that melon, but I am still super excited for you! @ReadmeByAmy I feel the same way! One day maybe, but where I live there is seriously no room. I even have it all drawn out. Maybe one day in the future we can have great farms!

Well, I just hope our dreams will come true that in the future we can have great farms so that we can plant all the fruit bearing trees and the vegetables that we like. All the best of luck to us!

 

[Molly Gene]

I'm not sure what type of soil they need, but they need lots of space and water. My parents used to grow them. They never got very big, but they sure took a lot of water.

 

[Verity Darkwaters]

So, after reading everyone struggling I'm convinced that people who can grow watermelon are witches. No, I'm just kidding. But, it's crazy. I am now determined to grow good watermelons even if I have to import dirt from around the world! I won't go that far, but this mystery will be solved eventually. @ReadmeByAmy I hope for that too. That would be wonderful.