Watermellon

[Bobby Bass]

Anyone have any luck growing watermelon up north? Have a spot that gets a lot of sunshine and is protected from wind, got the wife into letting me have a little space but have not told her I am thinking of planting watermelon in it...

[tazimna]

I've had good luck with the minnesota midget variety. They don't get very big,(bigger than a softball,smaller than a football) but are extremely juicy and tasty. They don't take up much space and I've even grown them and canteloupe using a trellis(use a nylon like a hammock to save space). Taz

[Dotch]

Knowing your propensity Bobby for growing oddball stuff, this should be a walk in the park for you. Just peeking through the Jung's catalog, I see several varieties down in the 65 - 70 day maturity range. Yellow Doll, New Queen Hybrid, and Faerie Hybrid are among their earlier offerings. Even Sugar Baby might make it. Started in late April inside or in a greenhouse setup, no reason transplants shouldn't make it. Lots of sun and well drained soils are key.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Don't plant melons where prying eyes can see them or they will get stolen. Last year I grew a lot of muskmelons for other people.

[Dotch]

Very true. Mine are protected by an electric fence and a ram that loves to pancake people who aren't aware he's in the vicinity.

[icehole10]

Very true. Mine are protected by an electric fence and a ram that loves to pancake people who aren't aware he's in the vicinity.

I had to read this a couple times, kept thinking (ram) pickup. A perfectly setup trail camera could produce some good photos if one did decide to steal your crops!!

[KEN W]

I've thought about putting out a trail camera. Decided not to. What's the first thing you would do if a flash from a camera goes off in the middle of the night?

At the very least you would take the chip. Most likely ....... steal the camera.

[delcecchi]

I've thought about putting out a trail camera. Decided not to. What's the first thing you would do if a flash from a camera goes off in the middle of the night?

At the very least you would take the chip. Most likely ....... steal the camera.

[Dotch]

I had to read this a couple times, kept thinking (ram) pickup. A perfectly setup trail camera could produce some good photos if one did decide to steal your crops!!

heh, heh, heh, don't know what would be more humorous, watching somebody get zapped by the fence or grimacing in pain on the ground after the ram hit them. I'd just give 'em the melon if they needed one that badly.

[Bobby Bass]

The wife was looking over my shoulder as I was reading this and suggested maybe I should hide the watermelon behind some tobacco. She saw the reviews for cameras and a fence and a RAM and thought that might all bring on to much attention to our drone that we have watching the property already. Little does she know that I told her I just want a small spot to plant a couple of watermelons and I didn't say how much room they will eventually take up.

[delcecchi]

If you put the tobacco in the front, and some hemp in the back, no one will pay any attention to the melons off to the side.

[Dotch]

Yes and if I sold you a mean ram, you'd have a readily available source of natural fertilizer. Of course, you'd need a few ewes as well to keep the weeds and grass down on the property. No lawn to mow = more time to fish. The possibilities are endless!

[KEN W]

Back to your question.....I have grown probably 30-40 varieties of watermelon for the past 35 years. If I could only plant 1 kind.....it would be Yellow Doll. It is early enough to ripen here. it runs anywhere from 5-8 lbs and my family asks specifically for it.

Doll

[Bobby Bass]

Yellow Doll, I'll look for it.

[delcecchi]

After eating the seedless watermelons it is hard to go back to seeded. Is there a seedless variety that would work around MN?

[KEN W]

Seedless watermelons are difficult. They must be started inside. They need a very warm soil to germinate. They also must have another variety to pollinate them in order to set melons. They need a warm summer to grow well and ripen.

The seeds are expensive....sometimes a $1 per seed or more.

[Bobby Bass]

Have decided to go with two types of watermelon, a Kieckley Sweets which is a large 40# melon and also a Crimson Sweet which is a smaller 20-25# melon. Harvest time is 80-90 days and where I plan on planting them, the area gets ample sunshine and yet is still protected. I will start seeds in the greenhouse and then transplant early June just another experiment here along with sweet potatoes and garden corn and of course the tobacco! I could not find the Yellow Doll local and don't want to pay for the shipping as I already have all my other seeds. Maybe next year for that one.

[KEN W]

Have never grown Kleckleys.But I have grown Crimson Sweet many times. It is a good melon. You have to have a really warm summer to get them 20 lbs.15 is a good size for them. Do not start them to early. About 30 days before putting them out. They should not have more than 2 watermelon leave, otherwise they won't grow right. Start them in peat pots so you don't disturb the roots anymore than necessary. Put down black plastic to warm up the soil. I start mine May 1 and plant them out around Memorial Day.

Watermelons are really hard to tell when they are ripe. You can knock on them, look at the spot underneath etc. Doesn't really work. It is disheartening to go to all that work and cut them open to see pink. This method almost always works......

When you see that the tiny melons are golf ball size, take a plastic knife or spoon and put that days date on it.Push into the ground next to the melon.Add 30 days and it should be ripe.

[wishing for walleyes]

I have good luck planting Cooperstown seedless watermelon. I use 3 different seeded for pollinators. I use one of the covered 4 shelf $30 green houses in my house with grow lights and a heater in it. The seedless watermelons will germinate in about 6 days if you maintain 90 degrees in it. Once they pop up its out to the green house outside for the natural light. I keep the outside green house 60 degrees at night. One thing I have learned to do is I use the 3 inch jiffy pots. I have had the plants over 4 foot long before transplanting. I just tear the bottom off the jiffy cup and have a 3 inch auger for my drill. the roots of the watermelon do not like to be disturbed. I bought my seeds from Osborn seed company online. $25 and you get 110 seeds. I plant 2 Cooperstown and then a seeded watermelon in my rows outside. They need sun all day.

[Dotch]

Nice patch! Where did you say you live again? One of the problems I think a lot of people have with getting watermelons started in the greenhouse is getting the pots too wet during the germination process. They're a little more sensitive seems like than muskmelons and larger seeded cucurbits.

[wishing for walleyes]

I am down in Fairmont. South central Mn. 10 miles from Iowa border. The watermelons germinate the best at 90 degrees. I saturate the miracle grow potting soil with hot water before planting the seeds. On the left hand side of the photo is muskmelons Hales best.

[wishing for walleyes]

Here is a picture of my indoor green house that I germinate my seeds in And here is a picture in the outdoor green house today

[Dotch]

Kewl! Peat pots may be more forgiving than the 318 plastic flats. I'm a few weeks away from planting yet as I cheat and have my commercial greenhouse little fat buddy do my germination dirty work for me. In turn I buy him Chinese food every once in a while in order to keep him happy. I also am a guinea pig, planting stuff they normally haven't then allowing him to sample the results. If it's something he's impressed with, they may offer it on a trial basis the next year to see how others like it. If people like it, it's a win : win. Will snap some photos of the flats once we get them going. In the past, watermelon have been finicky if they became too moist when he's attempted to use the germination chamber. Once we decided to put them in the flats on the benches and be more stringent about not overwatering, we've had good success. A friend using a germination chamber at home has had the same issue with watermelon. Those he did get to germinate had damping off problems.

[Bobby Bass]

watermelon seeds are in their trays, now we will see what pops up here in a couple of weeks.

[wishing for walleyes]

Watermelons are growing good.