I’ve had a few watermelons that hit brix 14. When they also have good watermelon flavor, they are memorable. I had one in 1997 that was easily 14. Even today I remember sharing it with friends at work.
2 Likes
@mamuang I have no problem with water. I have a well and irrigation lines. The lower area where I had my watermelon in the past few years probably had too much water, especially when it rained. This caused some of my watermelon to crack.
This year I’m moving them to the side of the garden, where the soil drains better. My garden also receives full sun. One of the things I will do differently this year is start the seeds indoors at the end of April. I typically direct-seeded in mid-May.
1 Like
@fruitnut thanks - I’ll try that! I have a basic heat mat (not temp controlled) so not sure I can get it that warm but we’ll see. Any benefit to soaking and/or storing in the freezer for a bit before sowing?
You need to amend the soil with bags and bags of composted manure.
I won’t put watermelon seeds in the freezer and I never soaked them before seeding.
1 Like
@mamuang I unloaded over 10 yards of organic compost over the coarse of the past 4 years in my 900 sq ft garden. I was advised to let the garden digest some of the organic matter, as it was high according to recent soil tests.
I posted the journey of my soil amendment here:
This year I’ll be adding some dry blood and some azomite, along with my usual fertilization program. Soil otherwise is looking good and the vegetables showed it in spades last year.
1 Like
Watermelon seed freeze exceptionally well so long as storage requirements are met. They must be fully dry meaning less than 5% moisture. It helps if there is a silica gel pack to absorb moisture. They should be in a sealed container, preferably glass that won’t permit oxygen to enter. I’ve had watermelon seed stored for 10 years that will still germinate at least 50% today. I don’t recommend storing this long. 5 years is about as long as I normally keep watermelon seed.
In the interesting trivia department, I grew out and saved seed from Anne Arundel melon from 8 year old seed back about 2010. Why? Glenn Drowns reported that all the seed he could locate was crossed, no longer producing true to type melons. Those seed stored in my freezer produced 4 viable plants that were true to type Anne Arundel melons. Since then, Glenn distributed seed and got it into a few seed banks for long term storage. Once in a blue moon, having some seed in long term storage winds up being the way a really good variety gets back into circulation.
6 Likes
i have all my seed stored this way and have had similar long term results. i put a o2 tab and moisture tab to pull any moisture away from the seeds.
I dunno, it’s been pretty cost effective for me. 2x 6 packs of ‘yellow baby’ run me less than $10. They always come 2 per cell, giving me 24 plants. Last year I harvested around 70 melons averaging around 10 lbs./ . I grew them in an area about 30x40, which wound up being a little tight. Let’s just say I learned to dance while harvesting. Coyotes took about 30 melons toward the end of the season. 10 in only one night!
Variety-wise, say what you will, I’ve had really good luck with ‘yellow baby’. It’s supposed to be a hybrid, though I don’t know if it truly is. I had been growing ‘Blacktail Mt.’ & ‘Cream of Saskatchewan’ too, but the yellow babies seemed superior in lots of ways- earliness, size, seediness, thin rind. I like the flavor of all 3, but have just defaulted to growing 24 yellow baby anymore. I’m starting some ‘Orangelo’ this year, though. With a long awaited porch and high tunnel, I’m better situated for growing out starts. It sounds like a yummy one and good performer.
1 Like
Bandits. Amazing how much they could pack away. I found a number 10-12 lb melons with teeth marks as much as 150 ft away, which was also pretty shocking.
3 Likes
Deer, coyotes, and sometimes dogs will eat watermelons. Crows are the worst. The stereotypical scarecrow was made to keep them out of the watermelons.
2 Likes
I’ve had good luck in Vermont, and Boston is a good deal warmer than here. With ample asphalt and buildings, you have the makings of some really advantageous microclimates. Stick to smaller melons that ripen when you have heat, use black plastic, and choose your site carefully. I harvest ‘yellow baby’, my go to variety these last few years, starting around the 1st of August.
I’ll be sure and tell my wife, who is not always fond of my propensity to cache seeds. She compares me to a squirrel at times.
2 Likes
I grew at least 10 different of the yellow and orange-fleshed varieties over many years at my 20x60ft space at the community garden (and a few white and a couple red ones as well).
Definitely will put a vote for OrangeGlo and Yellow Moon & Stars as standouts.
When I tasted all the watermelons, at peak ripeness you pretty much get what you imagine watermelons should taste like with not much variation, like a sweet perfect melon flavor… but with some of these 2 (but not all), I had some really flavorful ones. OrangeGlo has such a thin rind so you can eat very close to the edge :). Hence why you don’t see it transported since it’ll crack easily is what i heard (although I see it at the Amish Farmers Markets if you are willing to drive an hour or 2 from my area to pickup 
).
Here is a pic of a harvest a few years ago:
and here was the plot, i think I had 15 large ‘raised watermelon mounds’, with 3-4 plants of a different variety in each one (surrounded by 35-40 peppers along the fenceline too). Black plastic with holes cut out for each plant:
Janosik watermelon was also kinda interesting, as it was the only small icebox type yellow I had growing.
I also tried lots of interesting musk melons, but the insects or disease would eventually get them. I usually would try to put that powder ‘Surround’ maybe it was called to deter whatever was eating them which helped at least get a fruit or 2.
Rocky Ford aka Edens Gem was my fave. Had a slight nutmeg or cinnamon flavor maybe.
8 Likes
Its fun seeing you talk about watermelons these days…you sound like a real watermelon professional! Seriously! I agree with every single thing you said in that post except that Black Diamond does work pretty well for me but no doubt that is the climate difference- which is pretty big between our locations. Otherwise, you nailed every bit of that!
The grasshopper has become the teacher! ha
Pics above are from Sept. 10. I started harvesting these about August 1, getting a ripe one every 2 days or so. August 23 I harvested 8.
6 Likes
It’s 34 outside at noon and expected to be near freezing day and night until Monday. My Star Brite planted March 7 are under a shelter of several layers of blankets with a 9W LED bright stik about 3 inches away. It’s 85 and steady under the shelter. Yesterday when it was 75F outside and partly cloudy it was 67 low and 110 high under the shelter. That was poly during the day and blankets at night.
If the plants don’t suffer blight or something else they should be bigger on Monday than they were yesterday.
Watermelons under a poly shelter don’t seem to suffer even at 130F. I would be concerned at 140-150. I’ve got a remote sensing thermometer under there to provide guidance on ventilation by day and protection needs at night.
We’re supposed to be 78 again by Wednesday.
2 Likes
I’m kept some seeds from a Galia melon. Store bought from last summer. Planted them last Saturday and was surprised they sprout after only 3days. I didn’t expect them to sprout so fast. I’m in zone 4 and won’t be able to plant them outside until beginning of June.
As this is a hybrid, I don’t know if I’ll get a Galia melon or anything else. Only time will tell me.
2 Likes
I think you are a month or more too early starting them. By June my melons will have runners 10ft long.