Growing watermelon on a hill...

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by Natalie M., Aug 24, 2009.

  1. Natalie M.

    Natalie M. Active Member

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    ...A steep, dry, unprotected hill. A couple weeks ago I got an excellent watermelon and so I saved some of the seeds for planting next year. The only problem is that the only place I have that's large enough to grow watermelons is the hill on the side of the house. It's a south-facing slope (good for watermelons I've read), and there's an open area that's roughly 50x30 feet in size that would be large enough for melons.

    I'm wondering if this land is too steep to grow water melons, if I would have to build some kind of retaining wall in order to for them to thrive. I was thinking I could just arrange the watermelons as they are growing to be in a position in which they can't roll down the hill, and maybe support them with rocks if necessary. Also, I need to find a way to keep the various forest critters out (raccoons, deer, possums, etc). What kind of fence could I have to build for that? I was thinking I would just put up a bunch of stakes and put a wire mesh around them... That seems to work with keeping the deer away from my almond tree. I will be waiting until it's rained a few times to start on this, as the ground is mainly clay and is rock-hard when it's dry. What sorts of things will I need to add to the soil to make it more suitable for watermelons? I've read a lot of things online about people adding cow manure.

    Oh, one last thing... Many years ago my sister and I were growing watermelons and pumpkins right next to each other, and we're pretty sure we accidentally produced a hybrid fruit. It came from what we believe was the watermelon plant, and by the time the vine died off it had grown into a large, dark green fruit (I seem to remember it having a ribbed texture though) which we initially thought was watermelon. When we cut it open, however, we were surprised to discover that the flesh was a pale pink color throughout and it was actually hollow in the center. The flesh was several inches thick (thicker than any pumpkin we'd seen) but there was an empty area in the middle. The seeds were small and white.

    Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of the fruit (it was before the era of digital cameras), and it tasted bad so we just chucked it down the hill for the deer. My sister and I have done research online and have not found any reports of pumpkin/watermelon hybrids, so we wanted to try it again next year and document it properly if we do succeed. Has anyone heard of this happening? I see no reason why it couldn't happen, as intergeneric hybrids of related species aren't all too rare (Bison x Bos, Haworthia x Gasteria, etc).

    Anyway, thanks in advance for any help, and here are some photos of the area where I plan to grow the melons:
     

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  2. Natalie M.

    Natalie M. Active Member

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    Whoa... Those pictures look crazy like that.
     
  3. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    My first thought would be to make a raised bed. Get some 8' landscaping timbers (they are cheap, 3 or 4 dollars each) and stack them 2 high with 1/2 inch rebar stakes to hold them in place. A 4x20 bed would be great for 6 or 8 melon plants.

    Till up the soil inside the bed and bring in some good top soil and manure to mix in and top off the bed and you should be good to go. The reason I would think about a raised bed is that the melons can be planted in it and allowed to grow and sprawl out onto the hillside. That way your soil is contained and you wont have erosion issues on the steep hill. Don't worry about the melons rolling down the hill, I believe they will be fine.
     
  4. Natalie M.

    Natalie M. Active Member

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    Thanks for the tips! I didn't consider erosion, but it could certainly become an issue in the spring when we still get rain. How would I construct these beds on such angled ground? It seems like it would become a bit awkward around the corners and such.
     
  5. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    Lay the first course of timbers down on the ground for the front. Say, two 8 footers and a four. Drill holes at the ends and middle, and drive rebar into ground through holes, leaving enough sticking out to catch the next course.

    Next lay a four footer at each end at a 90 degree angle back ito the hill side. Here you will have to dig down enough to get the back end of this side piece level with the front. Stake them off the same as the front and start laying another course up all the way around. At the front, you want to go backward this time- instead of two 8 footers and a four, start with a four and then two 8 footers. that way your joints are staggered and you have more structural integrity.

    You don't have to go real high with the bed as melons are shallow rooted plants. Of course being on the hill, you won't have to put a back on it as you are essentially creating a terrace. Hope this helps, feel free to holler back!
     
  6. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    You could also use hardwood stakes in front of the sleepers [timbers] if you can't do the drill thing. It's a bit like building a step on the hillside. By the way make sure they heve plenty of good composty soil. Also can you get water to them???

    If there are tree logs you can also use them to build soil up behind, or make a rock circle if that is what is available. Even a car tyre would work per couple of plants. Flaten the area out like a step sit the tyre or logs or rocks on it and backfill with the good stuff. The trick is to keep the good soil and water in together to allow the plants to grow.

    Liz
     
  7. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    Exactly...like Liz said. It doesn't have to be an elaborate affair by any means. Whatever material you have at your disposal, just something to keep the soil around the roots contained.

    I sure wish you could of had pictures of that weird fruit you harvested. I wouldn't think think that it would be a cross breed unless it grew the following year from a seed produced from a cross pollinated flower/fruit the first go 'round, if you get what I'm trying to say. But I'm certainly not a geneticist...My first thought would be just a deformed watermelon that for some reason the inside failed to form or shrunk within it'self. But then you mention the ribbed texture-weird! would have been interesting to see.
     
  8. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    May have been sterile like a horse and donkey = mule

    Liz
     
  9. Natalie M.

    Natalie M. Active Member

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    Thanks for the help! Finding a way to arrange the wood makes more sense now. I'm also really liking the tire suggestion so far... Maybe I can get some old truck tires, clean them off, and paint them? Is one tire going to hold enough soil for one watermelon plant? Should I mix some of the clay in or should I just fill the beds with only the good soil?

    Next year I'll do what I can to make a hybrid. You make a good point about the fruit itself not actually being a hybrid from the pollination - maybe the plant was just a bit messed up from the start? The watermelon seeds that year were store-bought and the pumpkin seeds came from fruit we carved. How would I go about making sure one of the watermelon flowers next year doesn't get pollinated with watermelon pollen so I can put some pumpkin pollen in? Just put a net over the flower to keep insects out?
     
  10. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Re flowers just remove the ones you don't want to do their thing. ;)
    Then hand pollinated with the one you want to do the job.

    Re tyers. I car tire per couple of plants should do it. You can always make them 2 high. I would dig and turn clay and make it part of your soil mix. Once the soil is loosened up fork the composty manure mix into the tire. Apart from the tyre needing a flat area I would also dig a shallow hollow to hold it into place. This is the soil you can use to mix. Clay has lots of good nutrients it is just a bit hard or soggy depending. Once the plants get going use straw to mulch the soil and you can also lay it under developing fruit to keep it clean. Straw would be great but other material is fine.

    When we planted the squash pumpkin etc they were always in a hill of soil or raised bed. Usually 3 per hillock. Scraped a crater out and planted them on the inner rim. This gave protection to growing seed and kept water where it was wanted. The tier would do the same thing.

    By the way this is probably obvious but I think it is too late in your season to plant but no harm in getting some areas ready. Then again California may be different. Add a couple of tyers for potatoes as well. Before you know it there will be a whole hillside of food and painted circles.

    Liz
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2009

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