Have you ever had sucess growing watermelons? I'm giving it a try this year, for the first time. I live Southwest B.C.
Watermelons are hard to ripen in this cool climate. Choose one of the varieties for northern gardens and provide them the warmest spot you can. I had a couple cantalope last year -- only two fruit. They formed nicely but never really ripened.
I grew some in my green house, and it was pretty successful, also if your going to do it outside you can try putting down black plastic to help with making extra heat. Carol Ja
any follow ups? I've got some seedlings under flouros right now getting ready to go outside... I hear this is pretty much perfect time for it in my area...
I raise a couple small varieties here in zone 3/4 of Minnesota, they do quite nicely from seed, I believe you are doing the right thing by starting them inside.
My experience indicates that, besides heat units, you need lots of room for watermelons. The really like to sprawl. Though I've tried and tried, I can't seem to get mine to climb a trellis at all. This doesn't work very well in my raised bed, semi-square-foot-gardening scenario. So, I tend to stick with canteloupes and honey dews which do very well in a vertical garden. Bryan
they will take some training, a little jute rope, and patience. But they will climb, and use something, I suggest old panty hose, to make comfortable little 'hammocks' for the ripening melons.
Sorry, but my opinion is "Wrong plant, Wrong climate". If you try a lot of tricks you can get them to grow, but this isn't the place for them, they are tropical plants. A greenhouse would be OK. The cantaloupes I did grow never had the sweetness I wanted. It would make a difference, it might work, if you had the summer heat that we do not have in the Northwest.
Some areas of the Northwest can manage to produce a decent melon or two: http://www.fair.state.or.us/fair/competitions/HASpitting.pdf#search='Hermiston, Oregon watermelons' Many of our summer market melons sport Hermiston brand names. Of course it's probably 20 or 30 degrees warmer on a typical summer day in Hermiston or the Tri-Cities than it would be in a coastal location.
Watermelons huh? Below are several links to show that Watermelons can be grown in a variety of locations. Watermelon, Food Resource, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Watermelon Production in California Gulf Coast Research and Education Center - Watermelons MELONS November 2003 Introduction Cultural Practices Ontario Welcome to Hagihara Farm's Web Site Now for some fun. The link below shows a couple of photos of Japan's famous square Watermelons. It is not a myth as some people have suggested in the more recent past. Wild Life Washington has their great and grand Apples, Oregon has their outstanding Pears and berries and we have our giant Watermelons. Enjoy.. Fruit From Washington - Exaggerated Fruit and Novelty Cards Jim
You're right, I should have said the Puget sound area of the Northwest doesn't get enough heat to make a sweet melon without tricks like a greenhouse. So it does depend where you live in the Northwest.
