getting ready to plant watermelons

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by srryan1, May 3, 2009.

  1. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    Iv been digging in the dirt and mixing in horse and chicken manure that 11 will be growing in, and 1 will be growing soiless. i will post pictures and keep updated later.

    This will be my first time growing watermelons so any tips would be greatfull.
     
  2. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    Make sure you have plenty of room, 11 watermelons take up a lot of space as they run. 6 plants will totally cover 100 square feet when they are mature. Also, lots of sun, the more the better.

    The good thing about growing watermelon in our area is that they are fairly drought resistant. You don't have to water them all the time. In July, when its pushing 100 degrees and your watering tomatos every other day, the melons will be just fine with water every 4-5 days.

    They are a lot like okra in that they thrive in the hotter temperatures. The soil needs to be good and warm for them to start growing good, end of May-early June they should start taking off and growing fast.

    What varieties are you going to plant?
     
  3. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    iv got a pack of carolina cross, i have them germinating.
     
  4. MADinfant

    MADinfant Member

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    I'm growing Sugarbaby watermelons for the first time also. How many melons should I expect each plant to yield?
     
  5. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    here is one in soiless and one in the dirt 2 weeks old
     

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  6. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    Regarding MADinfants question about sugar babies... I usually average 2 good melons off each sugar baby plant, sometimes just one, sometimes 3. They average around 10-12 pounds.

    When I say 2 melons, I mean 2 that actually reach maturity. Each of my plants will typically have 4 or 5 little baby melons that start to form, but some of them tend to shrivel up and fall off. Maybe the plant produces several starters and then picks the best couple to devote it's energy to and eliminates the others? Consequently, I don't get to excited about the little baby melons until they get to golf ball size. If they get that big they will likely continue to grow, if they get to baseball size they definately will be keepers.

    Nice looking little plants, srryan. They ought to take off and start growing like crazy here in the next couple of weeks, with the hot weather coming on.
     
  7. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    here 2 are @ 3 weeks old in the dirt, the one in the coco mix is really lagging so i didnt feel like takeing a pic of it. MD you are right these things are really taking off fast now.
     

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  8. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    What is the growing medium made of that you have the soil-less melon in? Just out of curiosity, what made you decide to try the one soil-less?
     
  9. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    it is a 10% peatmoss and 90% coconut coir fiber medium. and that mix is more areoated and drains better than soil so the melon should be growing faster but its not.

    i thank what is happening is when it rains it is keeping the roots to cold and we have been getting alot of rain here. my plan was to feed it with a res full of adjusted nutes and PH but i got lazy and just threw on some plant tone and let the rain do its part. i did take a sample of the coir and it was @ 350 ppm with a PH of 6.5. so there are no problems so far, its just that its really growing sloowwww. as for why i dont really know lol.
     
  10. canadiyank

    canadiyank Active Member

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    Location:
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    I've had the worst luck with watermelons. They take up so much space and then I only get a couple off each plant. Good luck! I've given up on melons and buy them at the store, lol!
     
  11. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    well here are the same 2 melons as befour @ 4 weeks.
     

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  12. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    here some are at 6 weeks old, they have lots of flowers on them now, but no melons yet.
     

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  13. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    They're coming along nicely, mine are almost as big. I think you got a couple weeks earlier start than I did.

    As your plants get bigger and take up more room, stay vigilant about keeping the surrounding area mowed or weed eated down as you have it now. Keep a well defined open area between your plants and the brush and high weeds in the background.

    The open area (the bigger, the better) will discourage field rats from coming to feast on your melons. They don't like crossing a large open area with no cover. Field rats don't do much damage to the actual melons except maybe gnawing on the rinds a bit, but they will chew the vines in half. Nothing worse than having a melon about 2 weeks from being ready to pick, and a rat bites the vine in half. You can just throw that melon away!

    I don't know why they do it, but they seem to prefer a vine with a melon growing as opposed to the bare vine trailing along right next to it. I've actually tried to graft the vines back together before, but no luck! Good looking plants you have, keep us posted on their progress!
     
  14. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    Ugh, rrrrats... I hate rodents in general. Something gnawed its way into my gas can, though for what reason I am unsure. XP

    If I were growing melons, I'd have to put up rat traps in a mine field fashion!
     
  15. srryan1

    srryan1 Member

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    i have small melons now but they are all dieing and rotting off the vine, does anyone know what is causing this?
     

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  16. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    I wouldn't worry too much about it at this time. As I was saying earlier in this thread, you will typically get several "aborted" melons off each plant. I don't know exactly why this happens, I've never heard a real satisfactory answer to this.

    I've grown melons for years in several different soil types, different amounts of sun, and some that were watered constantly and others grown in drought conditions. The common denominator is that they all do this. The plant will start and abort several little melons over it's life...But you will get good, fully grown, ripe melons off the plant.

    In another week or two you'll have one about golf ball size, and it will keep growing until all of a sudden one day it's about 10 pounds.
     
  17. MADinfant

    MADinfant Member

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    Since everyone is showing, I figured I'd post mine. Now I'm just nervous about harvesting too early. I've heard that you wait for the vine that the melon is attached to die.

    MADinfant
     

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  18. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    Nice looking sugar babies, MADinfant. It's not the vine itself that you wait for, but the little "feelers", the little ones that reach out and grab hold of things.

    Watch the two feelers closest to the melon, one on either side of the melon. They are about 6 inches away from the melon, one up the vine and one down the vine from the melon. When those two feelers turn brown and shrivel up, then wait 3 or four days just to make sure, and your melon is ready to pick.

    Don't bother with "thumping" the melon and don't rely on folklore like setting a broomstraw on the melon. I've seen the broomstraw spin around on a ripe melon, but I've also seen it whirl around on melons that hadn't even turned red inside yet. You hear people say to look for a yellow to creamy white spot on the bottom of the melon, but that depends on what surface the melon is sitting on. On dirt it may have that color, but if its on gravel it likely won't have a spot at all.

    Watch those two feelers, and a sugar baby will be a uniform, very dark color. The striping that you see on the young melon will almost disapear and will be almost indistinguishable. After picking a couple melons, you will get more comfortable with knowing when to pick them. When you really think it's ready, don't be afraid to let it sit a couple more days!
     
  19. Marty1

    Marty1 Member

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    You mentioned that you are adding Manure, always make sure the manure is very old. If the manure is too young when you dig it in it takes away beneficial nitrogen from the soil, and what we are trying to do is add it, right?
     
  20. MADinfant

    MADinfant Member

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    Will Sugarbaby watermelons reflower and produce a second set of melons, or will I only get two off of each plant?

    Here's a pic of the melon that I just harvested today.
     

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  21. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Location:
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    Hey, did you guys know that smaller type melons, such as cataloupe and honey dew, can be grown on a trellis?!!!

    : O

    I've done it!

    You just need to use knee-high panty hose to put the melons into when they are the size of a baseball and then use the other end to tie it off to the trellis. The melons will still grow inside the panty hose but will be supported enough to not snap off the vine and trellis!

    It is an excellent way to save space and it looks pretty cool too. When I get my old film developed again, I will load some photos of mine. Just a little tip, for interest's sake.

    Obviously huge watermelons would not be appropriate, but smaller ones would be just fine.

    : )
     
  22. monkeydog

    monkeydog Active Member

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    MADinfant, yes, you should get a couple more melons off each plant. They will flower again, and then it's up to the bees. As long as you get good pollination, you can expect a couple more. Just out of curiosity, your sig says your location is Grimesland, U.S....Where, more specifically is Grimesland? Reason I ask is so we have a better idea how long your growing season is.

    Hollyberry lady...I like the idea of using the nylons for support. I may give that a try. I've had my watermelons grow up the side of a chain link fence and have wired pieces of plywood to the fence to create a platform for the melons to rest on. The nylons would be much easier. Should work well with the smaller watermelons in the 8-10 pound range.

    Two years ago I had a melon climb up in the suspension of an old dump truck we had here. The watermelon formed on top of a leaf spring and as is grew it wedged itself between the spring and the frame. When it got ripe I had to cut the melon into four pieces just to get it out! It was still very tasty...I wish I had took pictures.
     
  23. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Too funny about the melon and the dump truck!

    : O

    Yes, the melons will grow wonderfully for you in the panty hose. Like I said, I've actually done this before, with cantaloupe melons, and they were a complete success story. I had 7 melons from three vines. The neighbor lady came running out of her house yelling excitedly 'Are those melons on that trellis'? She just couldn't believe it - frankly neither could I!

    I just read about how to do it in a book and then I tried it. Bought a gigantic 50 dollar black iron trellis that was absolutlely covered in melons and leaves.

    A word of caution:

    I will never forget reading also the warning of making sure your melon trellis is completely strong and secure. Apparently people who didn't take care to secure their trellis in the ground, came out one morning to find the trellis completely flipped out of the earth, from the heavy weight of all the fruits - ripping all the vines up by the roots also!

    : O

    I was so afraid of it happening to me that I even achored my trellis on both ends and in the back also. Everything stayed intact from start to finish.

    : )
     
  24. MADinfant

    MADinfant Member

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    I'm in eastern North Carolina. Season should go to October. Thanks for all the helpful comments.
     
  25. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Good luck, with all your melon plans.

    : )
     

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