What About Watermelon?

  • Home
  • General
  • Recipes
  • Watermelon Carving
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
You are here: Home / General / HOW (AND WHY) SQUARE WATERMELONS ARE MADE

HOW (AND WHY) SQUARE WATERMELONS ARE MADE



Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front: It doesn’t matter what shape the watermelon is, it’s what’s inside that matters. That said, you have to admit there’s something cool about watermelons that defy convention by assuming different shapes.

Last month, I talked about Japanese farmers who had figured out a way to grow heart-shaped watermelons. Of course, the precursor to those sweethearts are the unusual square watermelons that got their start in Japan almost a decade ago. But how are they grown, and why bother tampering with Mother Nature? Both are good questions. I’m glad I asked them.

First, the how. It’s actually pretty easy (relatively speaking) to grow a square watermelon. Just about anyone can do it. While the watermelon is still small on the vine, a square, tempered glass box is placed around it. When the watermelon gets bigger, it assumes the shape of the box! You can do this too. There are even websites dedicated to teaching you how. Just remember to use a glass or transparent mold so the sunlight can reach the watermelon on all sides (except the bottom, I guess).



And why are square watermelons grown? Two reasons actually. First, the square watermelons are easier to stack, which makes them easier to ship. Second, and perhaps most ingeniously, with space being an issue in crowded areas of Japan, the square watermelon is designed to fit perfectly inside smaller Japanese refrigerators.

But, just like the heart-shaped creations, square watermelons cost a bit more than one shaped by Mother Nature. It’s a small price to pay for the ability to store it in your fridge, although I guess you could just cut up a normal watermelon and make it fit. Oh well… the square ones still look pretty darn cool.


Related posts:

  1. HAVE A HEART!
  2. THE JAPANESE TRADITION OF SUIKAWARI (WATERMELON CRACKING)
  3. SECOND SLICE: AN INSIDE LOOK AT JAPAN’S LEGENDARY $200 SQUARE WATERMELON

Filed Under: General Tagged With: japan, square, Watermelon

Comments

  1. Louise says:

    How cool is that:) Thanks for sharing, Watermelon guy!!!

    Reply
  2. The Watermelon Guy says:

    My pleasure Louise. Meanwhile, I’m at home working on my super secret plan to create watermelons in the shape of small woodland creatures. It’s not going well.

    Reply
  3. Sydni says:

    What is inside watermelons?

    Reply
    • ur mom says:

      inside of a watermelon is melon

      Reply
  4. fruitmould.com says:

    we are providing the plastic molds to grow the square shape watermelon and heart shape watermelon , pls see http://www.fruitmould.com to check more information …

    Reply
  5. fruitmould.com says:

    we are also providing the information of how to shape the watermelon or how to grow the square watermelon with our molds , for more instruction , please check the http://www.fruitmould.com

    Reply
  6. fruitmould.com says:

    we also providing the information of how to grow of these shape fruits , like square watermelon ,heart watermelon ,buddha pears ,cube shaped apple ,heart shape tomato, or cherry ,this is going to be fun, find your interests on http://www.fruitmould.com

    Reply
  7. tinkerbelle says:

    well the square water melon…..i dont know where to start why were it made how did u make it where did u make that is i preserve???????????i need to know why , when and how

    Reply
  8. tinkerbelle says:

    hi loving your website so cool

    Reply
  9. Tony Da Tiger says:

    Dude, over in Vancouver, we have square watermelons at $68.88(compared to a normal regular one at $5). Really? After I eat a square melon, do I start sh!tting out gold bricks? I’d understand if a square one is maybe $15-20, but $70 just blows my mind…

    Reply
  10. Bill says:

    On the morning news they ran a clip on growing square watermelons in Japan. They are unusual, but the clip said they were not only expensive but they were not for consumption. So why then? for display is what they said. They didn’t elaborate, I’m assuming for carving purposes maybe, like ice sculptures? One would think that with space so tight in Japan and land so expensive they would put their ingenuity to better use, like growing food for the masses, food that their people could eat and afford. But so much of what we humans do make no sense anyway, so why not watermelons. That then leads to the question, Why did the watermelon tumble across the road? To get to the other side! Of course, who didn’t know that?

    Reply
  11. Chad says:

    They are actually NOT edible, as they are harvested when they fill the cube (or heart, or whatever) instead of when they are ripe. So they are harvested early for ornamental purposes only as if they keep growing to ripeness they would split or rot.

    Reply
  12. Chad says:

    Here’s a link supporting this http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/06/28/growing-overseas-demand-japans-square-watermelons

    Reply
  13. The Watermelon Guy says:

    Thanks for the link Chad!

    Reply
  14. Melonmold.com says:

    We sell the mold used to make both the Box and Heart Shaped watermelon at Melonmold.com
    Check us out if you’d like to try making one of these!
    Melonmold.com

    Reply
  15. fruitmould.com says:

    fruitmould.com says:
    October 21, 2013 at 12:31 pm
    we are also providing the information of how to shape the watermelon or how to grow the square watermelon with our molds , for more instruction , please check the http://www.fruitmould.com

    Reply
  16. PT says:

    I should point out that the price tag of these squared watermelon is anything but “a small price to pay”… they go for about 200.00US$ in Japan (yes, you read it well, 200 DOLLARS!), and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t stick with my 2-Euros, 3-Kilograms watermelon, fully natural and well ripe, here in Italy.

    Reply
  17. Tony says:

    like chad said…you cannot eat them! Anyone who spends 60 or more dollars for something you cannot eat is insane! If you want to throw your money away, send it my way!

    Reply
  18. mehrdad tavakoli says:

    hi,
    how we can produce square watermelons.
    please advice.
    thank you.

    Reply
  19. heidi says:

    Ugh. Too many people. So glad I don’t live in Japan. You CANNOT improve upon nature,
    just have less offspring and enjoy a bigger refrigerator.

    Reply
  20. idbryce says:

    Actually, it’s not the amount of kids, it’s the death average, people are living longer than they did back then, which is why the population is increasing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured Articles

  • Why is the Watermelon Yellow Inside?
  • Seedless Watermelon
  • How to Tell if a Watermelon is Bad or Rotten
  • Do Purple and Blue Watermelons Really Exist?

Search

Recent Posts

  • Mini Watermelon Lime Tajin Mocktails
  • Watermelon Bruschetta with Whipped Cream Cheese
  • Bacon Wrapped Watermelon
  • Watermelon Cranberry Sauce
  • Watermelon with Cream Cheese and Pesto

Copyright © 2025 | WhatAboutWatermelon.com All rights reserved