{"id":1082,"date":"2013-02-09T11:18:22","date_gmt":"2013-02-09T11:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/?p=1082"},"modified":"2017-06-09T11:18:47","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T11:18:47","slug":"growing-a-watermelon-learning-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/growing-a-watermelon-learning-the-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"GROWING A WATERMELON: LEARNING THE BASICS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-3465\" title=\"pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/pic4.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/pic4-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/pic4.jpg 339w\" alt=\"\" width=\"339\" height=\"259\" \/>Last month, I shared my New Year\u2019s resolution to put my green thumb to the test by growing my very own watermelon in 2013. Like last year, when I organized and competed in my first seed-spitting contest, I\u2019ll be providing monthly updates on my progress as I work toward making my resolution a reality.<\/p>\n<p>Since I\u2019m what some might call \u201cgardening challenged,\u201d I\u2019m approaching the task of growing my favorite fruit with a little nervousness. I had a lot of questions about becoming a watermelon farmer, so I spent the better part of a weekend scouring the Internet for answers. Here\u2019s what I learned:<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Should_I_grow_my_watermelon_from_a_seed_or_should_I_start_with_a_seed_thats_already_sprouted\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> Should I grow my watermelon from a seed or should I start with a seed that\u2019s already sprouted?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#When_should_I_plant_my_seed\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> When should I plant my seed?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#What_type_of_watermelon_should_I_grow\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> What type of watermelon should I grow?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#What_sort_of_care_will_my_watermelon_require\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> What sort of care will my watermelon require?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#When_will_I_be_able_to_harvest_my_watermelon\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">5<\/span> When will I be able to harvest my watermelon?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h3><span id=\"Should_I_grow_my_watermelon_from_a_seed_or_should_I_start_with_a_seed_thats_already_sprouted\"><strong>Should I grow my watermelon from a seed or should I start with a seed that\u2019s already sprouted?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The answer to this question is a combination of both. I\u2019ll start with a seed, which will be grown indoors until it sprouts and then transplanted outdoors when the weather is a little warmer.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"When_should_I_plant_my_seed\"><strong>When should I plant my seed?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>According to the <em>Farmers\u2019 Almanac<\/em>, gardeners in colder climates (I\u2019m in Pennsylvania) should start seeds indoors in mid- to late March and then transplant the sprout outdoors a few weeks after the season\u2019s last frost (mid-April in my area).<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"What_type_of_watermelon_should_I_grow\"><strong>What type of watermelon should I grow?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Since I have a small garden, I\u2019ll more than likely grow a smaller icebox variety of watermelon such as the Sugar Baby, a round, red-fleshed fruit with a very dark green skin. I can also grow a bush type of watermelon like the Garden Baby, but the Sugar Baby will most likely be the watermelon for me.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"What_sort_of_care_will_my_watermelon_require\"><strong>What sort of care will my watermelon require?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To develop the sweetest, most succulent flesh, watermelons require eight to 10 hours of direct sunlight daily. They prefer a soil rich in organic matter, like compost or rotted manure.<\/p>\n<p>Since watermelons are 95 percent water, they also require plentiful, even regular, watering for quick growing. The soil should be kept moist until the fruit reaches full size and then watering should end until the watermelon ripens. Mulch can be used to help retain soil moisture and prevent weeds, which can steal water and nutrients from the watermelon plant and are especially harmful when the plant is still in the sprout stage.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"When_will_I_be_able_to_harvest_my_watermelon\"><strong>When will I be able to harvest my watermelon?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Watermelons are ready for harvest in 80 to 90 days for baby bush varieties, and 90 to 100 days or more for the larger varieties.<\/p>\n<p>So there you have some basic questions and answers to help me get started on my watermelon-growing adventure. I\u2019ll provide monthly updates and dive a little deeper into the trials and tribulations of being a watermelon farmer in future entries. In my update next month, I\u2019ll cover the process of planting my Sugar Baby seed and starting the growing process indoors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last month, I shared my New Year\u2019s resolution to put my green thumb to the test by growing my very own watermelon in 2013. Like last year, when I organized and competed in my first seed-spitting contest, I\u2019ll be providing monthly updates on my progress as I work toward making my resolution a reality. Since [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1082","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GROWING A WATERMELON: LEARNING THE BASICS - What About Watermelon?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/growing-a-watermelon-learning-the-basics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GROWING A WATERMELON: LEARNING THE BASICS - What About Watermelon?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last month, I shared my New Year\u2019s resolution to put my green thumb to the test by growing my very own watermelon in 2013. 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