Christopher Kent knows a thing or two about growing giant watermelons. Mainly because the 350-pound Carolina Cross he grew in 2013 is officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world\u2019s largest watermelon (that\u2019s Chris with it on the right). Chris grows giant watermelon every year, and this year he\u2019s agreed to let us tag along in a series of monthly blog entries showcasing his attempt to set a new world record.<\/p>\n
The giant watermelons are grown at Chris\u2019s home in the small town of Sevierville, Tennessee, about 15 minutes outside of Knoxville. He\u2019s been growing watermelon since 2008 and, from the beginning, he\u2019s had a natural green thumb. Just two years later, in 2010, Chris produced a 290-pound world record holder and he hasn\u2019t looked back since.<\/p>\n
CHOOSING THE SEEDS<\/strong><\/p>\n The process for growing the world\u2019s largest watermelon starts with the seeds, but not just any seeds. Chris (and other giant watermelon growers like him) use seeds from the Carolina Cross variety of watermelon and only from specific watermelons that have reached gargantuan proportions. In some ways, growing the world\u2019s largest watermelon is a lot like breeding a champion race horse \u2014 who the parents are makes all the difference.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many seeds to choose from. Always too many it seems,\u201d said Chris about the process. \u201cSome are my own seed lines. Some are from other great growers from around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n The seeds are named according to the weight of the watermelon they came from and the last name of the grower who produced it. The seeds that made the cut this year included the 291 Kent (the mother of the current 350-pound record holder), the champion 350 Kent, a 199 Mudd from a grower in Kentucky, a 169 Cantrell from a fellow Tennessee grower, and a 251 Kent from Chris\u2019s 2014 crop.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 199 Mudd is from one of Frank Mudd\u2019s watermelons. It\u2019s a very good, proven seed,\u201d said Chris. \u201cThe 169 Cantrell has a lot of potential, but it\u2019s unproven. We\u2019ll see how that one does.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PLANTING THE SEEDS<\/strong><\/p>\n The seeds are soaked in water for an hour and then planted in potting mix. For Chris, that part of the process started in mid-April. They\u2019ll spend the first few days indoors in a warm environment of about 90 degrees, and the seeds will sprout in three to four days. Once they\u2019ve sprouted, they\u2019ve leave Chris\u2019s home and head outside.<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to enjoy the sun and get acclimated as much as possible to the outdoors,\u201d said Chris. \u201cThey\u2019ll spend their days outside and the nights inside since our mid-spring here in Tennessee was kind of cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris brought the sprouts inside and outside for about two weeks (that\u2019s the 291 Kent above after it was transplanted outdoors). At the beginning of May, the weather turned warm in Seviersville, and the tiny future giants were planted outside to begin their journey toward hopefully growing into the biggest watermelon in the world.<\/p>\n Stay tuned for another update next month about Chris\u2019s watermelons. In our next blog entry, we\u2019ll talk with Chris about the daily care of the plants and his process for identifying which ones might be potential future record-holders.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n UP NEXT: A fantastic watermelon salad<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Christopher Kent knows a thing or two about growing giant watermelons. Mainly because the 350-pound Carolina Cross he grew in 2013 is officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world\u2019s largest watermelon (that\u2019s Chris with it on the right). Chris grows giant watermelon every year, and this year he\u2019s agreed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":[502,503,504,505],"class_list":{"0":"post-1864","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-general","7":"tag-christopher-kent","8":"tag-giant-watermelon","9":"tag-largest-watermelon","10":"tag-worlds-largest-watermelon","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n