Do You Grow Watermelons?

Growing Watermelon As A Tradition And Decoration by Alan Stables

When a person sets out to plant a garden, growing watermelon especially in the south is one of the first vegetables that come to mind. Rich soil with good organic materials is perfect for watermelon production and can brighten the summer buffet tables in more ways than one.

In order to have really sweet watermelons, the growing season needs to be long and the ground should be well drained to prevent molding or mildew, but also retain enough moisture for the growing melons. Some people with a long growing season extend their harvest time by planting incrementally thus staggering the growing and harvest times. If there is enough room for vine type plants, they generally produce better melons than the bush type plants, however, if the bush type plants are thinned to only a couple of melons per plant, the melons tend to grow larger using more of the plant’s resources.

If a long growing season is not in the cards, or if a person plans to have multiple harvests, they can get a jumpstart by starting seeds inside about three weeks before the desired planting time. If the seeds are soaked in water or other liquid growth mixture for about an hour, it will help soften the seed cover and allow the plant to break through even sooner. The key is timing and transplanting while the plant is still small. If a person waits too long and the plant gets more than a couple of leaves, the shock of being moved to new soil can be too much for them.

Another popular gardening tip is to cover the seedbed prior to planting. Black plastic covering will help the ground attract and hold heat better than uncovered soil. Even after transplanting a loose covering will help to protect the new seedlings as well as help to hold in ground heat. Keep in mind that if the weather is still too cool to uncover the plants completely and they begin to bloom, hand pollination may be necessary. Pollinating by hand and recovering the plants is not uncommon in areas that have very short growing seasons.

The actual idea of carving watermelons is thought to have come from the Thai Loi Krathong or Floating Lantern festivals of centuries ago. Many fall festivals especially Halloween gatherings have used pumpkins for carving jack-o-lanterns with creative faces, expressions, and designs. Want to start a new tradition? Do you have a yearly Hedgehog Festival, competition, or animal caretaker’s fair? Growing watermelon to be used as decorative centerpieces for summer parties, brunches, weddings, anniversaries, or any other gathering can start a tradition to last for years.

Alan Stables is a freelance writer on nature and gardening. For example he writes articles on growing broccoli, growing watermelon and other vegetable garden planning activities.

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