Watermelon - Tendersweet Orange
Tendersweet Orange is a seeded, heirloom watermelon is a wonderfully sweet and fun family favorite! While there are many different varieties of watermelon, they fall in two main categories... seedless (or mostly) and seeded. Seedless watermelons are not 100% seedless, as they do produce a few small transparent and edible seeds. Remember that even if you are growing a seedless variety, a seeded plant is required for your seedless plants to produce fruit. Planting one seeded plant interspaced between several seedless ones will ensure pollination and produce the desired seedless watermelon.
Citrullus lanatus
Annual
Full Sun
Heirloom
Fruit Size: 15-30 lbs.
Days to Maturity 60-90
Plant Spacing: 36-48 inches
Planting Depth: 1 inch
Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
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Watermelon requires nutrient rich soil, so be sure to amend the soil with a good fertilizer or aged compost prior to planting. Sow watermelon seeds 1" deep, planting 4-6 seeds (or transplanting 2-3 of your strongest seedlings) in mounds that stretch 24" across. If direct sowing, wait until seedlings have developed 3-4 true leaves and choose your strongest 2-3 plants by cutting the thinned-out seedlings at soil level with scissors. Build mounds 5-10' apart.
Water consistently throughout the growing season, especially when young, until 1-2 weeks prior to harvest. Then reduce to no watering. This will concentrate the sugars present in the fruit and result in a sweeter watermelon. Seeds can be started indoors, no earlier than 4 weeks before transplanting. Delayed transplanting will disturb delicate root system and stunt its growth. Space transplants 2-3" apart in rows 6-8 feet apart. Full sun.
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Harvest when the fruit makes a hollow thump sound, when tapping your finger on it. Other ways to tell ripeness is by its stem. When the stem has turned brown and dies, your fruit is ready.
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Watermelon grows well planted near corn, beans, marigolds, and oregano, but avoid planting near potatoes. Placing a barrier between the ground and the developing watermelon will help reduce insect or bacterial damage to the rind.