Fruit · Vining fruit
Watermelon
Citrullus lanatusWatermelon vines sprawl widely in search of warmth, turning long summers into enormous, thirst-quenching fruit. They need steady moisture through fruit set, then less as sugars build near harvest. The one rule: give the vines generous room, since a single plant can cover several square metres.
Sow depth
¾ in
Spacing
3–4 ft apart
Sun
Full sun
Germination
7–10 days
Time to harvest
70–90 days
Difficulty
Moderate
When to sow watermelon
- Sow from about 2 weeks after your last expected frost until about 19 weeks before the first expected autumn frost.
Wait for warm soil — seeds sulk and rot in cold, damp ground.Sow two or three seeds per mound and thin to the strongest seedling.Space mounds generously to give sprawling vines plenty of room.
Water consistently — keep moisture steady while fruit is sizing up.Ease off watering as fruit nears ripeness to concentrate sugars.Set developing fruit on straw to keep it clean and off damp soil.
Thump and listen — a ripe melon gives a deep, hollow sound.Check the tendril nearest the fruit; a browned, dried tendril signals ripeness.Look for a pale, creamy underside where the fruit rested on the ground.
Companion plants
Nasturtiums planted nearby are thought to lure aphids away from the vines.
Watch out for
Fusarium wilt — Soil-borne fungus causes sudden vine collapse in warm, wet soil. Rotate planting sites and choose resistant varieties where possible.