Instructions

• Step 1: Start indoors Start your seedlings indoors, especially if you live in a cooler climate. Plant two to three seeds per pot and choose the healthiest seedling for transplantation.
• TIP: For best results use peat pots that can be transplanted whole without uprooting and potentially traumatizing your seedling.
• Step 2: Give space Give your watermelons space to grow. Seed hills in a row, and space the rows 7 to 10 feet apart. If you don’t have that much room, consider a smaller bush variety.
• Step 3: Plant Plant your seeds or seedlings outdoors after the last frost. Plant one to two seedlings per hill, or thin your plants to this number once they have taken root.
• Step 4: Feed well Feed your watermelon plants with fertilizers rich in nitrogen early in their growth, followed by fertilizer rich in phosphorous and potassium after flowers have formed.
• Step 5: Water if necessary Water your watermelons only when necessary, such as during a prolonged dry spell.
• Step 6: Protect Protect your plants and their roots by aggressively weeding with a shallow hoe. Stave off cucumber beetles and other pests with appropriate pesticides.
• TIP: Use black plastic as mulch in your watermelon rows to reduce weeds and keep your plants warm and moist.
• Step 7: Harvest Harvest your melons after 75 to 100 days. Signs of ripeness include yellowing on the underside, a dulling of the overall color, resistance to thumbnails on the rind, and browning of the stems near the fruit.
• FACT: Some varieties of watermelon can grow to over 200 pounds.

You Will Need

• Watermelon seeds
• Garden plot
• Fertilizer
• Pesticide
• Shallow hoe
• Big appetite
• Peat pots (optional)
• Black plastic mulch (optional)