Small Farms Extension Agent
UF /IFAS Marion County Extension
Service
2232 NE Jacksonville Road
Ocala, FL 34470
Phone: 352-671-8400
Fax: 352-671-8420
Extension Service
Email: [email protected]
Growing your own Watermelons
Jonael H. Bosques
UF/IFAS Marion County
Watermelon (Citrullus
lanatus) is a warm season
crop in the Cucurbit family. As with other vining
crops in this family, watermelons can require considerable space.
Where does your food come from?
Watermelon
Where does your food come from?
seeded crops.
spoons. of 10-1010. Make a second
sidedress at the
same rates after the
first fruit is harvested. A second
application is warranted if plants are
healthy, small fruit
is present, and
there is little to no
weed pressure.
Black plastic mulch in raised beds with drip irrigation
has been used successfully with watermelons. Advantages of plastic mulch include: soils warm up
faster, soil moisture is retained, nutrient leaching is
W
atermelon cultivars differ in such horticultural traits as fruit shape (round to oblong), rind color (light to dark green, with or without
stripes), fruit size (35 pounds to 10 pounds or less) and
flesh color (red, dark red, orange, and yellow). Varieties
may be classified as open-pollinated, F1 hybrid or triploid
(seedless) depending on how they were developed.
Watermelon seeding and
planting information
Area
South Florida
Central Florida
North Florida
Planting dates
15 Dec. – 1 Mar.
15 Jan. – 15 Mar.
15 Feb. – 15 Apr.
Planting
information
When growing seedless varieties, about one third of the
plants in the field should be seeded watermelons to provide adequate pollination. Alternately, an unharvested
pollinator variety can be inserted between every third
plant. Disease resistance to Anthracnose, Fusarium fruit
rot, and/or Fusarium wilt is available in some cultivars.
Bed spacing (feet)
In-row spacing (feet)
Seed count (numbers/pound)
Large seeded
Seeding depth (inches)
1.5-2.0
Recommended Cultivars
Large: Jubilee, Crimson Sweet, Charleston Gray 133
Small: Sugarbaby, Mickeylee.
Days to maturity from seed
Days to maturity from
transplant
Plant population/acre
80-100
60-90
Site selection and planting
Watermelon should not follow watermelon, other cucurbits (such as cucumber, squash, or pumpkin), tomatoes, or
peppers for at least 3 years.
Direct-seeding has been the most common way of planting watermelons. Seed should not be planted until the soil
temperature has warmed up sufficiently to promote rapid
germination. Another method is to set transplants that
have been started from seed in a greenhouse.
Transplants should be planted in the field around the time
the first true leaves appear. Transplanted melons generally mature 10 days to two weeks earlier than direct-
Small seeded
5-9
2-6
3000-6000
8000-12000
807-4356
prevented, and weeds are controlled.
Watermelon insect pests include aphids, cucumber beetles, and mites.
Fertilization
Rates vary according to soil tests. Established gardens
tend to test high for phosphorus; therefore, apply three
pounds of 10-5-10 per 100 square feet prior to planting.
If a garden has just been established or the soil test is
medium, three pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 square feet
should be used. When vines begin to run, sidedress each
plant with 6 tablespoon of 5-10-15 or three table-
Watering is very important in growing watermelons. The key
time to water is from the time the fruit is beginning to form
until it is half-grown. A lot of water near harvest will reduce
the sugar content and cause the fruit to have hollow centers.
Harvest and storage
Watermelons are hand-harvested when fully ripe.
“Thumping” the fruit is not a reliable indicator of fruit maturity. The presence of a dead tendril at the point where the
fruit attaches to the vine helps in determining when to harvest seeded watermelons, but is not useful for seedless varieties. The best indicator for ripeness is the change in color
of the underside of the melon where it comes into contact
with the ground.
Cooling harvested fruit removes field heat and prolongs shelf
-life. Watermelons may
be stored for three to
four weeks at the
proper temperature and
relative humidity.
For more information,
please contact UF/IFAS
Marion County
Extension Service at
352-671-8400.