Watermelons???

[Black Thumb Pat]

:confused: I have not ever raised any kind of melon. My local nursery had some Sugar Baby melon plants and I bought one just to see if it would grow on my newly evolving garden.

I've got runners going everywhere and they all look very healthy and I was greatly surprised to find TWO (2) Melons!!!! When are they ready to pick? I thumped them and they sound "hollow", just like a big melon.

Are two melons all you get? Will more develop after I have picked the two? I don't see any more "bulbs" or flowers. Should I save seed (if they are edible -- they don't call me Black Thumb for nothing)?

I have some seeds from a "seedless melon". I read that you can plant these seeds, but need a seeded melon to help pollinate. Do you plant them in the same hill? Living in North Central Arkansas, is there any special soil treatment to encourage growth?

I've missed not visiting the site and after looking at some of the posts, I need to make sure I get up more often.

[winter_unfazed]

I'm growing a special cross watermelon, 'Charleston Gray' x 'Sweet Diane', near Fordland, MO.
In general with watermelons, each plant gives two watermelons, sometimes 3-5 if the frost free season is long, the soil is good, etc.
To tell when your melon is ripe, why not just ask the melon? The Clemens test involves knocking on the melon with 4 knuckles at a slight angle. If you do it right, an unripe melon will say "pink". If it is almost ripe, it says "pank". If it is fully ripe, its "voice" is lower and it says "punk".

[lovetogarden]

When the underside of the melon turns yellow( on the spot it sits on the ground), it is usually ripe.I also look at the melon and ask myself if it is the approximate size it should be.

[winter_unfazed]

I've heard you're not supposed to let it sit on the ground. You need some straw or suchlike.

[Black Thumb Pat]

I've been "punk-in" my Sugar Babies and thanks for everyone's help. Bought this because they were small. I'm not a great fan of watermelon except for the Cave City Yellow Diamonds, I think they're called.

Can't go by yellow on the underside as I had heard it was best to keep them off the ground especially if there was a lot of rain -- didn't have that problem. Left them on the grass outside of the rototilled area. :)

[skip]

anyone ever grow square melons? they are square so they will sit on the shelf or table without rolling off. you just take the melon at a size that will fit into your form and as it grows it will square up, im going to try this.
:eek:

[Gardenurse]

I haven't tried this, only read about it. It is a growing technique developed by some creative thinking Japanese farmers. Since space in Japan is at a premium, including the icebox, they grow these melons to precisely fit the dimensions of the refrigerator in people's homes. They charge $82 for these quadric ellipsoidal melons, while regular "space consuming" melons cost $15-25.

[MichiganderGardener]

BlackThumb: I read or heard somewhere that if you save and plant seeds from a seedless watermelon that they wont produce at all cause they are sterile seeds. Not sure as I have never tried it, but Im sure if something came up it would not be a seedless watermelon variety.