Water Melons .

Does anyone have any experience at growing water melons .

Dave

 

Yes, but mostly no!

I grew them one year, but it was a year of not-much-attention-paid-to-the-garden, and they had to fend for themselves, and didn't do very well - so not really their fault. It was interesting to see what did do well ... the Sweetheart cantaloup melons did well, the other varieties I grew didn't, so I'm now only growing Sweetheart Melons

But part way through the year we had a conflab along the lines of "Do we really like water melons that much?" and thus I haven't grown them since. I think it was just a fad for me ...

 

It may well be a fad for me to.. But OH says I must grow them ..I have 4 nice plants growin at the moment and looking good ..
Dave

 

I'm in the same boat! My OH and daughter love them so I'm trying them for the first time too.

Any tips would be appreciated here.

 

After all my attempt to grow a watermelon I had to give up I am afraid.
The plants would just grow a few centimetres and die.

 

I germinated about 8 potted them up but 4 calapsed and died.I then brought the others indoors on to the windowsill .I don't normally bring plants indoors but they are growing well with the extra consistant heat.I will keep them in a while yet then try a couple back in the greenhouse a while..Fingerers crossed and I will tell all how they fair ..

Dave

 

Hi Davyg,

I planted a young plant of Watermelon Sugar Baby straight into the ground in mid Spring. Now summer has passed into Autumn I have one of five melons left in the bed. I was absolutely sure I wouldn't succeed because the previous year all my melons failed to mature in time, but then I did plant them in the height of summer. So this time round I went early and I kept an eye on the temps and protected the young plant with frost cloth if it looked like frost. It worked, but for a couple of months the plant grew very slowly until summer really kicked in and then it promptly dominated the entire bed.

I think risking planting early into the ground is worth it, with frost protection overhead only when it looks frost is likely, and no protection, i.e. maximum sun, the rest of the time.

Supporting this notion, my Stone Granites which went in the ground in early summer, i.e. much later, failed to mature before the plant gave out.

Local temps - Spring 0-15 with occasional frosts, Summer 20-30

 

Hi Harrowed Turf.
Thanks for your reply .A small ray of hope at least ..
Where in New Zealand are you ? I toured a lot of New Zealand with one of my sons in 2005 and loved it.. I was horrified at your recent earthquakes....
We are enjoying some well needed sunshine at the moment here in the UK

Dave

 

Tried water melons years ago and gave up.
They need as much space as a pumpkin and greenhouse heat all summer.

 

Looks like they may end up on the compost heap ...Thanks for all your replies
Dave

 

Hello mate,

Lower-Central North Island, between Palmerston North and Dannevirke, nowhere near the shakes thankfully. Don't chuck 'em on the heap just yet mate, they might surprise you

 

Ok I will hang on to them and see how our summer goes ..
Didn't do much in the North Island ony Auckland and Wellington then crossed to South Island on Ferry and toured round there for 3weeks .

Dave