As popular as melons, watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) or watermelons, round or long in shape, with green or yellow skin, streaked or mottled, can be eaten all summer long. This annual fruit is easily grown in the vegetable garden and has the advantage of quenching thirst during the summer period.
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This gourd with creeping stems of several meters, is easy to grow, whether you sow or plant it. Weeding and watering are the key points for a successful harvest. Fruits with a lot of waterwatermelon is eaten simply, like melonin a fruit salad or sorbet.
When to sow watermelons?
There are 2 periods for sowing the watermelons :
- from the month of March and this until the month of April, in pots, terrines placed under the shelter or under a frame;
- in the month of mayyou can sow seeds directly in the vegetable patch.
You will adapt the sowing periods according to your region and the climate.
How to sow watermelons?
Here are the steps to successfully sowing watermelon seeds.
Sow the seeds under cover:
- choose scoops or a terrine;
- fill them with a special sowing compost, very fine!
- make holes 2 cm deep and position the seeds (individually or in pockets of 2 to 3 seeds);
- cover lightly with potting soil, then tamp;
- water lightly.
Keep the cups or the terrine warm, in a temperate room at 20°C until mid-May. Moisten the soil regularly.
Sowing seeds in the vegetable garden:
- work the soil so that it is very loose;
- enrich it with a little compost decomposed;
- place 2 cm deep, a watermelon seed every meter;
- cover with soil;
- plumb the floor;
- water.
Watermelon plants can take up a lot of space, so remember to space each plant a minimum of one meter and each row 1.50 m apart. After 15 days, you will see the first leaves of the plants appear. One month after sowing, you can thin out the plants to keep only the best ones. Either you will transplant them into larger containers while waiting for planting, or you will plant them directly in the vegetable garden, if frosts are no longer to be feared and the temperature of the soil has warmed up. If you keep the plants warm, do not hesitate to acclimatize them by opening the frame or exposing them outside on a nice day.
When to plant watermelons?
These fruits appreciate the heat so wait until the temperatures exceed 20°C to install them in the sun. A rich and worked soil is recommended because watermelons are greedy so plan this work before planting.
From May or June, for the north of the Loire, you can plant the watermelon plants directly in the vegetable garden or in a large container on a terrace or a balcony.
How to care for watermelons?
They don’t like competition so weed location regularly. Watermelons need a lot of water to grow, so water regularly, without wetting the foliage, so that the soil does not dry out and to maintain humidity.
Pruning is not necessary but allows only part of the good-sized fruits to be preserved. Once the plant bears 2 to 3 leaves, pinch (between your thumb and forefinger) the main stem above the 2and sheet. Later, do the same above the 4and leaf on all stems. Finally, repeat the operation above the 4and leaf on sprouted stems. Once the fruits have developed, pinch above the 2and leaf after the fruits to keep only a dozen fruits which will develop perfectly.
When to harvest watermelons?
After taking full advantage of the sun, the well-developed and juicy watermelons are picked from June to September, depending on the region and the variety. Count about 5 months between sowing and harvesting. A watermelon that is cracking or has a dry stem is good to pick.
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