Content
- Grow the watermelon in the garden or greenhouse yourself
- Beware of hybrid varieties
- The proper care of watermelons
- Keep the seeds for the next season
- Tips & Tricks
Grow the watermelon in the garden or greenhouse yourself
Watermelons mostly come from countries countries in Mediterranean regions and from tropical latitudes in the trade with us. They can be planted with a greenhouse or a sufficiently early preference of the seeds also in this country.
Beware of hybrid varieties
To grow watermelons in your own garden, you can basically also remove the seed kernels from commercially available melons. However, all the effort of sowing and grooming can be in vain if it's a hybrid variety. These are crossed for the achievement of a better yield and certain plant characteristics from two other varieties and are themselves often no longer able to reproduce. With seed sold for watermelons, it is often the intention of manufacturers to make customers dependent on the regular purchase of new seeds. Therefore, look also at purchased seed on the pack, whether it is a hybrid variety, or whether you can keep the seeds after the first harvest for the next year.
The proper care of watermelons
In order to be able to harvest ripe watermelons even in the temperate climate of Central Europe, you must prefer the seeds on the windowsill or in a mini-greenhouse as early as the beginning of April. It has been proven to sow two to three seeds in a pot and then leave only the strongest plant after germination. It can also be upgraded to a fig leaf pumpkin pad with added vigor and disease protection. Watermelons need a lot of light and warmth to grow, but they should not be placed in the blazing sun as young plants. In addition, you must be watered daily during the fruit growth so that the fruits are not malformed. Since the plants but tolerate waterlogging bad, a loose ground is important.
Keep the seeds for the next season
Seeds for the next garden season can be obtained from different sources:
But make sure that the seeds of the watermelon are well cleaned and dried before storing. Otherwise, they can mold or rot in no time.
Tips & Tricks
When properly prepared and stored, the seeds of the watermelon can remain germinable for about six to eight years.