Watermelon is a refreshing, sweet, juicy summer fruit. If you have plenty of garden space you can grow watermelons. Planting watermelons is a delicate job. If you plant them too early, you run the risk that the soil is too cold, and if you plant them too late, the watermelons may not have enough time to mature. There are two types of watermelons. The standard variety is oblong and weighs between 20 and 30 pounds (9 and 13.6 kilograms). The baby or bush variety are round and weigh between 2 and 10 pounds (.90 and 4.5 kilograms).
- Place the seeds in small pots about three weeks before you plan to plant them outdoors. Keep the pots indoors. Not all the seeds will germinate.
- Water your seedlings regularly and keep them where it's 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 29 degrees Celsius).
- Plant you watermelon outside when there's no more danger of frost. Watermelons must be planted in soil that is warm a few inches (centimeters) below the surface. You can place mulch on the soil to keep it warm.
- Push the soil together with a hoe to make mounds that are at least 2 inches (5 centimeters) high. This is where you will plant your watermelon seedlings.
- Make a small hole in each mound, using a spade. Place your seedlings in the hole. Leave at least 6 feet (183 centimeters) between seedlings.
- Spread a thin layer of fertilizer around the seedlings.
- Water the seedlings regularly. It will take between 80 and 90 days for the watermelons to ripen.
- Pick the watermelons when the part that lies on the soil turns yellowish.