Growing Giant Watermelon

Last year I grew watermelons in my garden with mediocre success. Some of the melons split open or died on the vine for what ever reason. The melons that I did harvest were some of the sweetest melons I have ever had.

This year I'm going to attempt to grow some on a trellis and let the others grow normally. While I'm at it, I'm going to attempt to grow a giant watermelon on one of the plants.

You have probably heard about the annual giant pumpkin contests up north. They grow pumpkins so large they need a fork lift to move them. Down south it gets to hot to grow pumpkins that large (or so I've read on the www) Instead southerners grow giant watermelons.

Some people take it so seriously they attend their prized melons 24 hours a day! The world record is 268.8 according to this site. First I'm not that crazy. Second I have things to do like to work to pay bills and take care of our animals.


I might go check out the Luling Watermelon Thump this year

Online Resources:

• U of M high tunnel Melon Production
• Arkansas Giant Watermelons
• UMD Growing Watermelons
• Georgia 4-H Giant Watermelon Growing Suggestions
• OSU Watermelon Production

Fun Facts:

• Melons and watermelon are second only to bananas in total U.S. per capita consumption of fresh fruit. Melons are low in fat and sodium, have no cholesterol, and provide many essential nutrients such as potassium. Watermelons are an excellent source of lycopene, which is credited with reducing many forms of cancer. (source: Univ of Missouri Extension)
  
• Both melons and watermelon are native to Africa and thrive in a warm, dry climate with a long growing season. The optimal growing temperature (source: Univ of Missouri Extension)
• for melons and watermelons is 70–85 degrees F. (source: Univ of Missouri Extension)
• Cold Watermelon is sweet and refreshing on a hot summer day, plus it has added benefits.
• Plastic Mulch may be used to increase crop yield and ensure earlieness. (Source: Maryland Coop Extension)
• Harvesting or loading wet melons is inadvisable because of the increased risk of decay. (Source: Univ of Georgia - College of Agg and Enviro Science)
• Square watermelons in Japan sell for the equivalent of about $83.00 (Source: BBC)
• Research has revealed that each female melon flower must receive at least eight bee visits to set a marketable fruit. (Source:Univ fo Missouri Extension)
  
• Read more interesting facts here!
  
  

5-10-2009 Growing progress

Top Row:

• Onions are growing really big. I need to look up when to harvest them.
• Sweet corn is about knee high. Three rows of it. Hopefully I won't harvest it to late like I did last year.
• I was a bit careless with the basil seeds. Now I have basil popping up all over the garden. Cant wait to make Basil pesto, pizza and spaghetti.
• Pole beans are growing but not quite tall enough to start climbing up the trellis.
• My jalapeno plants from 2 years ago survived the winter and are popping peppers out every where. You can tell they are ready to pick when they turn dark green. Those veins mean they are HOT!!!

Center:

• The tomato plants have tiny tomatoes about the size of my thumbnail. Its getting pretty hot here already. Hopefully I will get a few tomatoes out of it.
• The watermelons are coming up. I'm going to allow some to grow underneath the apple tree and try to train some to grow up a trellis.
• Swiss Chards are about waist high. We need to eat more. We have only cooked with them twice.
• Bush beans are growing pretty well. Only one row came up though. I wonder if the Swiss Chards shaded the other row to much.

Bottom Row:

• The strawberries are in a shadier part of the garden. I think they might want more sun light. The berries that are growing are small and the bugs keep eating them.
• Carrot tops surround a poblano pepper plant. (pix under strawberries)
• I got impatient waiting for the basil seeds to germinate. I thought they were not going to so I bought one at Lowe's. I'm going to have so much this year. It sells for about $4.00 for a small package at the store.
• More Jalapenos! I haven't bought Jalapenos in over a year despite giving away as many as I can. I still have a gallon zip lock bag full of peppers in my freezer.
• Romain lettuce is wilting. They like nice cool weather so I have to hurry up and eat some and let the rest bolt (go to seed)
  

I put okra seeds I save from last year in 2 rows this morning and I still have 2 empty rows. I got to figure out what to put there. I'm thinking some of the cantaloupe leftover from the curbside garden.

If you are wondering, the stringy stuff all over the ground is pollen from the pecan trees. It makes a huge mess.

Curb Side Garden

I have this long narrow patch of land (5ft wide by 45 ft long) in front of my house. Its nestled between the side walk and the street. It should be covered in grass but the only thing growing is weeds. It is in full sun all day and our of reach for my water sprinkler. So I decided to convert it into a mini garden strip. There is a crape myrtle at one end that provides some shade for the only patch of grass. When I set out to improve this patch I wanted it to be

Low maintenance
"Water Wise"
Nothing that would grow over 2 feet (I don't want to block the view of the house from the street)
Inexpensive

I began the conversion by tilling up the swatch of land and then raking out all the weeds. After tilling the dirt was about 1 and a half foot above the curb. Since I'm trying to keep the cost down I decided not to use a border. That would have drastically raised the cost by at least $100.00 My neighbor recently added sprinklers in their yard and the dirt settled creating a valley around their front yard. I ended up shoveling about 25 loads of dirt into a wheelbarrow and spreading it in their yard. That got rid of half the dirt and took all night. The next day I asked another neighbor if he needed dirt and he came and took the other half. He in exchange gave me a soaker hose and a handshake. (I have really good neighbors) Finally I got it low enough that I hoped the mulch would not run off.

I used 9 bags of pine bark mulch and 1 bag of Black Kow compost. I didn't use weed fabric because I didn't want to have to mess with it if I decide to plant something else in the future. I got 3 lantana plants from the clearance section at Lowe's for $2.00 each and a Coreopsis I paid about $6.00 for a few months back. Last year I got a free plant called bulbine from the annual SAWS Spring Bloom event. I divided it into two and planted them by my front door. This year I dug up one of the plants and divided it into 20 plants . I started basil seeds and cantaloupe seeds about a month ago and didn't have room in my garden for them so I decided to put it out in my curbside garden along with 2 pineapple tops and 2 crape myrtle trees given to me by another neighbor. Before I put each plant in the ground I added a scoop of the compost.

Shannon is afraid that someone might steal a cantaloupe. I'm not really concerned. I have some more to put in the garden. I told my neighbors to come get some basil next time they make speg. or pizza.


Materials

• 9 bags Pine bark mulch
• 1 bag Black Kow Compost
• *Soaker hose
• 3 lantana
• Coreopsis
  
• * 2 Pineapple Tops
• *2 Crape myrtle trees
• *20 Bulbine
• **Cantaloupe
• **Basil

*free
**Practically free



Tools Used

• Tiller
• Wheelbarrow
• Rakes
• Shovel
• Broom
• Leaf Blower