Growing Watermelon

[Tormato]

One year I had a vine grow up one of my shrubs. The watermelon had to be hung in a sling.

I start seeds in gallon, or so, sized pots one month before transplant time. It takes about one week to germinate, with temps best at about 80 degrees. Three weeks of growth in the pot is the max, before transplanting.

Tormato

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Okay...here is my watermelon growing technique:

NEVER EVER EVER start watermelons earlier than 6 weeks to plant out. Watermelon have the longest tap root of any fruit and they HATE having the tap root disturbed. Use peat cups that can go right into the ground.

Dig a hole 3 feet deep with a hand-held post hole digger or tractor auger. Fill the hole with a mixture that contains equal parts of the following:

Sand
Peat Moss
garden soil or planting mix

Allow melons to grow and set fruit and then keep the vine lengths to no more than 10 feet and no more than 3 watermelon per plant. Placing black plastic or black tar roofing shingles laid beneath ripening melons speeds up ripening (as well as trying to keep the developing fruit uncovered from the shade of the vines.)

We grew watermelon in Wyoming successfully when most other people coukd not. We even grew some of the bigger varieties like Rattlesnake, Charleston Grey, Black Diamond. We also successfully grew Moon & Stars.

We mulched each plant with straw and used soaker hose to water. They take a lot of water.

You might be able to trellis a smaller variety like Sugar baby but you would need a heck of a "sling" tied to the fence to support the weight. They do have bush varieties of watermelon and that might work better for you:
Watermelon 'Bush Sugar Baby'
Citrullus lanatus Watermelon 'Sugar Bush'
Citrullus lanatus
Hybridized by Burpee, 1977 Watermelon 'Bush Snakeskin'
Citrullus lanatus Watermelon 'Bush Jubilee'
Citrullus lanatus Watermelon 'Bush Charleston Gray'
Citrullus lanatus Watermelon 'Bush Baby II'
Citrullus lanatus Watermelon 'Bush Desert King'
Citrullus lanatus

[strax]

fyi blacktail mountain is a small early ripening variety.

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Originally Posted by strax

fyi blacktail mountain is a small early ripening variety.

I know it's smaller but not as small as Sugar Baby or some of the others and I am just not sure you could trellis it effectively. I think maybe you could trellis some of the larger varieties but you would need a really strong wire/fence to tie the slings to. It would make an interesting experiment.

And Worth is right...nylon stockings make great slings and when you are finished growing, you can pull one over your head and go rob a produce stand stealing all the vegies that the

"hail, wind, drought, varmints or disease"

destroyed in your garden!