How to grow watermelons at home

Watermelon will grown on a large vine sprawling out from the seed you plant. The plant loves heat and sunlight. In southern Louisiana this means planting watermelon seeds in late March to Mid April for best results. There are two beautiful things about growing watermelon. First, once they start growing, they need very little attention. Second, they are great to eat!

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items to grow watermelon

• Watermelon seeds (pick a variety you like)
  
• A sunny spot of land
  
• Loamy, well drained soil
  
• Leather Gloves
  
• Tools for tilling soil (shovel, pitchfork, hoe)
  
• Tool for digging small holes (spade, hand)
  
• Water
  

steps to planting watermelon

Pick a spot. Make sure the area has full sun for at least 6 hours a day and good soil. If it doesn't have good soil, you can always add some new soil or compost.

Time for some landscaping work. You can either build a gardening box or make crop rows. I will cover making a crop row today, but both choices work the same for growing watermelon.

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Break up and remove any plants growing on top of the crop area. Till the soil and making sure to break up clumps of soil. If you have trouble doing this or are doing a large area, you can look into renting a gas powered tiller. Make Mounds of soil using your hoe. Space these three to six feet away from the next row.The raised soil will allow water to drain and air reach the plants roots. The lower areas retain more water also.


Level off the tops of your mounds and use either your spade or your hand to make a narrow one inch deep hole for the watermelon seed. Put a few seeds in each hole and pull soil over the top of the hole until it is even with the rest of your mound. Do not press or pack in the soil on top of your seed. Instead, water the newly planted landscape bed using either your finger on the tip of the hose or a setting for your nozzle that imitates rainfall.


For the next week, keep the soil around the seeds damp. About of a week or so later you will see signs of life. Get rid of any plants that look far worse than the others. This will allow for more nutrition for the strong plants. When your new watermelon plants are about 5 inches, add some mulch directly next to the young plants to keep away weeds. Make sure to not cover up your plant. I foresee a very difficult time for you if your plant isn't getting sunlight.

You are in business once you start seeing flowers on your watermelon vines. You can now water your plants twice a week, but only if the soil is dry. If you have gotten a lot of rain in your area, chances are your plants have had enough to drink. Matter of fact, watermelons don't like having water around them. Excess water kind of leads to disease, fungus and sometimes death for the melons. If your watermelons are always wet, you can lay out a 2X4, a piece of tarp or flat rocks and sit your watermelon and its vines on top of them.

Keep your garden free of weeds regularly so they don't block out the sun and consume the nutrients from your watermelons. Also, if you notice your watermelons looking discolored or weird  you may have a fungus or bug problem. If you notice your plants or fruit missing, you have an animal or a people problem.


If you plant your melons in April, they will probably be fully grown by August. Smaller melons will take less time while larger melons take longer. To check if they are done, flick the melon with your finger and if it makes a lower pitch sound, it is probably ready. You can also check the bottom of the melon. If the bottom is yellow, it should also be a good sign it is ready. Do not water your watermelon for five to seven days before harvesting. This will give a better sugar to water ratio in your melons so they will taste great! Cut the watermelon from the vine and enjoy your hard work.

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.