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kawaiineko_gardener

growing watermelons in containers

I have three earthboxes. I plan to grow tomatoes in the 1st, cucumbers in the 2nd, and green beans in the 3rd.

I'd like to grow watermelons in containers. However due to the fact that I'll be growing other things in my three earthboxes, I'll have to grow the watermelons in other containers. The variety of watermelon I plan to grow is called sugarbush, which is a compact, bush variety of the sugar baby that has shorter vines. In comparison to its traditional counterpart, it's more tolerant of being grown in confined spaces.

I would like to grow two sugar bush watermelon plants

in one container. What size container would I need to

grow two sugar bush watermelons without overcrowding them?

Please specify the size of the container in quarts or gallons.

I know that traditionally with squash and melons you need to create a hill for the melon or squash when you plant the seeds. However since I'm growing the watermelon in a container and the variety I plan to grow is a bush type that has short vines, would making hills still be necessary? If so, how tall do the hills have to be and how large across in diameter do they have to be?

I've also heard that watermelons like sandy soil and need to be heavily fertilized so for my potting medium, should I use equal parts of sand, manure and gardening soil?

Comments (4)

  • justaguy2
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have been through this before. You have been around long enough to already know the answers you are going to get.

    When I bought you your 3 earthboxes we had an agreement you would stop asking silly questions like 'should I use sand, soil and manure in my container'.

    It's quite disheartening to see that you were unwilling to hold up to your end of the bargain. From this point forward you are nothing more than a troll to me and your posts will go unanswered by me.

  • kawaiineko_gardener
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you didn't want to respond to this thread you shouldn't have bothered responding to it. While I do appreciate the offer of the earthboxes you sent, unfortunately I only have 3 and it's not feasible for me to grow all of what I intend to in those three boxes.

    Unfortunately I have to plant other things in containers because I have a limited amount of earthboxes. I'd love to purchase more, but as stated previously they're too expensive for me and it's not feasible for me to purchase them.

    It's quite disheartening that you decide to give me grief about growing things in containers when that is the purpose of this subforum on this website!

    Unless you're the person who is in charge of this subforum on garden web and/or you're the administrator and/or website manager of garden web you really have no say in what I can and can't post.

  • justaguy2
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dear troll,

    It's really very simple. I don't own the forum nor do I control who posts what. You asked a lot of uber basic questions some time ago, whined about being poor etc.

    I bent over backwards to help you including buying you 3 earthboxes, providing mix and instructions. Delivered right to your doorstep.

    Not only did I not get a (unnecessary) thank you for the EBs, I attached only 1 string to the gift. Stop asking braindead stupid questions that I and others have already answered numerous times. Nothing wrong with being ignorant and needing to learn. There is something horribly wrong with not learning after getting the same answers for over a year from multiple people in multiple forums.

    No, you don't mix sand, dirt and manure in a pot and expect good results. It doesn't work that way as has been repeatedly and patiently explained to you over the course of a year.

    That you now have the EBs in your possession and are back here with the exact same MO (you actually format each of your silly posts the same way and your follow up response to those who reply also follows a pretty tight pattern) reveals you as a troll and nothing else. The only other possibility is that you have a serious learning disability, but you spell too well for that to be the case.

    You are the kind of douche who spits in the face of unsolicited generosity which in my book makes you the thin film of scum underlying the scum of the earth. Have a nice life.

  • georgeiii
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Try this, their called Self-Watering-Containers or SWC.

    {{gwi:47466}}

    Basicly it's one bucket stuck inside another. I use a 4 1/2 gallon inside a 6 gallon. Take a 1" wide piece of PVC pipe that fits thru the top bucket long enougn to touch the bottom of the lower bucket. Make sure there's enough clearence above the soil line so no odd debrie fallls in.

    {{gwi:56412}}
    the cupe in the bottom is really up to you. I use a 16 oz cup I buy from deli's. You can find them in recycled plastic bin's. People use them often. their an odd size cup so I use a sodlering iron to cut out the holes. Just trace out the mouth of the cup on the bottom center of the top bucket. When you make the hole for the PVC pipe trace it the same way. Now you have a lot of little holes to make. I've done them with the holes and without and haven't seen any noticable difference. Space the hole one inch apart in all directions all acrosss the bottom. I find the 1/4" width of the iron to be just right. Once you get the pipe in use the iron to bore up up at the other end to hold the pipe in place. A simple wire tie will do. So you end up with something like this

    {{gwi:56413}}

    Since I use translucent buckets light passes thru and I can see where the upper bucket rests in the lower bucket. Again I use the same iron to burn a hole right below that point. That's the over flow hole. Mark that somehow so you can see it clearly when watering.

    The mix, yes the mix...I have my own I must admit but I can give you a basic mix that will work really well. One 5 gallon bucket of potting soil, 40 lb of manure , 1 1/2 peat. That will be enough to make 4 SWC's. Next get a pack of matches and about an ounce of crushed egg shells. Take the matches out the cover cut them in half. With everything put together. The cup in the bottom, add the mix. Oh, one thing about the mix, make sure the no large pieces in it. You want a mix with no pieces longer than an 1/16". Fill thebucket about 2 inches above the cup. Press the mix into the cup Then level it out again. Take the pieces of match and spread the matches apart, place them at opposite points in the bucket. Fill another 2". The egg shell crushed to powder then mix with a couple of hand fills of mix and spread out over that. Fill all the way. To keep weeds down cut out holes from the lid to place the plants in. I don't have any melon pictures because the doggie broke those vines. But hope a pumpkin will do.

    {{gwi:56414}}

    {{gwi:51746}}

    {{gwi:51745}}

    That one bucket grew 5 pumpkins this size from june till October.

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