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Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 12:45
| First time growing watermelons & I'm confused about how they grow. Some growing guides say plant several seeds in a mound & give 4'x6' space. I have some terraces that run across the width of my yard that are approximately2.5-3' deep. Will they grow in a single long vine with melons along the way? Or do they branch out like crabgrass from the plant? And should I only let one grow from each site or allow both seedlings to mature? I'm going to plant a Sugar Baby which is compact, but would also like to try something fun like Orange Tendersweet or Orangeglo for the kids. Thanks! |
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| They branch out. And I'd say in a good year to twice the spread the seed packet says. I've grown sugar baby and it isn't too bad as far as spread but I have to say the melons are small and have so many seeds there wasn't much edible melon left. My kids did not like them even though the flavor was very good. But others may not mind a ton of seeds. |
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- Posted by farmerdill (My Page) on Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 16:13
| Concur: regular watermelons can cover a circle witha 10 ft radius. Average tho is about 8 feet. Bush varieties about 3 feet. The larger melons tend to have larger vines. In your case I would suggest icebox size melons like Bush Sugar Baby and ice box sized yellow fleshed varieties. |
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| Thank you for your responses. I read a site that suggested pruning the lateral vines would increase productivity along the main vine, so I was hoping I could grow essentially one long vine in a 3' deep terrace. I guess I'll stick with the compact varieties. Disappointed to hear of the poor taste/many seeds of the Sugar Baby. I thought that was a popular variety. |
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| The taste is ok, just the amount of seeds made it a pain to eat. We did Crimson Sweet ? last year in place of those and the vines didn't get too unruly. I placed a wire A-frame down the center. Those were better melons for us. Larger melons, more melons, and not a lot of seeds. I imagine with a little pruning you could grow a variety like that in a 3 foot deep terrace. |
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- Posted by albert_135 Sunset 2 or 3 (My Page) on Tue, Apr 22, 14 at 15:28
| I thought there would be a website somewhere with a table listing record lengths of vines. I cannot find any. |
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| dianega, can you post a pic or two of the terraces where you plan to grow the melons? Do they get full sun? I don't think you necessarily need to limit yourself to the compact varieties. It may require more intensive methods, but the vining types might work just fine in your situation. |
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