Best not to judge by size, watermelons are pretty universal with few exceptions.

Refer to this thread to determine when watermelon is ripe...

Here is a link that might be useful: Blacktail Mountain Watermelon, ripe?

Yes there was just a big thread on when to predict the ripeness of them by the tendril. It is the one the pp posted. It was very helpful , as this is my first year growing watermelons. I cant wait for mine to get ripe....

Kristen

I have Sugar Babies right now, and there is one that looks ripe. It is about the size of a soft ball. Most watermelons have a spot that turns from white to yellow on the bottom where the melon sits on the ground. However, the melon that I am referring to has a bright yellow spot, and I think it is ready. I just want someone who seems to know what they are talking about to answer my inquiry. The overall color of the melon has changed to dark green. I am told that Sugar Babies do that when they are ripe, but the tendril does not look ready. What should I do? My plan is to wait a few more days. Is that a good plan?

my sugar baby watermelon is about the size of a softball and its yellow on the bottom but i don't know if i can pick it because the thred is not dried uo

I wouldn't pick it yet. I just read that sugar baby should be approximately 8" in diameter, but that size is not a good indicator. Mine are 8" now and I thought they were ready, so I picked one today. There were pink spots inside which were quite tasty, but the rest was still white :( I'm going to leave the others until the tendril turns brown and they no longer look shiny on the outside after reading the blacktail mountain posts from above!

Mine are about a foot in diameter and still not quite ready. (I think). The seed pack said "sugar baby", but they are getting pretty big.

What about if we count the day from seediing or transplanting?

Always go by the tendril and let it completely brown!

It is better to wait a bit longer.
Watermelon will not become spoiled by slightly becoming over ripen. Ripe Water melon can be kept for weeks in cold storage.
I think the tendril indicator is a good one.

I waited until the tendril turned completely brown, and the bottom is a buttery yellow color, the skin is a dark dull green, and when I cut it, it was still not ripe inside. There are pink area's and still a lot of white flesh. What am I doing wrong????

Concur: Sugar Baby is an exception to most rules for determining ripeness. The cowboys plan is a good one.

... and I'm finding AU Producer seems to have the same issue. The 7 to 10 delay seems to be working.

This post was edited by grandad on Thu, Aug 14, 14 at 7:43

I planted my first watermelon this year with three Sugar Baby transplants. Since it's my first year growing, I've been taking lots of notes and pictures. I documented the first melon on 6/15, about a month after planting and was the size of an almond. It grew surprisingly fast and stopped at 8 inches turning from a striped juvenile to a typical solid deep dark green.

Then I started watching the nearest tendril which turned completely brown at about 30 days, but the bottom stayed dark. It was sitting on a piece of wood since it was found and no sign of white or yellow bottom. I've read this thread and others that mention Sugar Babies are tricky. Lots of videos on YouTube of people cutting into their first Sugar Baby, some darn right funny. Especially when they aren't even red, or they look good and they taste them and you can tell they are trying very hard to like it.

I was dying to try one, and decided to sacrifice my first born at 41 days on 7/26 despite his dark bottom. Needless to say he was a tasty, crispy little boy with surprisingly very few seeds.

... and he was 8 pounds!