How to grow watermelon.
With the arrival of spring and warmer temperatures, it’s the perfect time to grow all the summer crops in our gardens.
Today in this article we are going to take a step-by-step look at how to grow watermelons in our gardens that can be bought in nurseries or even grown in winter.
To grow watermelon we need a warm climate to grow, as the plant is very sensitive to cold, so we will plant it in spring, when the high risk of frost will have passed. We will choose a sunny area of the garden.
And since we are creeping plants, we need enough space to grow it, at least 2 square meters to 4 meters per plant. Once the best site for soil preparation has been selected.
Watermelons have deep roots, so we should prepare the soil ideally deep until it is as loose as possible, they can be grown in any soil, although ideally with as little clay as possible, more importantly, good soil drainage systems are too susceptible to fungi. Infections
When to plant watermelon.
Watermelon seeds require a temperature of at least 15°C to germinate and grow in the ideal environment of 23-30°C. For this reason, watermelon seeds are usually planted in the spring, such as in April and May, when the danger of frost that would kill the seedlings has passed.
However, as long as you keep this temperature range and your local climate in mind, you can plant watermelon seeds earlier, weather permitting. However, as long as you keep this temperature range and your local climate in mind, you can plant watermelon seeds earlier, weather permitting.
Another option you can choose is to plant the seeds in a seedbed and cover them in a controlled environment, then transplant the watermelon outdoors when the temperature rises. With this method, you can advance the entire process by 2 to 3 months.
Grow watermelons gradually. Now we will walk you through step-by-step how to grow watermelon seeds or how to plant a watermelon:
- Prepare the ground:
If you want to grow watermelon directly outdoors, you’ll need to clean and weed the soil to aerate and soften it. Break up the large pieces and make it smooth and light so that it flows as much as possible.
Watermelon is a plant that needs good humidity, but at the same time it is susceptible to fungal infestations, so good drainage is essential for cultivation.
It’s also not very picky about soil nutrients, so there’s no need to add organic matter at this time.
- Broadcast distance:
This plant grows a lot, so a distance of about 2 meters should be allocated to each plant, either in the same row or between different rows.
- Dig the hole:
The seeds don’t have to be deep, but we enlarged the holes to prepare the bed with organic matter. The depth is about 10 cm.
- Add organic matter:
It is preferable to use vermicompost, a very complete and useful organic and ecological compost. Composting is also a good option if you don’t have it. Add to cover three-quarters of the hole.
- Sowing the watermelon seeds:
Leave the seeds on top of the layer of organic matter you just placed and cover with soil one last time.
- Mulching and irrigation of abundance:
With watermelons, it is advisable to be very careful with growing weeds, so covering the soil with mulch is a very interesting option to keep weeds at bay while raising the soil temperature. After that, the water was abundant, but there was no flooding.
- Final recommendations:
If your seedlings are growing and starting to grow and you see a cold snap, you can use a canteen or canteen or pitcher with cut soil and no lid as a makeshift greenhouse to protect them from the worst of the cold.
Basic Watermelon Care.
- Soil: Good drainage is required. The need for organic matter is not high.
- Watering: Frequent. The soil must be kept moist frequently or the fruit will burst. There are no puddles or wetting of plants.
- Climate: It requires temperatures above 20 ºC for its optimal development. It is very sensitive to frost, which can damage plants.
- Light: Plenty of sunlight is needed during germination. In the initial stage, if the seedlings do not receive enough light, they are likely to thaw, a particularly important detail when planting in nurseries for later transplanting.
We hope we’ve cleared up your doubts and helped you grow your favorite watermelon in your garden or pot.