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Cucurbits

Watermelon growing guide

Large spreading vine producing sweet, watery fruit. Needs a long, hot growing season. Thump the fruit — a hollow sound means it's ripe.

Photo reference

Use this real-world photo as the main plant reference, then compare it with the botanical drawings below for leaf, flower and harvest details.

Watermelon real-world photo reference (Citrullus lanatus)
Wikimedia Commons · Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
7-14 daysGermination
80-100 daysHarvest
120 cmSpacing
2 cmSow depth
FullSun
TenderFrost
2.5 cm/weekWater
6-7pH

Planting calendar by climate

Use these windows as a public guide. Plotera can personalise tasks around your saved garden, location and planting dates.

ClimateSowTransplant / PlantHarvest
TropicalJan - DecJan - DecJan - Dec
SubtropicalSep - DecSep - DecNov - Mar
MediterraneanOct - NovOct - NovDec - Feb
TemperateOct - NovNov - DecJan - Mar
CoolOct - NovNov - DecJan - Feb
AridSep - NovSep - NovNov - Feb

Botanical reference

Compare the whole plant first, then check the leaf, flower and harvest detail to identify what Watermelon should look like as it grows.

Watermelon whole plant

Whole plant

Overall shape, height, branching and growth habit.

Watermelon leaf detail

Leaf detail

Leaf shape, edges, colour and vein pattern.

Watermelon flower detail

Flower detail

Flower colour, structure and where blooms appear.

Watermelon harvest / detail

Harvest / detail

Fruit, root, seed, pod or the strongest identifying feature.

Cooking and eating ideas

A quick garden-to-table guide for using Watermelon after harvest.

Raw / fresh

Use cucumbers and tender young fruit raw in salads, pickles, snacks, and cold dishes where suitable.

Cooked

Grill, roast, saute, stuff, bake into fritters, simmer into curries, or cook mature squash and pumpkin.

Store / preserve

Pickle cucumbers, freeze cooked squash, cure storage pumpkins, or make relish and chutney.

Try: Pickles, Grilled slices, Pumpkin soup, Zucchini fritters.

Good companions

Corn, Sunflower, Nasturtium

Avoid near

Potato

Growing note

Reduce watering as fruit matures to concentrate sweetness.

Turn garden notes into a living plan.

Create a free account to save your garden layout, personal planting calendar, water and fertiliser schedules, seed inventory and harvest logs.

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