Watermelon
An African plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, like melons, pumpkins and squash, watermelon thrives in sunny regions. There are several varieties, including the yellow "Petite Yellow", the orangeglo with orange flesh, the seedless Crimson, and the best known, the "Sugar Baby", with its sweet, bright red pulp.
Watermelon is a refreshing fruit that is a great addition to summer salads. Its juice is commonly used for fruity gazpachos or sorbets. An original option is to make watermelon jam. In the sowing schedule, the watermelon seed grows easily in a bucket under greenhouse in early spring. The seedling will be transplanted to the garden in the open ground in May. A summer fruit, watermelon needs sun and nutrient rich soil to grow well. The largest fruits can reach ten kilos.
Moist soil promotes rapid growth of watermelon. The soil, mixed with sand, should be well drained. Watermelon plants need to be watered very regularly, especially during the summer period, taking care not to wet the leaves. Fruits can start to be harvested one month after the flowers appear. A ripe watermelon sounds hollow. This is the signal that it is ready to be eaten.
Watermelon
- Type : Fruit trees
- Botanical family : Cucurbits
Characteristics
- Exposure : Sun
- Hardiness : Not frost resistant
- Easy to grow, but requires regular maintenance (difficulty : 2/3)
Sowing & planting
- Sowing depth : 1 cm
- Plant spacing : 120 cm
- Row spacing : 120 cm
- Emergence temperature : 20 °C