Permapotes

Watermelon

Watermelon: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is an annual member of the Cucurbitaceae family, alongside squash and melon. It produces a large fleshy fruit valued for its juicy, refreshing flesh. Despite similar culinary uses, it is a different species from melon, Cucumis melo. Their relationship within the same family comes with differences in the appearance of both plants and fruits.

The plant develops long trailing stems with tendrils and lobed leaves. Fine hairs on the leaves and stems give the vegetation a fairly rough texture. Its spreading habit contrasts with the volume of the fruits, which develop close to the ground. The vigour and extent of the stems depend on the variety and the plant’s development. Selections with small fruits do not necessarily have tiny plants to match them.

The flowers are yellow, with male and female flowers on the same plant. Female flowers have an ovary at the base that can become a fruit following pollination. Visiting insects play a role in this process. The presence of many flowers consequently does not mean that every flower will produce a watermelon or that all fruits will reach exactly the same size.

The fruit is a specialised berry of the Cucurbitaceae, known as a pepo, with a tough rind and flesh containing abundant water. It can be round or oval, with plain, mottled or striped green skin depending on the selection. Flesh may be red, pink, yellow or orange according to the variety. External colouring alone does not reveal flesh colour or flavour.

Sugar Baby is among varieties with red flesh. Seeded watermelons and selections described as seedless are both available. Seedless fruit may contain small, soft white structures, different from the mature hard seeds of conventional types. Variety choice also concerns fruit size and earliness. A name or colour does not guarantee the same production in every climate, since plant development remains influenced by its surroundings.

In the kitchen, the flesh is enjoyed fresh in pieces or fruit salads. It also complements savoury ingredients in certain salads and is used for sorbets and juices. In a garden, watermelon is a warm season crop whose appeal combines trailing growth, flowering and fruit diversity. Sweetness and texture help explain its place in summer dishes.

Watermelon
Watermelon
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 30 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Recommended
  • Sowing Depth : 1.5 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 80 cm
  • Row Spacing : 120 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing