How To Plant Watermelon

Learn how to plant watermelon to grow your own delicious fruits in your backyard garden. Watermelon is a juicy fruit that can't be beat on a hot summer day. There are several varieties of watermelon to choose from including seeded and seedless. Watermelon plants are relatively easy to grow and harvest. Since they are mostly water, watermelons, like all melons, need water when the soil gets dry. A good layer of bedding added under the plants helps keep the watermelons off the ground and keeps them from rotting.

To grow watermelon, you will need:

• Watermelon seeds
• Garden space for watermelon vines to spread out
• Fertilizer
• Bedding material like straw
• Water

1. Choose good quality watermelon seeds. Buy watermelon seeds that are of good quality. Decide on the variety of watermelon you want and select those seeds.
2. Prepare the soil. Make sure you have a large enough garden space for the watermelon vines to spread out and grow. Add fertilizer to the soil by turning the soil with a shovel or tiller. Add fertilizer, such as compost, manure, or worm castings to the soil.
3. Plant the seeds. Plant the watermelon seeds in mounds spaced about two or three feet apart.
4. Water the watermelons. Be sure to water often, at least daily at first, and as needed when the soil appears dry.
5. Add bedding. Before the fruit begins to appear, add a mulch or bedding such as straw so the watermelons rest on it instead of directly on the ground. This will keep the watermelons from rotting on the bottom where they touch the ground.