Grow watermelon from seed in mid to late May for a delicious summertime crop. In this guide, the team at Burpee Europe explain how to grow the new Watermelon ‘Little Darling Hybrid’ successfully at home.
‘Little Darling Hybrid’ is a compact version of the Great American Watermelon. Growing on 3-4 metre full vining plants, this melon is a real sweetie. Follow these steps to grow watermelon from seed.
Grow watermelon indoors:
- Sow your watermelon seeds in pots in mid-to-late May. In order to do this, fill some pots with seed-starting formula and sow each seed at a depth of 1 inch.
- You should sow 2-3 seeds per pot.
- Keep the soil moist and warm, at a temperature of 21 – 22°C.
- The seedlings will emerge in 7-10 days. As soon as they emerge, provide plenty of light by placing the pots on a sunny windowsill.
- Watermelon seedlings do not need much fertiliser. Only start feeding them when they are 3-4 weeks old. Use a starter solution, which should be half the strength of complete indoor houseplant food, according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Grow watermelon on under cover:
- Move watermelons to the greenhouse or, if you don’t have a greenhouse, place them under a protective cloche in the garden for warmth. A minimum temperature of 16°C is recommended for growing on.
- Watermelon plants can be grown as cordons if net supports are used for the fruits as they develop. Alternatively, you can trim the leading shoots as they grow after two or three fruits have set on the plants.
- Keep watered at all times and, if the weather gets very sunny, shade indoor crops with netting.
- Once the plants are established you can remove netting. But if temperatures rise above 25°C in the summer, make sure to place the netting again.
To find out more about Burpee Europe, visit burpeeeurope.com.
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