Your watermelon preference --seeded or seedless?

[pineislander]

We grew a whole field one time and had some real fun sampling them out till they were just perfect to sell. Just like picking mangos when you deal with a whole field and work up your knowledge of the varietys sound and sight you can get them twice as good as usual. Commercial fields are usually picked much less carefully.

[fruitlovers]

I've yet to eat a really good seedless watermelon. Although i have to say that most of the seeded ones, though better, are not top of the line either. But i'm kind of a watermelon snob because i used to grow watermelons commercially. Unfortunately the watermelons that have taken over the main markets tend to be the worst of the lot, and are only favored because they have thick rinds that transport well without cracking. The situation is similar to Tommy Atkins becoming most popular commercial mango grown. To eat really excellent watermelons you have to go to an area where they are locally grown and eat ones that are not selected for international trade.

whats your top few favorite varieties?

By the way, Im surprised people are debating the merits of seesless vs seeded etc from walmart or costco on a fruit forum.  Of course they are no good.  You need to grow your own for good ones.

I haven't grown watermelons for local market in more than 30 years. But when i was growing them my all time favorite for best flavor were: Orangeglow, Moon and Stars, Black Diamond (which is basically Moon and Stars without the variagation), and Crimson Sweet.

[spaugh]

thanks Oscar.  Im growing a bunch of orangeglos and planted a few moon and stars for the first time this year.  Orangeglo is the king.

[fruitlovers]

I've yet to eat a really good seedless watermelon. Although i have to say that most of the seeded ones, though better, are not top of the line either. But i'm kind of a watermelon snob because i used to grow watermelons commercially. Unfortunately the watermelons that have taken over the main markets tend to be the worst of the lot, and are only favored because they have thick rinds that transport well without cracking. The situation is similar to Tommy Atkins becoming most popular commercial mango grown. To eat really excellent watermelons you have to go to an area where they are locally grown and eat ones that are not selected for international trade.

whats your top few favorite varieties?

By the way, Im surprised people are debating the merits of seesless vs seeded etc from walmart or costco on a fruit forum.  Of course they are no good.  You need to grow your own for good ones.

Yes you are right. It's pretty sad that fruit enthusiasts go to Walmart and Costco to attempt to get good quality fruits of any kind. The days when you could drive to a family run farm's watermelon fruit stand are mostly gone for a majority of the population. Still there are a few family farms that deliver to weekend farmer's markets if you make the extra effort to go to those.

[spaugh]

i put in some new avocado trees last year and top worked them this spring.  Then popped water melon plants nearby to leverage the irrigation while the trees are small.  It works well and the melons can be rotated around the orchard this way so the fungus from prior melon grows doesnt infect the new plants.  Ive got about 20 of these like this on 18ft spacing.  The hillside will be full of melons soon!

[fruitlovers]

i put in some new avocado trees last year and top worked them this spring.  Then popped water melon plants nearby to leverage the irrigation while the trees are small.  It works well and the melons can be rotated around the orchard this way so the fungus from prior melon grows doesnt infect the new plants.  Ive got about 20 of these like this on 18ft spacing.  The hillside will be full of melons soon!

Good to use otherwise wasted space with a fast crop like melons. All this discussion is reminding me how much fun it was to grow watermelons! Nothing like a big field of watermelons. When the weather was very hot and the melons getting ripe they would sometimes explode open. Then i would go, reach in and just eat out the heart (the filet mignon of the watermelon) so it wouldn't go to waste, since i couldn't market damaged watermelons.

[sapote]

thanks Oscar.  Im growing a bunch of orangeglos and planted a few moon and stars for the first time this year.  Orangeglo is the king.

How do yo avoid powder mildew? Many years ago I grew couple vines and they were so good, but then no more luck after that due to very bad PM problem.

[spaugh]

i dont get PM on the watermwlons but theres some other wilt that can hit them and they just die right away if it happens.  Thats why you need to move them around each year. 

sorry it doesnt help you with PM.  Usually less water on stuff helps reduce PM.  my place it super dry during summer so no mildew.

[Epicatt2]

Partly OT . . . .

Why not try growing watermelons on a sturdy trellis?  That would keep the vines and developing fruit off the ground and mostly isolate the vines from soil-borne pathogens.  The vines have tendrils for climbing after all, so why not give them the chance to climb?

I once saw watermelons growing hanging from an orange tree in a garden in rural Guatemala.  It was kinda startling to see three or four big melons hanging from that orange tree.  But in a small scale garden the fruit could be protected from falling to the ground by a cradle/net 'til ready to harvest.

And anyway, having seen that arrangement in Guatemala gave me the sense that that is part of the melon's natural strategy for distributing its seeds...  Once the fruit is ripe and falls to the ground it breaks open and the interior invites being eaten along with the seeds which are then later distributed in the droppings of the creatures that ate the fallen fruit.

This could be tried with any tendrilled melon.  (Or maybe someone on here is growing melons this way already.)

Paul M.
==

[fruitlovers]

Partly OT . . . .

Why not try growing watermelons on a sturdy trellis?  That would keep the vines and developing fruit off the ground and mostly isolate the vines from soil-borne pathogens.  The vines have tendrils for climbing after all, so why not give them the chance to climb?

I once saw watermelons growing hanging from an orange tree in a garden in rural Guatemala.  It was kinda startling to see three or four big melons hanging from that orange tree.  But in a small scale garden the fruit could be protected from falling to the ground by a cradle/net 'til ready to harvest.

And anyway, having seen that arrangement in Guatemala gave me the sense that that is part of the melon's natural strategy for distributing its seeds...  Once the fruit is ripe and falls to the ground it breaks open and the interior invites being eaten along with the seeds which are then later distributed in the droppings of the creatures that ate the fallen fruit.

This could be tried with any tendrilled melon.  (Or maybe someone on here is growing melons this way already.)

Paul M.
==

Trellis would work ok for mini watermelons. Unless it's a very heftly trellis it's not going to hold a bunch of 50 pounders.

[fruitlovers]

thanks Oscar.  Im growing a bunch of orangeglos and planted a few moon and stars for the first time this year.  Orangeglo is the king.

How do yo avoid powder mildew? Many years ago I grew couple vines and they were so good, but then no more luck after that due to very bad PM problem.

Use a drip system. Don't overhead water.

[fruitlovers]

thanks Oscar.  Im growing a bunch of orangeglos and planted a few moon and stars for the first time this year.  Orangeglo is the king.

Orangeglo had an amazing taste. When juiced the color was same as orange juice. The only drawback of this watermelon is very thin rind. So it cracks open easily during long transport. But more to eat inside. For backyards, and even for local markets it is really excellent.

[johnb51]

I've yet to eat a really good seedless watermelon. Although i have to say that most of the seeded ones, though better, are not top of the line either. But i'm kind of a watermelon snob because i used to grow watermelons commercially. Unfortunately the watermelons that have taken over the main markets tend to be the worst of the lot, and are only favored because they have thick rinds that transport well without cracking. The situation is similar to Tommy Atkins becoming most popular commercial mango grown. To eat really excellent watermelons you have to go to an area where they are locally grown and eat ones that are not selected for international trade.

whats your top few favorite varieties?

By the way, Im surprised people are debating the merits of seesless vs seeded etc from walmart or costco on a fruit forum.  Of course they are no good.  You need to grow your own for good ones.

Yes you are right. It's pretty sad that fruit enthusiasts go to Walmart and Costco to attempt to get good quality fruits of any kind. The days when you could drive to a family run farm's watermelon fruit stand are mostly gone for a majority of the population. Still there are a few family farms that deliver to weekend farmer's markets if you make the extra effort to go to those.

It's impossible to find good sources in South Florida since nothing grows here in the summer except mangos!

[spaugh]

Oscar what kind of fertilizers are best for watermelon? 

[johnb51]

Would you consider eating lots of watermelon a good way to stay hydrated in the summer?  It has nutrients.  I wouldn't think the sugar content would be harmful--not like drinking Coke!

[fruitlovers]

Would you consider eating lots of watermelon a good way to stay hydrated in the summer?  It has nutrients.  I wouldn't think the sugar content would be harmful--not like drinking Coke!

Perfect way to stay hydrated. And watermelons not only have nutrients, but have an incredible array of balanced nutrients.

[fruitlovers]

Oscar what kind of fertilizers are best for watermelon?

I was trying to sell my watermelons as organically grown and used only chicken manure and seaweed. There was an agar processing plant close by, and they would come to my fields and dump huge truckloads of the seaweed byproduct wastes. The watermelons really thrived on that. My biggest problem were diseases, like wilt and powdery mildew. But i think there might be varieties developed that are more resistant to these by now?

[Galatians522]

thanks Oscar.  Im growing a bunch of orangeglos and planted a few moon and stars for the first time this year.  Orangeglo is the king.

How do yo avoid powder mildew? Many years ago I grew couple vines and they were so good, but then no more luck after that due to very bad PM problem.

We have a lot of mildew issues here in Florida. I spoke with a local watermelon grower (not organic) and he told me to grow Crimson Sweet (which is naturally more resistant to disease I think) and spray with Manzate.

[zands]

Seeded bought at Walmart was/is $5.98 for both below

Seeded watermelons
Last week on Friday the weight was 17lbs
Saturday, bought today. Weight is 26lbs

[puglvr1]

For what it's worth 

https://www.thekitchn.com/do-seeded-watermelons-have-more-flavor-233765

[johnb51]

Damn, you guys were right!  Seeded is better.  Much better, finer texture.  I picked up a monster at Sprouts yesterday for $6.99.  It must weigh 30 lbs.