Author Topic: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?  (Read 2241 times)

Julie

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Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« on: April 02, 2023, 10:30:38 AM »
Paul Nison posted a video awhile back about growing watermelon during the South FL summer.  He mentioned georgia rattlesnake as the variety in the comments.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  What month should I plant the seeds?  What varieties have you grown?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B66tq72O2Z8

1rainman

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2023, 07:59:14 AM »
Georgia rattlesnake is one of the best tasting but any watermelon will do great. The key is massive amounts of water. If you don't water them the plant will grow but the fruit will die or be small at best. They also grow well in low lying swampy areas which few plants grow in. You can flood the entire field for short periods of time. The largest watermelon farm in the united states is south Florida around arcadia. Also the heat doesn't bother them and they like sandy soil. Florida is ideal for watermelon though they grow just about anywhere.

Julie

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #2 on: April 05, 2023, 08:46:05 AM »
thank you, what month should I plant the seeds in?

Galatians522

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #3 on: April 05, 2023, 12:50:00 PM »
thank you, what month should I plant the seeds in?

February is the traditional month to plant watermelon in this part of the state. I'm not sure if that is because they are trying to hit the early market or if there are fewer diseases durring the dry season.

roblack

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2023, 09:16:40 PM »
GA rattlesnake seeds arrived, going to plant in next few days and see how it goes.

Julie

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2023, 09:00:19 AM »
GA rattlesnake seeds arrived, going to plant in next few days and see how it goes.

lol, same here!

roblack

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2023, 08:56:06 PM »
=)

Daintree

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2023, 09:09:38 AM »
Well, they ARE from Africa, after all. So you think they'd grow like weeds down in Florida.

Pan Dulce

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2023, 10:40:18 AM »
When I was at UF, getting my Hort Science undergrad, the most interesting watermelon research (to me) was grafting seedless watermelon cultivars to squash rootstocks. Grafting to Cucurbita maxima Duchesne × Cucurbita moschata Duchesne was studied as well as grafting to Cucurbita moschata. Both helped limit root and crown diseases. Research was done at a few of the big watermelon producers fields on west coast of Florida.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1257

roblack

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2023, 10:58:09 AM »
Soaked and sowed GA rattlesnakes. Plan on keeping 2 or 3 vines only, cull the rest. Going to plant some peanuts in there too (Thanks Dan!)

The area gets more sunshine than shown in pic, and can trim or take out a rogue papaya plant to add more light,.



roblack

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2023, 01:51:02 PM »
Planted seeds yesterday, and saw this Black Diamond plant(s) today at HD and decided to throw it in there. My 13 year old, for just a few moments, thought our seeds sprouted overnight. Priceless LOL


Galatians522

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2023, 04:01:13 PM »
Planted seeds yesterday, and saw this Black Diamond plant(s) today at HD and decided to throw it in there. My 13 year old, for just a few moments, thought our seeds sprouted overnight. Priceless LOL


It will be interesting to compare heat/mildew tollerence between the two varieties. Let us know how it goes.

Galatians522

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2023, 08:10:33 PM »
How are the summer watermelons going? Any fruits or flowers yet?

roblack

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #13 on: June 27, 2023, 05:31:42 PM »
Several vines with flowers, for a few weeks now, but still haven't noticed any mini melons. Gonna try hand pollinating.

Galatians522

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #14 on: June 27, 2023, 09:30:27 PM »
Several vines with flowers, for a few weeks now, but still haven't noticed any mini melons. Gonna try hand pollinating.

Have you noticed any difference in fungal resistance? Seems like that stuff waits to attack until little mellons start forming.

Swampsquash

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #15 on: June 28, 2023, 02:51:25 PM »
I grow a bunch in Sarasota and have the best luck planting in Feb or March.

Charleston Grey is a variety that's done well for me also.  Growing in the middle of summer wld probably require lots of fungicide in my experience

Greater Good

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2023, 01:39:28 PM »
Several vines with flowers, for a few weeks now, but still haven't noticed any mini melons. Gonna try hand pollinating.

Update? Wouldn't mind trying next year if you were successful

roblack

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2023, 03:08:59 PM »
Still no fruit. Plenty of flowers though. I chopped and pulled some to make room for peanut plants, but left a few good vines to see what happens.

fliptop

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #18 on: August 16, 2023, 07:59:04 PM »



I planted a bunch of seeds of different types throughout the yard, probably in May? This is the only melon I've encountered that should make it to maturity. I'm not sure what kind it is. The vine is still going wild and flowering. Hopefully we'll get more fruits. It's ripe when the stem turns brown?

Galatians522

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #19 on: August 16, 2023, 11:28:34 PM »



I planted a bunch of seeds of different types throughout the yard, probably in May? This is the only melon I've encountered that should make it to maturity. I'm not sure what kind it is. The vine is still going wild and flowering. Hopefully we'll get more fruits. It's ripe when the stem turns brown?

My Dad picked melons as a way to make money for school. This is what he told me. Check the bottom of the melon. If it is yellow like butter, check the tendril closest to the melon. If the melon is ripe it will be dried up and dead. By the way, its winter squash that the stem turns brown.

1rainman

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #20 on: August 17, 2023, 12:17:36 AM »
It required a massive amount of water to get melons and to keep them to maturity. It needs almost swamp like conditions, especially in sandy areas which is best. It has been a dry year. You need to water basically every day during hot summer. It is better to get them started before it gets too hot so they don't dry out. I have never seen disease problems just the struggle to get fruit. The plant itself will.grow wild on the side of the road though no fruit.

It needs to be in a ditch where water will collect and just water every day. Normally it rains like crazy in Florida in the summer so not too much of an issue but even in Florida have to keep them wet all the time.

Fertilizer needs are only minimum but some occasional fertilizer as well. It's one of the only things that will grow in Florida in the summer. Most garden plants don't do well in the summer in Florida.

1rainman

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #21 on: August 17, 2023, 12:26:05 AM »
My dad lived near a watermelon field and when it wasn't planted watermelon would grow wild and people would pick them. The fields are somewhat swampy which is typical Florida whereas normal plants would usually need raised up or better drained areas. Though it's so hot they get to dry out at times too. Literally it's possible to get fruit in Florida off them growing wild but it's not guaranteed watering it during days with no rain greatly increases your odds.

1rainman

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #22 on: August 17, 2023, 12:30:44 AM »
The other thing don't pull up all the grass around it. Let it grow into the grass and don't mow it. It helps shade the baby melons from getting dried up. You would think the grass would eat up it's nutrients but it does better with it as long as it's watered.

fliptop

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #23 on: August 17, 2023, 01:55:30 PM »
Thanks for the info, Galatians522 and 1rainman! Will update when the melon is picked and consumed.

I actually recently ate a seeded watermelon and planted the seeds--we shall see how they fare this time of year. We're at least finally getting rain . . .

fliptop

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Re: Growing watermelon in south FL summer?
« Reply #24 on: August 22, 2023, 05:55:32 AM »



Well, that didn't work.

Hmmmm . . .

I'm guessing drought then a lot of rain caused it to blow up like a balloon? Or did I leave it on too long?

It was full of air and the rind collapsed like a deflated kickball.

At least there's one more still on the vine.