Crops & Breeds › Vegetable Garden
🍉 Watermelons
Vegetable Garden · growing reference
| Days to maturity | 75 days – 90 days, by type |
|---|---|
| Germination | 6 days |
| Direct sowing | +5 days vs transplants |
| Spacing | 36″ in the row × 84″ between rows |
| Planted as | seed |
| Water | ~1–2 in a week |
When to plant
In USDA zone 6, for example: Plant around Apr 29, once the soil has warmed — sown into cold ground it just sits.
| Spring | |
|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May 29 |
| Zone 4 | May 21 |
| Zone 5 | May 10 |
| Zone 6 | Apr 29 |
| Zone 7 | Apr 15 |
| Zone 8 | Mar 29 |
| Zone 9 | Mar 6 |
Dates are the typical window for each zone's average frost dates — your own last frost can differ by a couple of weeks. Zone 10 and warmer is effectively frost-free: plant to the season, not the frost. Southern Hemisphere: shift six months.
Watermelon Types
- Icebox · 75 days · 10–25 lbs/plant — Fridge-size rounds (Sugar Baby) — the short-season and small-garden pick.
- Seedless · 85 days · 15–30 lbs/plant — Triploid — start warm in pots, and plant a seeded partner nearby for pollen.
- Picnic · 90 days · 20–45 lbs/plant — The big oblong classics (Crimson Sweet, Jubilee) — the long warm haul.
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