This year I’m really excited about our watermelons. I picked out the ‘Moon and Stars’ variety which not only is reported to be an excellent tasting variety but looks really neat too. ‘Moon and Stars’ are an heirloom variety that acquire a mottled coloring on the rind surfaces that resemble the night time sky! The nighttime sky also appears on its foliage which is great because I forgot where I planted my cantaloupe and watermelons. Once the foliage appeared on my watermelons I knew the answer. ‘Moon and Stars’ watermelon are somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 pounds.
Watermelons need full sun and plenty of water to produce well. I planted these seeds directly in the ground in mounds rather than in our raised beds. Watermelons tend to stretch out a bit so I wanted to give it room to roam. Our watermelon crop last year was a sad little crop and I’m aiming much larger this year. Very soon I’ll get my irrigation setup in the garden and be ready to go, or grow as the case may be!
Moon and Stars Watermelon Description
Moon and Stars Watermelon will produce fruit in about 100 days from transplanting, or germination if direct sowed. Moon and Stars Watermelons can reach up to 40lbs in the right conditions and produce a fruit covered with markings that resemble moons and stars in the night sky. The juicy rose colored flesh is very sweet. It’s a classic heirloom variety!
Tips for Growing Watermelon
Sowing Watermelon Seeds
Watermelons are best planted from seed. You can buy transplants but they are fast growing and a pack of seeds is about the same price as a single plant. Plant watermelon seeds in small mounds with 3 to 4 seeds in each.
Watermelon plants will spread out quite a bit so allow a lot of space. You can plant watermelon about 2 ft apart from each other but allow 5 feet of space for the spread of the vines.
Good Companion Plants for Watermelon
Beans, Corn, radishes, marigolds, nasturtiums, oregano, garlic, chives, onions (alliums)
Common Watermelon Pest Insects
Aphids, Thrips, Flea Beetles, Spider Mites, Cabbage Loopers, Armyworms, Grasshoppers, Leafminers, Cucumber Beetles.
How to Fertilize Watermelon Plants
After planting (or germination) a nitrogen based organic fertilizer can be applied to encourage leaf growth. Then convert a when flowers begin to form into an organic fertilizer that is either more balanced or has higher phosphorus and potassium numbers.
When to Harvest Watermelon?
Thump the watermelon to see if it has a hollow sound and watch for the tendrils to turn brown. This will be about 75 to 80 days after transplanting in the garden. This can be different depending on the variety of watermelon so check your seed packet for more accurate information.
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Dave
I am so happy to hear someone say they forgot where they planted something! Every spring when things start to pop up in my garden I find something I can’t identify! Is that a weed or did I plant it? I used to keep track of everything before life got so crazy. Hope your watermelon does better this year. I’ve been trying for sugar babies but haven’t found the right spot yet.
I didn’t realize that the foliage mimicked the rind. We did watermelons a couple of times… Texas was the best climate for us to grow them (not Virginia).
I’ve never heard of this kind. Will be interesting to see the end results. Keep us posted.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a watermelon plant. I’d love to be able to grow it here, but since I can’t it’ll be fun to see how many and how big yours get.
Why didnt I think of planting watermelon in my soggy veggie garden? Still time to plant I reckon…
Just let us know when the watermelon eating party is and we will be there. I think that watermelon might be my favorite fruit…interesting about the leaves and rind….gail
I follow your blog daily. I recently bought 2 vegetable plants from nursery & no clue on what it is…the nursery folks were not sure of it either. But still I got home this mystery plant. Can you identify it?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kartoos/3589082765/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kartoos/3589889952/in/photostream/
Cherie,
I tend to forget those little things sometimes! With plants it’s not problem but when they are from seed and all you look at for several days is dirt then it’s easy to forget!
Janet,
Hopefully Tennessee will be suitable this year. The rains seem to be much more forgiving this year!
Lola,
Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to comment on how delicious they will be, assuming we get some watermelon of course!
Catherine,
We’re very lucky here in the Mid-south to be able to grow almost anything in the vegetable garden. I take it for granted sometimes and forget that not everyone can enjoy what we can.
Skeeter,
You’ve got lots of time! Better go plant a couple seeds so you can get some watermelon this summer.
Gail,
I’ll be sure to let you know! I’m looking forward to that day!
Anonymous,
I suspect that it is a type of bean, maybe a kidney bean but I can’t be entirely sure as to what type. The leaves look very beany. It seems if the nursery can’t identify it then maybe they should have given you a discount!
Thanks for identifying the plant.You are right, it is bean.I googled a bit & found that it looks very similar to Royal Purple Bush Bean. I didn't know that we can ask for a discount if the plant can't identified. Anyhow, I paid only 25 cents for 3 plants
I do hope your watermelons do well for you, such a great fruit. I, of course, FORGOT to plant ours…sigh
Can't wait to see your crop of melons Dave. 🙂