Tips and tricks to plant watermelon

Can you plant watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) in Germany? This question can be answered with a yes! There are several varieties of watermelon, some have the well-known reddish pulp (such as Bush Sugar Baby), others are yellow flesh (like the Anguria Janosik). How the cultivation succeeds, you will learn in the next sections.

Multiply watermelon

Before you can plant a watermelon, you either need a purchased seedling or you pull it yourself: From the beginning of March to April you give each a seed in a seed pot, about 1 cm deep. For germination, a warm place is needed, but you can best leave the pots on the windowsill, alternatively in a mini-greenhouse. After five to ten days, you should be able to see first seedlings.

So you can plant watermelon

The pumpkin plant is sensitive to cold! A warm, sunny location? like sheltered from the wind? is ideal. In addition, ensure a sandy, humus-rich soil, enrich the soil with compost. Give the young plant out in late May / early June. You can plant them in the greenhouse in April. When planting, keep enough distance, about one to two square meters per plant!

Plant and maintain watermelon

Melon plants need a lot of water, so they should be watered regularly, preferably in the morning. Make sure, however, that no waterlogging occurs and that the water is not too cold. Since the melon is sensitive to cold, it can reduce the quality of the fruit. Make the watermelon about every two weeks.

Tip: Place a wooden board or similar under the fruit, so that it does not lie in the wet soil and does not form any foul spots.

Plant watermelon: the harvest

When are watermelons ripe? From the end of August until September, the watermelons are ripe. First, you can test over tapping, if the watermelon is already ripe. If it sounds dull and hollow, you can reap it. On the other hand, the fruit trough on the stem also gives an indication of the ripeness, if it has dried, you can harvest the melon. The underside of the melon should be yellowish in color.

Recipes with watermelon

After the harvest, you can clean the watermelon or combine it delicious! Here are some delicious recipe ideas:

Farfalle with melon and ham
Vegetable salad with melon
Potato salad with melon
Pork skewers with watermelon (perfect for the grill!)

You love to be outside in the garden or on the balcony and your home is a real Urban Jungle? Here you can get tips on succulent care, how to build a mini greenhouse yourself and why old vegetables are back in fashion. And maybe the Kokedama trend will conquer your home soon ?!

On our theme page Landscaping you will find more helpful guides as well as tips and tricks for growing fruit, vegetables and ornamental plants.

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