What does it take to grow watermelons in Lower NY state ?

[Al Dykes]

What kind of conditions do watermelons like and how long do they take to grow from seed ?

[Dwayne]

It depends on what kind of watermelons you want to plant. Sugar babies take a lot less time to grow than Black Diamond.

You don't say where you are. Most seed packs tell you how many days to germination, and all need the right temps to germinate.

You might try sometime, planting them inside about a month before you can transplant them outside. You don't want to wait any longer, because they have a "tap root". If you leave them inside too long, the "tap root" curls around inside the planting pot, and I feel it will cause you to get the wrong signals for when the time is right for picking the melon. I have waited longer and had to water them all summer every second or third day or they will die. Then when the tendril closest to the melon and its leaf dried up I picked the melon. It wasn't ripe enough. I believe that the reason they dried out too soon, was the fact that the "tap root" wasn't given the opportunity to grown down and provide its own water.

Hope this helps. Dwayne

[Hillary Israeli]

*You don't say where you are. Most seed packs tell you how many days to

"Lower NY state" is what he said, actually.

[FarmerDill]

Watermelons like light sandy soil and heat. They will certainly in eastern New York along the coast. It is easier to grow the short season "icebox" types than the main season melons. Look at

. This is a Maine based company which caters to northern gardeners. I f they sell it it will probably grow in your are. Easiets and earliest that I have tried is the New Hampshire Midget. A small 2- 5 lb melon. Not a lot of taste but pretty indestructable. Seeds are getting hard to find.

[nswong]

Hi Dwayne,

root" curls

When transplant, I do remove all the curls root show on the surface of potting soil that due to pot bound. This work well.

Regards, Wong

-- Latitude: 06.10N Longitude: 102.17E Altitude: 5m

[Dwayne]

When it came up on my couputer, it didnt include the lower New York. After I placed the curser on that line and left if for a few seconds, it appeared.

Dwayne