Over at least 5,000 year , the Citrullus vulgaris has transformed from a bitter fruit with arduous , pallid - green flesh into the omnipresent picnic - mesa companion .
Originating from Northeast Africa , Citrullus vulgaris paintingscan be seen on various Egyptian tombs . One illustration shows an oblong Citrullus vulgaris , which is different than the furious type ( Citrullus lanatus var . Colocynthoides ) . This signal the ancient Egyptians were selective breeding them .
Initially , people ate the seed and throw away the flesh . Acting as a natural canteen , they could store them for weeks to months , unlike other fruit , and extract the H2O .
Deceased Pharaoh of Egypt had watermelons placed in their tombs to help them temper their hunger on the long journey to the afterlife . Eventually , farmers would start work watermelons for taste in addition to the ability to bring through water system .
By A.D. 300 , watermelon vine were sweet enough to make it on the dessert menu . The gene for the sugar subject is paired with the red color in watermelon . Around this time , the melon vine ’s semblance deepen from yellow to the colors we recognize today .
Get Growin’
A few years ago , I was running out of way in my raised - bed vegetable garden for place hogs , such as watermelons and squashes . So I took to my front yard .
In the sum of my grass lawn , I create a miniature hill of compost . I implant a half XII watermelon seeds and thinned them to three industrial plant . The vines rambled all over my sloping yard . It was beautiful .
If you have a very forgetful warm turn season , start with small transplants . Watermelons ask at least 80 years of tender weather with the soil at 70 arcdegree Fahrenheit or warmer .
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you’re able to start seed indoors or in a greenhouse only two to three hebdomad before planting , as larger plants do n’t transplant well . If you are seed directly into the ground , sow seeds 1 inch deep and keep the soil moist until germination . Plants should be 3 to 5 animal foot apart .
take a Citrullus vulgaris you may grow in a container ? mark off out the lolly potty !
Watering Watermelon
Watermelon plant need water to prosper . gratefully , they have deep taproots and watering is seldom necessary unless you receive drouth conditions .
The Desert King heirloom miscellany has been breed to palm the heat and arid conditions of Arkansas . Seeds and seedling need quite a bit of water to get it part . vine are most vulnerable to drouth during planting to fruit .
mulch around the vines will help economise water . Using dribble irrigation or soaker house will prevent the leafage from getting wet and will help prevent fungous diseases . As the Citrullus vulgaris start to mature , withholding tax water will increase their smell .
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Watermelons and their kin are susceptible to cucumber vine mallet and vine borers . Applying an insect powder in Tampa , Florida , where I populate , is command if I am going to glean any yield . After the melon have reached 4 inches in diameter , set them on cardboard or a layer of stubble to protect them from pests.tchara/Shutterstock
Water You Waiting For?
Although almost 300 sort of watermelon are grown in the U.S. and Mexico , only about 50 are democratic with farm stand and supermarket . To diversity your garden , add these heirloom to your springiness planting .
Ali Baba
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds develop these source from Aziz Nael , an Iraqi who collect this variety more than 12 old age ago in his homeland . They are resistant to sun - bite due to their light color . The plant life produces heavy yields of oblong yield . sizing at harvest : 12 to 30 pounds
Art Combe’s Ancient
Art Combe , a Southwestern plant expert , found seminal fluid in an forsake sandstone cave in Arizona in the early 1920s . After decades of selective breeding for flavor and size , this aboriginal American diverseness is now available for everyone to enjoy . 20 pounds
Beni Kodama
This miniature melon vine is one of the earliest maturing melon vine and is sodding for light seasons . 2 to 3 Cypriot pound
Blacktail Mountain
Developed by Glenn Drowns , proprietor of the Sand Hill Preservation Center in Iowa , this melon vine produces a sweet , red chassis . 8 to 12 Irish punt
Read 6 tips for growing the most luscious watermelons ever !
Desert King
This watermelon vine is one of the most drought - patient of variety . It produces a yellow green rind and yellow-bellied flesh , and it has the ability to stack away for long periods of time , ready it very popularin the watermelon vine - growing areas of Arkansas.20 pounds
Georgia Rattlesnake
date back to the1830s , this striped melon has a perfumed - tasting , light - bleached flesh . It also ships well . 25 to 30 pounds
Kaho
This heirloom was institute to Japan from China in 1912 . Fruits are oblong with a thin rind and orange flesh . 2 to 4 pounds
Moon and Stars Yellow Flesh
In gain to the fruit ’s beautiful rule , the parting are also speckled in yellow . Spots can range from tiny to several inch across . 40 pounds
Orangeglo
Deep - orangeness pulp that has an almost tropic flavour , it ’s resistant to wilt and insects . 20 to 25 pounds
Otome
This Japanese smorgasbord is ideal for shortgrowing seasons . fruit have light green peel and salmon - roseate form , which is supersweet . 3 to 4 Sudanese pound
Royal Golden
When good , the rind turns amber . 8 to 25 pounds
Strawberry
amercement - grained strawberry colored flesh , with almost no seed , this super sweet fruit is moderately disease - resistant . 15 to 25 pounds
Sugar Baby Bush
vine only reach 3 1/2 infantry in length ! 6 to 12 lbf.
Recipes
Of course , there is nothing wrong about just eating your Citrullus vulgaris in piece . But there are other ways to enjoy this summertime staple . Try soup , sorbet , salsa , skewered or quick pickled!Kenny Coogan
Watermelon Soup
Gazpacho , a classic of Spanish culinary art , is a cold soup made of raw , blended vegetables . It ’s wonderful with watermelon .
Ingredients
Puree tomatoes , chile , onion plant , cucumber , dill and half of the watermelon . Mix in the red wine vinegar and Olea europaea oil color , and pulse . Puree until liquid . teem into chill stadium , and top with Anethum graveolens , feta and the remaining watermelon cube .
Kenny Coogan
Watermelon Sorbet
We all fuck that cold watermelon from the icebox is great . Try it frozen .
commingle all ingredient until politic . thrill in Deepfreeze overnight . warming for 10 minutes and do .
Watermelon Salsa
Forget tomato - based salsa ! For this formula , practice odoriferous Citrullus vulgaris from your summer garden .
commingle all constituent in a large bowl , and enjoy with chips .
Watermelon Skewers
This ca-ca a capital appetizer or company snack .
Gently toss ingredients together , and chill for 1 hour in icebox . Arrange on skewers .
Watermelon Rind Quick Pickles
Yep , you read that right : quick fix with watemelon rinds !
polish off most of the flesh from the rind . Peel and throw out the dismal skin from the rind . Bring factor to boil . lightly position the peeled rinds into the kettle of fish juice . Add in belittled batches so the rinds can be inundate .
Once it re-start boiling , churn for 3 mo . Place rinds in Mason jars . Fill jar with liquid . Once coolheaded , refrigerate for 3 days and relish .
Figuring out when a watermelon vine is ripe can be wily . Some Farmer say to watch the tendrils closest to the fruit . When they dry out up and brown , the cerebration was that the melon vine was quick . However , some of these heirloom and intercrossed tendril dry out up much sooner than optimum ripeness .
The best way to tell if your melons are ready is tocheck for the smear where the melon was sitting . If it turnsfrom white-hot to promising yellow , it ’s ready . The top rind will change from bright green to dull as it matures .
Sidebar: Seedless Wonders
Can you recall your middle school biological science class ? I do ! I instruct it every day .
Seedless Citrullus vulgaris are sterile loan-blend , just like a scuff . To get more scuff , you need more horse and donkeys . To get more seedless Citrullus vulgaris , you need to baffle male pollen that contains 22 chromosome per cell ( received amount ) with a female flower that has 44 chromosomes .
When you plant those seeds , the fruit will mature . But the inside wo n’t contain any viable black Citrullus vulgaris seeds , only small white seed coats , which are eatable .
To get a female flower to have double the number of chromosome of a distinctive watermelon , scientist regale them with colchicine . This chemical is gain from a crocus .
If you think seedless watermelons sample blander than those with seeds , it ’s your imagination . They have the same genes as their seeded siblings , and have three readiness instead of two .
This clause originally appeared in the March / April 2020 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
