Your comments and tips

02 Mar 20, Another gardener (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

My first time growing them this time of year. Mine are just starting to send runners out and I feel I maybe a bit late. The farmers around here (Bundy) planted out seedlings about a month - 6 weeks ago. You could try, depends on what the late Autumn early Winter is like, warm or cool.

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24 Feb 20, Juliet (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Can it get too hot for watermelon plant to survive Tauranga NZ, weather gowing over concrete pavers and river stones ?

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25 Feb 20, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Growing them over concrete or river stone could do damage to the vines if it is very hot.

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14 Jan 20, Dale gibson (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Hi there ,I planted my watermelon seed in early November and surprisingly they germinated within 2 to 3 weeks ,..6 weeks on an the growth is very slow...it is mid January 2020 I live tolaga bay east coast nz ...weather climate is warm and hopefully will continue threw to march ...have I left it to late.. let me no. regards

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15 Jan 20, Another gardener (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I'm sub-tropical Qld - they plant seedlings here late august and pick the melons up until Xmas. Planting later leaves you wide open to heavy rain, hot weather. A lot of rain when the melons are fully developed and they can/will split. Water melon seeds I threw in the garden in Oct germinated within 2-3 weeks. Here you can grow a spring and autumn crop. I would suggest you planted too late. If not growing I don't think the soil is very fertile.

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16 Nov 19, Anne Hay (Australia - temperate climate)

What sort of of soil should be used for growing watermelon. Should they be grown in the sun or shade and what do you feed them please.

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18 Nov 19, Another gardener (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Any reasonable soil just not heavy clay soil. In the sun and any general vegie fert. If you prepare your soil well before planting by adding compost, manures, organic fert, inorganic fert, then that is enough to grow the crop. I have never used any of these soil enhancing products. If you grow pretty good crops without them why waste money putting all that stuff on.

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04 Nov 19, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

What fertiliser do you use and where do you put it. Also how often do you water?

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05 Nov 19, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

It is best to prepare your soil and add the fertiliser (compost, manures, in-organic fert , organic fert) when preparing it unless you want to use these soil enhancers that have very little NPK.

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05 Nov 19, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Most veges just need an all round fertiliser. Leafy veges a bit more N, fruity/root veges a bit more P/ K. Read up about what N P K does in the soil. that will determine what you put on. But it is impossible to go and buy 20 different fertilisers for 20 different plants. I buy the same fertiliser to fertilise all my vegetable, lawn and shrubs. Also look at crop rotation. A leafy crop will take the N out, so you might plant a root crop after. When plants are very small they need a light watering each day, as they grow you can water less often but put more water on. Plants half grown need watering each 2-3 days. The amount depends on how big that plant grows. You would water lettuce a lot less than 1.8m high tomatoes. I water 3 days a week.

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