Growing Watermelon

Cucurbitaceae c. lanatus : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
            S S S S S S
T T             T T T T
P               P P P P

(Best months for growing Watermelon in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 21°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 60 - 75 cm apart
  • Harvest in 12-17 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweetcorn, Sunflowers
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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18 Nov 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Difference between red and yellow - yellow is sweeter and red has heaps of antioxidants - yellow has little or none. Melons are grown in the spring - in sub tropical and temperate you would be picking them now to mid Jan. You can also grow them late summer into autumn - don't taste as good I reckon. The skin can be used for pickling and relish. If you really need whatever is in the yellow you may need to source it from somewhere else as you would only have melons for a few months of the year. Read up about growing them.
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04 Apr 18, Sandy saunders (Australia - tropical climate)
Bought watermelon in bunbury recently will these plant still grow in bunbury climate
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14 Apr 18, (Canada - Zone 3b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I wanted to start greenhouse & I am following www.agricultureguruji.com blog for greenhouse please help me which crop suitable for me in greenhouse
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05 Apr 18, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Give it a go. Probably too late now. Plant next Sept/Oct.
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09 Mar 18, Justin .C (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted 2 watermelons in early summer & they produced 3 good sized fruits, 2 are still on the vine & now the vine is sending out lots of runners with numerous fruits which I have pollinated, it's now early Autumn. Will these fruits mature or does the vine die off once the cooler weather starts?
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11 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Let them grow they probably will produce fruit but probably not as good as the first 3. Yes the plants will die back some time.
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18 Feb 18, Lynn (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have tomatoes growing with a watermelon vine. The watermelon is doing well, but the tomatoes’ leaves are growing distorted. Does anyone know about interplanting these two crops? Should I pull the tomatoes out?
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20 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus went through southern Qld back in 2009 or so. It has probably spread far wider by now. The leaf is like your hand with the fingers still curled in. The leaf doesn't open out and grow. The plant becomes stunted. Caused by the silver winged fly. Look it up on the internet. It can be stopped with a soap spray. If no success pull it out and put in rubbish bin. It wiped out the tomato growing industry in Bundaberg.
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16 Feb 18, david harris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
had any one have black water melon seeds for sale -
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19 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Internet seed selling companies - Boondie is one. $1 for a few.
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Old dried out cow poo has probably lost a lot of it's nutrient value, leached out with gravity and rain etc. Any manures need to be made into a compost material asap to retain as much of the nutrient as possible. Or you dig it into your soil over 6-12 weeks and with air water and turning it, it breaks down into the soil. The greatest benefit of organic material put back into the soil is it makes the soil loose and friable, which means it then drains well.

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