Do you love the sweet, juicy taste of watermelon, but hate paying the sometimes exorbitant prices charged for watermelon at your local supermarket? If so, you may want to consider growing your own watermelon. As long as you can provide your growing watermelons with the proper conditions, you may be able to produce a crop of these luscious and satisfying summer fruit in just a few months. If you're interested in learning more about how to grow watermelon, read on, as this guide is designed to teach you how to do just that.

Watermelons are a summer fruit, and therefore cannot tolerate frost of any type, so be sure to plant watermelons in the late spring, when temperatures are at least 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syJhzkNWpwo Watermelon plants that are subjected to temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, even at night, will yield lower quality, inferior tasting fruit.http://home.howstuffworks.com/watermelon1.htm Because they are a large fruit and grow on long vines, watermelons need lots of room to grow, so ensure that you have a large plot that provides enough space for your watermelon plants to spread out.http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html Since, as their name implies, watermelons are 95% water, they also require a great deal of—you guessed it—water.http://www.ehow.com/how_1993_grow-watermelon.html However, they do not like to be waterlogged and can be susceptible to fungal diseases, mold and mildew, so they require bulky soil with good drainage. In order to produce healthy, high-quality watermelons, you will also have to provide them with plenty of nutrients by fertilizing them regularly.http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html

Watermelons, as you can see, are a relatively high-maintenance crop, and may not be the best choice for inexperienced or time-pressed gardeners.http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html However, if you have the space, and the time needed to provide them with proper care, the rewards of growing watermelons can be well worth the effort.

In order to grow watermelons, you will need a large area. You will want to space your watermelon plants three to twelve feet apart, depending on the variety that you are growing. You will also need a spot that gets at least six hours of sun per day and is sheltered from high winds. http://www.ehow.com/how_1993_grow-watermelon.html Unless you live in a very hot, dry climate, avoid planting watermelons in shaded areas.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syJhzkNWpwo Keep in mind that watermelon plants do not like to be transplanted, so selecting a good spot for planting the first time around is important.http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html

Once you have chosen the prime spot for watermelon growing, you'll want to prepare the soil so that conditions are optimal.

1. Using a hoe, rake, or tiller, work the soil thoroughly. Break up any large clumps of dirt and remove any rocks or other foreign matter that is in the growing area.http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Watermelons
2. Incorporate a generous amount of organic matter, such as compost, peat moss or manure into the soil so that the watermelons will have plenty of the nutrients they require. This also helps ensure that the soil is loamy, light, and drains well—just the way watermelons like it.http://www.ehow.com/how_1993_grow-watermelon.html

After properly preparing your watermelon plot, you are almost ready to start planting. However, before you get those seeds or seedlings in the ground, there is one more task you will have to perform—creating "mounds" for your watermelon to grow in. Creating mounds serves several purposes: It ensures that the soil is light and loose, thus allowing the roots to receive plenty of oxygen; mounds help promote good drainage and also help retain moisture.http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Watermelons

Create mounds of soil about 2-3 feet square and at least one foot high, and space them about 6 feet apart.http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html If you are working with exceptionally poor-quality soil, you may want to work incorporate some more compost, manure, or bone meal into the mound—just make sure that it is well worked into the soil.http://www.ehow.com/how_1993_grow-watermelon.html

After creating the mounds, you are ready to plant your seeds or seedlings. If you are using watermelon seedlings that you have purchased from a garden center or plant nursery, simply plant one seedling in each mound. Make sure that the soil level is the same as it was when the plant was growing in its container or pot, and then pack the soil loosely around it.http://www.ehow.com/how_1993_grow-watermelon.html

If you are growing watermelons from seed, follow these steps:

1. Flatten out the top of your mound slightlyhttp://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Watermelons
2. Using a gardening tool or your fingertip, make three or four holes, 1-2 inches deep, in the mound
3. Place one seed in each hole and cover the holes with soil
4. The seeds will germinate quickly, and you should see the plants growing within a few days, or a week, at the most. After a few weeks, select the strongest looking plant in each mound, since you only want one watermelon plant in each mound. Remove the unwanted seedlings by cutting them off as close to the ground as possible. Do not simply pull out the unwanted seedlings, as this could disturb the roots of your chosen seedlinghttp://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html

Caring for your watermelons:

1. Water your watermelon plants as much as needed in order to keep the soil moist, but not wet. Do not let the soil dry outhttp://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/watermel.htm
2. Monitor your watermelon plot regularly and remove any weeds promptly, but, unless it is absolutely necessary, avoid the temptation to use chemical pesticides
3. Watermelons can be a haven for slugs and other pests, so keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors, and take the steps necessary to remove them
4. Adding mulch around your plants can help deter pests, retain valuable moisture, prevent the shallow roots from getting burned, and also, if you use an organic mulch, provide the watermelons with the nutrients they crave.http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Watermelons http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html You can also use fabric or plastic mulch around the plantshttp://www.ehow.com/how_1993_grow-watermelon.html
5. If you are not using organic mulch, or are concerned about the nutrient quality of your soil, you'll need to fertilize the plants regularly. A fertilizer high in nitrogen is recommended for the early stages of growth. However, once the watermelons have begun to flower, change your fertilizer to one that is high in potassium and phosphoroushttp://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Watermelons

Harvesting Watermelons: There are several signs that will indicate that your watermelons are ready to be harvested:

1. Growth will slow down significantly, or stop altogetherhttp://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/watermel.htm
2. The bottom of the melons will turn from green to yellowhttp://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html
3. The curly tendrils near the stem connecting the melons to the vine will wither, turn brown, and dry outhttp://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-watermelons.html
4. Ripe melons sound hollow when you tap them gently with your knuckleshttp://home.howstuffworks.com/watermelon1.htm