Plants That Are Compatible with Watermelon
- Garlic, Onions, or Chives. Alliums, such as onions, chives, and garlic, all make good companion plants. …
- Nasturtiums, Marigolds, Lavender, and Other Flowers. …
- Dill, Mint, or Other Herbs. …
- Lettuce. …
- Radishes. …
- Squashes and Zucchini. …
- Cucumbers. …
- Pumpkins.
What grows good with watermelon?
Watermelon Companions
Cultivate flowering plants — including members of the aster family, like sunflowers, cosmos, coneflowers, and coreopsis, and herbs in the mint family, such as mint, oregano, thyme, and rosemary — to attract sweat bees and other pollinators.
What can you not plant with watermelon?
For companion plants, you’re going to want to plant it with things like radishes, lettuces &, then avoid things like cucumber, zucchini, and basically anything in the melon family. Basically they make it difficult for the plants to grow and mature and can attract diseases.
Can you plant cucumbers next to watermelon?
Because watermelons, cucumbers and squash are in the same family and are able to cross-pollinate, place each of these where the vines will not intertwine.
Can I plant marigolds with watermelon?
Flowers: Watermelons rely on insects like bees to help it produce fruit—that’s why flowering plants with appealing scents like marigolds, lavender, and borage make good companions for watermelon plants. These flowers also repel aphids, which can be particularly destructive to watermelon leaves and tendrils.
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Can strawberries and watermelon grow together?
Melons. Summer melons such as cantaloupe, muskmelons and watermelons, or winter melons like casaba, crenshaw, honeydew, and Persian can be planted with strawberries. They require a minimum of six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day.
Can I plant cantaloupe and watermelon together?
Size. The foremost concern in planting both cantaloupe and watermelons in the same garden bed is space. The vines of both melons spread far and will grow wherever they can to access sunlight. Plants too close together cause unnecessary competition for light, soil moisture and nutrients.
Can you plant zucchini and watermelon together?
Yes, you can plant watermelon and squash together.
What happens if you plant watermelons too close together?
Spaced properly, watermelons will thrive. When placed too close together, they will overlap and cause problems for the surrounding fruit plants. Each plant will spread in a circle of around 4 feet. The vine that’s on top will soak up the needed sunlight, leaving the vines below to wither.
How do you trellis a watermelon?
To create an individual melon support, simply cut a square of the fabric and draw the four corners together — with the fruit inside — and tie together onto the trellis support to create a sling. Watermelon trellis growing is a space saving option and makes harvesting simple.
Can you plant sunflowers with watermelon?
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are another companion flower to melons recommended by Golden Harvest Organics. They repel the aphids that nasturtiums attract, so if you have planted nasturtiums but still are finding aphids on your melons, add some sunflowers to the mix. Birds also love sunflowers.
Can you plant different varieties of watermelon together?
You only need one plant for each variety of melon, since melons can self-pollinate. Melons may cross-pollinate with other types of melons, but this is only a problem if you save the seeds to plant the following year, it doesn’t affect the fruit the first year.
What can watermelon cross-pollinate with?
Melon Species
Muskmelons, cantaloupes, honeydews and casabas (Curcumis melo) can cross-pollinate with each other because they’re the same species. Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) can cross-pollinate with citrons (Citrullus lanatus) but they can’t cross-pollinate with honeydews or cantaloupes.
Can you plant corn with watermelon?
Like radishes and corn. You can plants them near your watermelons, just make sure the corn doesn’t tower over the vines too much, since watermelon plants need full sun to thrive. Marigolds and nasturtiums are great companions for just about every edible plant, and they both repel cucumber beetles.
How many watermelons do you get per plant?
How Many Watermelons per Plant? Healthy watermelon vines produce 2-4 fruits per plant. The vines produce both male and female flowers. Both are needed to set fruit and there are fewer female flowers compared to male, about one female for every seven males.
Can watermelon grow on a trellis?
Watermelon plants grow fast – as much as 1-2 feet per week! They will not climb a trellis by themselves, so you need to tie the vines to the trellis as they grow. Don’t count on their tendrils to hold the plants secure – especially during wind storms or when they have heavy fruits hanging from them.
How much space do watermelon plants need?
Watermelons need A LOT of space—up to 20 square feet per plant. Their vines need room to sprawl, so plant them in a place where they won’t crowd out other crops. Growing the vines in raised rows, known as hills, ensures good drainage and will hold the sun’s heat longer.
Are watermelon plants poisonous to dogs?
The Dangers of Watermelons to Dogs
Ingestion of large amounts of stems, seeds, rind, and leaves of watermelons can cause a gastrointestinal blockage.
Are watermelon plants perennials?
As annual plants, watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) must be replanted every season and will not survive the winter either as seedlings or fully grown plants. Watermelons require warm weather to grow quickly and produce their sweet, juicy fruit.
Which is easier to grow watermelon or cantaloupe?
Watermelons tend to be the easiest melons to grow in organic gardens because of their pest and disease resistance. American cantaloupes, properly called muskmelons because of their fruity fragrance, produce 75 to 85 days after planting.
What do you put under watermelon?
In order to grow great watermelons, you’ll need to put a barrier between the watermelons and the ground. This is to reduce the risk of rot and disease. Good ground barriers are straw, or even cardboard.
Will cantaloupe cross-pollinate with watermelon?
Cross-Pollination
Cantaloupe cross-pollinates between different varieties of cantaloupe, and watermelon crosses with other watermelons. They cannot cross-pollinate each other because the plants do not have similar enough genetic structures. When two plants cross-pollinate, the fruit of the current season is unaffected.
What is the best month to plant watermelon?
The best time to plant watermelon seeds is from late spring to early summer, or when the soil temperature reaches 70 degrees or above. Watermelon seeds germinate easily and quickly, and seedlings don’t usually transplant well, so there’s no need to start them in a pot or seed tray.
What month do you plant watermelon?
Plant watermelon from late spring to early summer, once soil temperatures reach 70° F or above.
Can you plant watermelon in pots?
Yes, you can grow watermelon in pots. But there are some important guidelines you’ll want to follow to set yourself up for success. Watermelons are fun to grow in pots, but they must be cared for properly.
How do you train a watermelon vine?
How to grow watermelon vines in small spaces – YouTube
Can watermelon grow on fence?
One option suggested by The University of California’s Santa Clara Master Gardeners blog is to convert a section of sturdy fence to a trellis. Mount eye bolts to the fence on either side of your watermelon vine, and then run wire between them. Your vines can grow up the wires, which will provide solid support.
Do watermelon plants climb?
As the vines, which should be about two feet apart, begin to run, send them up a sturdy trellis. You will need to tie the runners to the trellis, since watermelons are not natural climbers. … Watermelons don’t climb by habit, but once shown the way they can rise with the best. Watermelons rest easy in hammocks.
Can I plant watermelon and tomatoes together?
Warm-season plants like tomatoes and melons thrive together with the same temperature, sun, nutrition and water needs, but they require generous spacing for growth. Plant these crops at the same time, and with the same considerations.
Can watermelon cross-pollinate with cucumbers?
Answer: Cucumbers will not cross-pollinate with squashes, pumpkins, muskmelons, or watermelons.
Can watermelon cross-pollinate with zucchini?
A pumpkin and a zucchini are not going to produce a ‘pumpini’ in your garden, at least not the first year. If you want to save seeds from open-pollinated or heirloom plants, rest assured that cucumbers, squash and melons cannot cross-pollinate with one another.
What is the easiest watermelon to grow?
Short-season watermelons–less than 90 days:
- Cole’s Early. 80 days. Sweet, good quality. Broad, oval fruit, weights15-20 pounds. …
- Sugar Baby. See above.
- Fordhook Hybrid. 75 days. Juicy, delicious. …
- Yellow-flesh fruit.
- Yellow Baby. (AAS) 75 days. Sweet, excellent flavor. …
- Yellow Doll. 65-70 days. Extra sweet, crisp.
Can you plant pumpkins next to watermelons?
Watermelons and pumpkins belong to the plant family Cucurbitaceae, a group of plants commonly referred to as cucurbits. Since they share similar cultural requirements, cucurbits will grow harmoniously in the same bed if provided with plenty of sunshine, supplemental nutrients and water.
How do I make my watermelon sweeter when growing?
Sweetness Starts in the Soil
To encourage strong growth, blend 4 to 6 inches of composted manure into your melon beds prior to planting. Then add a balanced organic fertilizer (such as a mixed blood meal/bone meal product) every 3 to 4 weeks.
Are watermelon self pollinating?
Watermelon is self-fertile with the female flower being pollinated equally well by pollen from a male flower on the same or a different plant. The pollen grains are sticky and insects are required to transfer pollen to receptive stigmas.
Can potatoes be planted with watermelon?
Potatoes attract many of the same insects that feed on watermelon plants and also introduce the risk of blight that can destroy your crop of watermelons. If you want to grow both potatoes and watermelons, keep your potato patch well separated from your watermelon garden.
Can you plant corn with watermelon and cantaloupe?
Watermelons (and, in fact, all melons) are considered good companion plants for corn. The one thing you have to remember is that you will have to be very careful when harvesting the corn to ensure that you don’t step on and break your watermelon vines.
Can you plant cantaloupe and corn together?
They grow prolifically in well-enriched, sandy loam soil that is kept moist during the growing season. Companion plants for cantaloupe include corn, pumpkin, squash, collards, borage, oregano, radishes, marigolds, petunias and beans.
How many watermelons can I plant for a family of 4?
As female flowers begin to set fruit, it may appear that your crop yield will be large, however, many of these young melons will shrivel up and die off, with only the strongest fruits remaining to ripen. Depending on your needs, between three and four plants for each member of your household should be sufficient.
Is it difficult to grow watermelon?
Growing watermelons requires lots of space, lots of sun, lots of water and lots of nutrients. … Watermelons are not particularly difficult to grow but because they are so demanding I don’t consider watermelons a good plant for beginner gardeners. (You can get lucky if you live in the perfect climate with perfect soil.)
How long does it take to grow watermelon?
How long does it take for a watermelon to grow to full size? Watermelons require 80-90 days from seed sowing to grow a full-size watermelon. Some smaller-sized watermelons (like Sugar Baby) can reach maturity in closer to 70 days.