How You Know When a Watermelon Is Ripe

I love watermelons. They are sweet, juicy, messy to eat, and remind me of summer like nothing else does. Did y'all know that there are many watermelon varieties which you probably oasis't even heard of?

How many varieties of watermelon are in that location? More than 50 watermelon varieties are grown effectually the world. Because of the large number of types of watermelon, they are often grouping past characteristics such as shape, size and colour of the fruit.

The are also grouped by whether they have seeds, or are seedless.

The watermelon varieties may look similar before you lot cutting them, but the fruit, color, shape, and number of seeds can vary a lot.

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If you similar the gustation of fresh watermelons, you lot'll dearest my new recipe – raspberry watermelon lemonade. It is a hydrating drinkable that the whole family unit will relish.

Shapes of watermelons

Nearly of us recall of watermelons as being ellipsoidal shaped with bright red flesh and seeds just watermelons can have calorie-free pink, yellow or even orangish mankind. And information technology doesn't finish there!

There are even middle shaped watermelons and square Japanese watermelons. These unusual shapes are made by placing pocket-sized watermelons into shaped boxes, and so that they accommodate the shape of the box as they mature.

The size of watermelons tin also be different – with melons ranging from small miniature varieties to monsters that weigh over 200 pounds and win medals at the state fair.

Here are the most common watermelon types.

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Types of watermelons

For what seems to be a relatively common fruit, watermelons are actually quite varied.

The outer skins of watermelons can look quite unlike. Let's run across how they are different.

Watermelon colors

Colors of the fruit of watermelons will vary. There is a dark green blazon with lighter stripes on the rind and the colors can contrary completely to lite rind with dark stripes. Watermelons with yellow rinds are ever a surprise to find.

About of us are familiar with the reddish pink flesh that has black seeds, merely many other colors of flesh are available – from pale yellow to peach, pink and deep red.

Watermelons tin be divided into four categories: picnic watermelons, icebox watermelons, seedless watermelons, and the yellow-orangish mankind watermelon varieties. Let's find out more than about each type.

Seeded watermelon varieties

These watermelons are the ones I retrieve growing up. They come up in both round shapes and also the long, oblong type that is so popular at picnics.

Seeded watermelons range in size from five to 45 pounds.

Seeded watermelons can also be part of both the icebox and picnic varieties. The term applies just to the fact that they take seeds in them.

Seedless watermelon varieties

One of the common characteristics of many watermelons used to be that they had seeds, Notwithstanding, since the 1990's, this is non the example.

Breeding of watermelons over the years has resulted in watermelons that are very sweet only don't take seeds. This type of watermelon revolutionized our buying habits and now seedless is the type that near people want.

Of grade, we tin't take a watermelon seed spitting contest with this type of melon but that is a pocket-size price to pay for the ease of eating them!

Seedless watermelons are both round and ellipsoidal in shape. They weigh up to 25 pounds.

Seedless types are non truly seedless. You will see white seed coats in the flesh of seedless watermelons, only they are undeveloped and edible.

Seedless watermelons account for about 85% of the watermelons grown today. It appears we no longer savor seed spitting competitions!

Information technology appears that there are no seeds on seedless watermelons. But look again! You may find some traces of white seeds. They are edible.

Icebox watermelons

As the proper noun suggests, icebox watermelons are so named because of their size. They range from 5 to 15 pounds. This size makes them the perfect watermelon to keep in the fridge.

Breeders grew them to feed a small family instead of a big crowd. The most pop icebox watermelon is Sugar Baby which grows to about 9 pounds.

Due to their smaller size, icebox watermelons mature before than the larger ones. Icebox watermelons can have red and pinkish flesh as well as the xanthous/orange type.

Picnic watermelons

If y'all are planning to feed a crowd, get a picnic watermelon. These big guys weigh in betwixt 15 and 50 pounds. This is the watermelon almost of us recall from our childhoods.

It's the perfect watermelon for a quaternary of July charcoal-broil.

They are mostly oval shaped, (but can also exist round) and accept a bright dark-green rind and deep red flesh.

Some mutual varieties of the picnic watermelon are Charleston Grayness (30 pounds), Scarlet Sweet (30 pounds) and Black Diamond (up to 75 pounds.)

Picnic watermelons have long maturity times because of their size.

The heaviest watermelon weigh in at around 350 pounds and holds a tape in the Guinness Book of Earth Records. Now that'southward quite a picnic!

Miniature watermelons

Standard watermelons require quite a scrap of gardening space because of the spreading nature of their vines. Miniature watermelons can be grown in much smaller backyards.

Mini watermelons are round in shape, only their size is much smaller than the big picnic types of watermelons. They tin can be equally small as 1 pound and upward to about vii pounds.

The rinds are nighttime green with lite dark-green stripes and the shape is either circular or slightly elongated. Mini watermelons are seedless.

Most miniature watermelons are about the same size as a large cantaloupe. They are sweet and crisp and very juicy. Their flesh runs from stake pink to deep reddish.

These small watermelons are seedless and perfect for storing and eating when there are but one or two of you who plan to indulge.

There is even a fruit known as a cucamelon, or mousemelon. Information technology is a Mexican fruit that looks just like tiny picnic watermelons. A whole pile of them can fit into your hands!

The look is where the similarity ends, however. The taste of a cucamelon is something like cucumbers, with a slight sour and lemon flavor.

Xanthous and Orange mankind watermelons

When y'all cutting into these watermelons, you will discover flesh that ranges from yellow to orange in colour. This commercial variety originated in Africa.

It has a sweeter flavor which is quite honey-like compared to the melons with cerise flesh, merely the nutritional benefits are similar.

These colorful watermelons are circular in shape and can range in size from 10 to 30 pounds. They tin can be both seed and seedless types.

Common types of yellow or orange watermelons are Honeyheart, Tendergold and Yellow Doll.

Fun Facts about Growing Watermelons

Now that we accept learned near the watermelon varieties let'south brush up on some fun tips to make sure your watermelon grow well.

Trim watermelon vines so fruit will ripen faster.

I've heard that trimming the vines volition make the watermelon ripen upwardly what is there and the fruit will be bigger and better.

There does announced to be some truth to this statement. Pruning the vines promotes bushier and healthier vines. Removing expressionless vines and melons that are non growing well will let the plant focus its energy on growing bigger, healthier and juicier melons.

I does demand to exist careful with pruning vines, however. If yous cut off the flowers that are growing, this could touch pollination. (Watermelons need both male and female flowers in order to set fruit.)

Trimming off likewise many of female flowers might mean their volition exist less blooms for cross pollination and therefore less fruit.

Why use aluminum foil nether watermelons?

The argent aluminum foil is supposed to keep the melons from bugs and soil based issues, and is said to help with ripening.

I besides like using information technology because I can see where the watermelons are when I arroyo the patch.

Doing this trick increases the warmth for the developing fruits and also their sun exposure – this helps to speed upwardly days to harvesting a little scrap and (supposedly) can increase the sweetness of the watermelons.

Protecting watermelons from critters

It is not only humans that love the taste of watermelons, squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons practice, as well.

Protect your maturing fruits by covering them with laundry baskets weighted down with rocks. The openings in the mesh will allow sun in only will hopefully keep the critters out.

How to tell when a watermelon is ripe

Lots of people talk well-nigh the sound a watermelon makes when you thump it. A ripe watermelon will have a hollow sound and an unripe watermelon will take more of a higher-pitched sound. Personally, I must be tone deaf!

Watermelons, by nature, lie on the ground in one spot as they mature and their bellies alter color. This tin can be an indication of ripeness.

As the plant gets closer to the time for harvesting it, the underbelly volition alter from greenish to a creamy white or yellow color (depends on the diversity). IF the spot is very white, get out it to mature a bit longer.

Watermelon stems also change from green to tan and dark-brown as the melon matures. If your melon'southward stalk is vivid green, it definitely needs to grow more than.

Finally, A shiny rind tin signal an unripe melon, while a dark rind indicates more ripeness.

Check out this post for more tips on figuring out when to harvest your watermelons.

This chart shows several things to await for when choosing a watermelon.

Pin these watermelon varieties for later on.

Would you like a reminder of this post on the types of watermelons? Just pin this epitome to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest.

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Admin note: This post offset appeared on the weblog in August of 2012. I have updated the post to more than info on the types of water melons, all new photos, some useful growing tips, a printable and a video for you to enjoy.

Active Time 5 minutes

Total Time v minutes

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost $one

Materials

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Instructions

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Notes

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