I read up on the other posts and they are talking about A LOT of sand to grow them well. Is that required?
Any basics I need to consider?
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Zapatay
- Senior Member
- Posts: 210
- Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:10 pm
- Location: 5a - Northern IL, WI border
Watermelon - North IL help
So my hubby surprised me with to little watermelon and a cantaloupe plant .....
I read up on the other posts and they are talking about A LOT of sand to grow them well. Is that required?
Any basics I need to consider?
I read up on the other posts and they are talking about A LOT of sand to grow them well. Is that required?
Any basics I need to consider?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
I haven't tried growing watermelon for a long time, because they take up a lot of space, which I don't have and because I garden in an area with lots of critters. When I did try growing watermelon in the past, the critters loved them and ate them all up, long before they were ripe enough for me.
But it's not my impression that you have to have sand. What watermelons (and to a slightly lesser extent) cantaloupes need, along with full sun, is lots of water and lots of nitrogen and other nutrients, they are heavy feeders. The point of the sand would be to keep it well drained, so you can give it the lots of water without having water sitting around or having the roots stay too wet all the time. But as long as your soil is loose and very well draining, I would think having richer soil with more organic material would be a good thing, re the nutrient part.
Depends on what you are trying for... some people growing watermelon are trying for the 100 pound giants, in which case they are doing something close to hydroponic gardening, where they are providing massive amounts of water and nutrients.
But it's not my impression that you have to have sand. What watermelons (and to a slightly lesser extent) cantaloupes need, along with full sun, is lots of water and lots of nitrogen and other nutrients, they are heavy feeders. The point of the sand would be to keep it well drained, so you can give it the lots of water without having water sitting around or having the roots stay too wet all the time. But as long as your soil is loose and very well draining, I would think having richer soil with more organic material would be a good thing, re the nutrient part.
Depends on what you are trying for... some people growing watermelon are trying for the 100 pound giants, in which case they are doing something close to hydroponic gardening, where they are providing massive amounts of water and nutrients.