Watermelons

[Ole Dummy]

Planted a sugar baby watermelon in a 16 inch pot and am now trying to figure out how to build a trellis for it, any suggestions?

[rainbowgardener]

You need at least a five gallon bucket sized container, probably bigger would be better. You need to be prepared to water twice a day in the summer and fertilize frequently.

Is your container sitting on the ground? Then trellis isn't hard - bury the bottom of live stock panel/corral panel next to the pot or bury sturdy fence posts, drill holes in them and put heavy gauge wire through the holes.

If you pot is on concrete or something, it gets harder. If it is a balcony, there should be railing supports you can tie into.

How's it going?

[imafan26]

Sugar baby is a short vine water melon. It is an ice box type so the vines get between 3-6 ft. I let mine sprawl out of the pot.
You can tie them up on a trellis and you probably should put the melons in nylon stockings to help support them.

[meshmouse]

Hey imafan26 -

How many melons will one plant put out given ideal conditions?

Also, what are ideal conditions? Obviously good soil, consistent water. So I guess my question is - how hot is too hot for Sugar Babies? I've got a couple of seedlings and some greenhouse space that I could make whatever the optimum temp is, please advise.

Thanks - meshmouse

[imafan26]

Hate to disappoint but short vines means plant 4 vines in a 20 inch pot and maybe get one or two melons from each vine. More fruit will set but the vine cannot support all of them to full size. They get to be about a cannonball to bowling ball size and about 11 lbs. They have a thin rind and sweet flavor but they are not seedless. They are a good size for two or three people.

[meshmouse]

No, you're not dissapointing me. I'm thankful for the heads up. Kind of what I was expecting.

So, do you think I can put 3 plants in a 5 gal bucket? I'm thinking I should let them set three or four fruit each (if I'm so lucky) then cut back the growing tip to the last one selected and remove any others to keep it to two per plant. Will they send out side sucker shoots (like a tomato) that I'll need to trim back?

Also, do you know if there is a temperature that is too hot for them to either flower, set fruit or grow? I'm assuming heat is a good thing, but surely only up to a point.

Thanks a lot imafan, I appreciate the response - meshmouse