Sad watermelon :(

[NewCanuckGardener]

Hi everyone,

I am hoping you all can give me some insight on why my watermelons are so sad. I have 5 plants that all pretty much look like this. I have them in a wicking garden, but I still top water these plants daily as I am afraid they haven't grown enough to reach the wet dirt. Could I be overwatering? Any advice is greatly appreciated - I am hoping they can be saved!

ETA: I planted them two and a half weeks ago and they have not grown at all, no new leaves, nothing at all. They are also next to where I have planted carrot and lettuce seeds, neither of which have sprouted either. Perhaps my soil is missing something important? (The weeds seem to have no issue sprouting however...)

[applestar]

What are the day and night temperature like there? My first thought is that the soil temperature may still be too cold for watermelon. Do you have a soil thermometer or other kind of probe type thermometer you could use to measure the temperature 2-4" below the surface?

I see what looks like radish or other mustard type as well as what may be beets sprouting next to the watermelon. These seeds favor cooler soil temp to aprout in.

[NewCanuckGardener]

Daytime temperatures are 18-25C, and night drops to 5-10C usually, though we had a frost warning last week but I covered everything and everything seemed to fare ok.

Those sprouts are just weeds. The topsoil we purchased was riddled with weeds, and as soon as I started to top water they sprout like that daily. I keep up with them as best I can but they are fast!

[Fourspot]

You need some real Summer heat to get the watermelon to start growing. Those temperatures are just way to cold. Might be lights out for these plants. And even if they recover, the growing season may be too short for them to produce anything meaningful. I would suggest using some black plastic to warm the soil next year. Grow a ice box version or small musk melon type.

[jal_ut]

I am with those who suggest cool temperatures. Melons like heat. Do you have a cone you can put over it? A gallon sized milk jug with the bottom cut out works well to cover small plants.

[NewCanuckGardener]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Next year I will definitely try a more Canada friendly type of watermelon! I have three plants still hanging in there so I will cover them with milk jugs today! I'll keep you posted!

[lexusnexus]

You can also start them inside next year and transplant when the temperatures are warm. As you already said find varieties than can tolerate cooler weather and fewer days to maturity. For temperatures measure the soil temperature as well. That's where the roots are growing. If the soil temperature is too cold for corn or bean seeds they will rot in the soil, not just lay there dormant

[Gary350]

Melons like sandy well drained soil and hot weather. In Tennessee I dig a hole and fill it with sand for growing melons. I set all the melons up on cement blocks to keep them from rotting. Keeping the weeds and grass out is very important the vines grow roots every place they touch the soil. The more roots the vines have the larger the melons get. Also melon like direct full sun all day 10 hrs if possible. TN is very cloudy full sun on a nice day best I can hope for is 5 to 6 hrs of direct sun all day. At my Arizona house I don't even need to try melons grow great 14 hrs of full direct sun no clouds sandy soil 110 degree weather melons are 25 lbs each 12 to 15 per vine.

[NewCanuckGardener]

Thanks guys! I do have sand in the soil, though perhaps not enough. I added milk jugs over a few plants and even planted some new seeds, just to see what would happen, and I have some sprouts, and some getting new leaves! I'm just considering this a learning experience now, I doubt I'll even get these guys to flower, but I am sure going to try! Oh - and my first 5 plants I did start inside! Maybe I transplanted them too early and that's why they stopped growing. Thanks again for the info everyone!

[sweetiepie]

This spring has been slow here. Ground temps have really only warmed up the last couple weeks. Did you get the snow several weeks ago? I would not give up on them. Just be prepared in the fall to cover them when the frost advisory start to extend the season. I planted my cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, etc. around May 25 and I still am having them just pop through the surface so I am hoping for Indian summer.