Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus • F1 Hybrid

JOY MAX SCALE ✦✦✦✧✧

I am super picky about watermelon. I don’t want it to take up so much space for mealy fruit. This one is abundant, the perfect “icebox” size, and has amazing taste and flavor. If you only grow one watermelon, grow Starlight.

Joy Max Qualities

✦ Deep green with highly contrasting black stripes and sweet red flesh inside round, 8" diameter fruits weighing 10–12 lb.

✦ Raw Watermelon offers has a great amount of vitamins. Vitamin C, copper, Vitamin B5, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Iron, Vitamin B1, Potassium, and Magnesium.

✧ Watermelon isn’t totally joy max because it takes up so much space. Plants can take up 6-7 sq. ft. You can use an A-frame trellis to contain sprawl. Do not sow it where you have other seeds planted as it releases chemicals that suppress seed germination.

✧ The other tricky thing about watermelon is water needs. Only water if the plants are wilted before midday. Give deep soakings at the soil level. Stop watering completely 2 weeks before fruit is ripe for best flavor.

Watermelon seedlings can be delicate. If you start seedlings indoors, do it no more than one month before setting out. Never let them dry out.

How to Grow Watermelon

If it’s still cool outside (night temps going lower than 60°F,) you can start watermelon indoors. Do this no more than ONE MONTH before setting out. Plant 1-2 seeds per biodegradable pot, about ½–1" deep. Keep temperature 80–90°F (27–32°C) until germination. Handle young plants carefully and never let the soil dry out. Grow seedlings at 75°F (24°C). Reduce water and temperature for a week to harden seedlings. When the weather is frost-free, warm, and settled, transplant 2–3' apart. Even hardened watermelon seedlings are tender! Do not disturb roots when transplanting, and water thoroughly.

Otherwise, wait until 1–2 weeks after last frost when soil is warm, above 70°F (21°C), direct sow 1-3 seeds every 18–36". Thin to one plant per spot.

Watermelons need an A frame trellis for best results. Keep heavy fruit off the ground using old face masks or stockings.

Tips for Growing Watermelon

• Good soil moisture is important in the early stages of growth and during pollination when fruits are setting. After this point stop watering the last week before fruits are ripe, as overwatering can cause bland fruit.

• Male flowers appear first on watermelons and then female flowers appear about a week later. Be patient. A female flower will have an ovary just behind the petals that looks like a tiny watermelon.

• Melons are heavy feeders. One little trick you can do is dig a hole about a foot high and deep and then fill it with aged manure or compost. Then take the displaced soil and use it to make a little hill you plant the seedling on. The roots will grow down and find the treasure you left for them just when they need it to blast off. You can also make the hills much larger and plant up to 3 melons on each one.

• Each melon plant usually ripens just 3-4 fruit. It’s best to remove surplus fruit if they appear smaller or shriveled. This directs the plant’s energy into ripening only the amount of fruit the plant can support.

• There are 3 ways to tell when a watermelon is ripe: 1) the tendril nearest the point on the vine where fruit stem attaches is browning/dead; 2) the spot where the fruit rests on the ground is yellow; and 3) the classic mystery — you hear "punk," as opposed to "pink" or "pank," when you flick the melon with your fingers.

• Watermelons can be stored uncut and unrefrigerated for about 10 days to 2 weeks. Place them in a very cool place to increase their storage time. If cut, watermelon will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days wrapped tightly in plastic. Watermelon will decay if stored below 50°F (10°C) for more than a few days.

Companion Planting

Interplant with radishes, garlic, marigolds, or nasturtium to discourage cucumber beetles from feeding on watermelons. Stay away from other members of the Cucurbitae family- cucumber, squash, and other melons- to keep pests from piling on. If you have squash planted in the garden, the dreaded SVB will probably stay away from your watermelon, but there is no guarantee. They love Blue Hubbard squash so you may want to grow that as a trap. Avoid sunflowers as they attract melon-loving aphids.