Growing watermelons in containers is an excellent way for a gardener with limited space to grow these refreshing fruits. Understanding how to grow watermelon in containers successfully just requires a little bit of knowledge.
Sweet and watery watermelons are without a doubt an iconic summer fruit due to their high water content and soft red flesh. Those supermarket melons can’t be like homegrown fresh and organic melons. Whether you are doing balcony gardening or are simply looking for a better way to use the limited space you have, container watermelons are possible and fun.
About Watermelons
Watermelons are plants grown in climates from tropical to temperate, needing temperatures higher than about 77 °F to thrive. On a garden scale, seeds are usually sown in pots under cover and transplanted into well-drained sandy loam with a pH between 5.5 and 7, and medium levels of nitrogen.
Recommended Watermelon Varieties
GOLD FLOWER – Gold Flower ripens in 90 days and produces yellow fruit, which is very sweet. The average fruit size is around 5.9 pounds.
BOSTON – Boston matures in only 85 days, making it a good choice for Northern gardeners. The fruit measures 10.1 on the Brix scale. This is a classic watermelon variety with a green, striped rind and red flesh.
HARMONY – Ideal for the Northern gardener, Harmony ripens in only 78 days, producing 12-pound fruits that measure 11.2 on the Brix scale.
CRIMSON SWEET – Crimson Sweet produces fruit averaging around 15 pounds. Fruit matures in 89 days and the red flesh measures around 9.9 on the Brix scale.
How to Grow Watermelon in Pots
Watermelons should be grown in a sunny position. If you’re growing it on a balcony or on a roof garden where space is tight, growing watermelon vertically on a trellis is a solution. The trellis should be a minimum of 4 feet tall and sturdy enough to carry the weight of melons.
Container size
Start with a 5-gallon bucket or larger. Watermelons have long taproots and need plenty of room to stretch out in the container. A bucket of at least 2 feet deep is best.
Temperature
Watermelons are warm-weather annuals but they can be planted in both tropical and temperate regions easily. It is possible to grow watermelons in temperature around 50-95 F (10-35 C). The optimum growing temperature is around 65-85 F (18-30 C).
Soil
Sandy and loamy soil are suitable for growing watermelons. Ideal soil pH is around 6 – 6.8. Avoid compact, clayey soils. Airy and well-drained substrate promotes the growth of the plant. Also, the application of the well-rotted horse, rabbit or cow manure improves the texture of soil and provides nutrients constantly.
Water
Watermelon requires a lot of water. Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet, the water must drain freely from the bottom. When growing watermelon in containers, you’ll need to water the plant every day and sometimes twice on a warm day. Once the fruits start to swell up and mature, reduce the watering. In that period, water carefully and moderately. Avoid overwatering and underwatering both to get the sweetest melons.
How To Plant Watermelons?
Once your pot is filled with soil, and you’ve chosen a variety, it’s time to plant the seed! Plant the seed 3 times deeper than it is long and water well. Alternatively, you can also plant a seedling that has been started indoors or purchased. Before planting, make sure that all chances of frost have passed.
Diseases and Pests
Usually, you can easily care and look after the watermelon growing in a pot. Still, it is little prone to diseases when exposed to too hot-humid or too cold weather, or due to waterlogged soil. Common garden pests like aphids, cucumber beetles and those that affect the squashes and cucumbers can infect it.