How to Start Watermelon Seeds

Fill peat pots with potting soil. You can purchase your own potting soil or mix your own by combining equal amounts of soil, peat moss, and perlite. Do this three weeks before you are to plant them outdoors.

Plant one to two seeds per peat pot and cover them lightly with soil. Some watermelon seeds are expensive and you will need to pull out one growing plant per pot.

Water the soil with a spray bottle filled with water. It is important to keep the soil moist, but not soggy for the seeds to germinate.

Place the peat pots in a warm location where the temperature stays between 80 and 85 degrees. If you don't have a warm location, place the seed pots on a heat mat. You can cover the soil with plastic to help retain moisture. Remove the plastic when the seeds germinate and the watermelons are growing. If you planted two watermelon seeds per pot, thin to one watermelon when the plants are two to three inches tall. Keep the healthiest plant.

Prepare the soil by tilling or turning the ground with a garden fork. Mix in 3 to 4 inches of compost. Mix in some fertilizer to the soil according to label directions

Dig holes with a trowel, leaving about 2 feet of space between each one. Make the rows 6 to 8 feet apart. Do not dig it deeper than your pot.

Place the peat pots into the hole and then fill the hole with soil. Plant the watermelons when all danger of frost is over.

Water the melons thoroughly. They will need about an inch of water per week.

Control weeds by pulling them out and adding a 2-inch layer of mulch around each plant. Be careful when pulling weeds so you don't harm the watermelon roots because they grow shallow along the surface.