How to Breed Watermelons to Enhance Sweetness

Watermelons are a sweet and juicy, low-calorie summer fruit. Rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, watermelons are both tasty and nutritious. You can grow watermelons in your home garden provided you have enough space and the proper climate. Watermelons are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Choose a smaller variety if space is limited. Watermelons require plenty of heat to grow healthy and sweet. Provide plenty of sunlight, space, water and fertilizer to grow the sweetest of watermelons in your garden.

Watermelon seeds
Fertilizer
Shovel
Garden spade
Garden hose
Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Choose an area in your garden to plant the watermelon seeds. Watermelons need direct sunlight to achieve maximum sweetness. Select a sunny spot away from the wind and cold.
- 2
  Mix fertilizer into the soil with a shovel. Watermelons require plenty of nutrients to grow sweet and juicy. Dig 2-inch-deep holes in the soil with a garden spade, 1 for each seed. Plant watermelon seeds 2 feet apart in rows 6 to 8 inches apart.
- 3
  Water seeds with 1 to 2 inches of water using a garden hose once a week for the first 4 weeks. Cut back to half that amount after 4 weeks. Too much water dilutes the plants, making the watermelons less sweet and flavorful.
- 4
  Harvest the watermelons when ripe. Watermelons will be ready approximately 120 days after planting. Look at the curly tendril where the stem meets the fruit. Harvest the watermelon if the tendril is dry and brown. Use the scissors to cut the stem approximately 2 inches from where it connects to the watermelon.
- 5
  Store freshly picked watermelons in a cool, dry place. Fresh, uncut watermelons will last approximately 2 weeks at room temperature. After 2 weeks their sweet flavor will begin to diminish.

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