How to Grow Watermelons in Pots Indoors

Watermelon is a vining fruit that thrives in moist soil and warm temperatures. The vines are generally too long to practically grow indoors, but you can easily grow a dwarf variety and use a trellis to support the foliage. You will also have to pollinate the flowers yourself so fruit will set, since there are no bees indoors to do it for you. Growing melons indoors allows you to control the environment and keeps most pests away from the plant.

18-inch plant pot
Compost
Peat moss
Trellis
5-5-5 fertilizer
Old pantyhose

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a plant pot with two parts compost to one part peat moss. The pot should be at least 18 inches deep and have drainage holes in the bottom.
- 2
  Insert the dwarf watermelon seed into the soil to a depth of 1 inch. Water until the soil settles.
- 3
  Set the pot in a window that gets a full eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Set a garden trellis next to the pot so the vines can grow up it when they get long enough.
- 4
  Continue watering frequently enough to keep the soil evenly moist to the touch. Stop watering when the melons reach full size, which will be about 4 inches in diameter for a dwarf variety. Water the soil directly, not the plant.
- 5
  Apply a 5-5-5 fertilizer to the soil every two weeks, according to the package directions. Use a small paintbrush to paint the inside of the male flowers and then the inside of the female flowers to cause pollination.
- 6
  Wrap the vines around the trellis as they grow. When fruit appears, support it by tying an old pantyhose to the trellis and making a hammock for the fruit. Pick the fruit when it makes a dull sound when you thump the side.

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