How to Grow Orangeglo Watermelons

Aerate and amend the soil by digging it up with a garden fork and adding a 3-inch layer of sand to the soil. Mix the sand to a depth of 6 inches.

Spread 30 lbs. of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 1,000 square feet over the bed and blend it into the top 4 inches of soil.

Mound up the soil into 2-inch hills placed six feet apart. When planting more than one row of Orangeglo watermelon seeds, space the rows at least seven feet apart. Insert five seeds into each hill, 1 inch deep.

Water the bed to a depth of 3 inches and don't water again unless the weather is hot and dry. Resume watering when the Orangeglo watermelon vines bloom and then keep the top 6 inches of soil moist.

Thin the seedlings to three in each mound when they grow their second set of leaves.

Sidedress the Orangeglo watermelon plants when the vines begin to run, using 1 lb. of ammonium nitrate per 100 feet. Sidedressing is a method of fertilizing that doesn't burn the plant's roots. Dig a 2-inch deep trench two inches to the side of the row. Scatter the fertilizer on the bottom of the trench and fill it in with soil. Water the fertilized area to a depth of 5 inches.

Harvest your Orangeglo watermelons 90 to 100 days after planting. One way to know when to pick the watermelons is to look for small black spots, the size of fleas, on the surface. When these appear, the watermelon is ready to harvest.