How to Grow Watermelons in the Swamp

The Planting Bed

• 1

  Select a sunny location that receives at least eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Mark the areas for the raised beds by pounding stakes into the ground. A raised bed is usually 4 feet wide and 4 to 8 feet long.

• 2

  Remove all vegetation in the garden plot, using a shovel. Remove soil as needed to level the garden bed.

• 3

  Build a raised bed of landscape timbers or pressure-treated 4-by-4-inch posts. Stack the timbers into a 4-foot square or 4-by-8-foot rectangle, depending on the space available. Overlap the corners. Drill through the timbers at each corner and every 2 feet along the timbers. Pound rebar through the holes and into the ground.

• 4

  Pour 1 part potting soil, 1 part compost and 1 part swamp muck into the raised bed. Mix with a shovel and rake, digging and smoothing the soil.

• 5

  Pour 4 inches of gravel between the raised beds. Tamp firmly into the ground, and add more if necessary to make a relatively dry path to the garden.

Planting the Watermelon

• 6

  Mound the soil into an 8-inch-wide row down the center of the raised bed.

• 7

  Press the watermelon seeds 1 inch deep into the row. Plant six seeds every 12 inches, starting 12 inches in from the side of the bed.

• 8

  Wind the drip-watering hose over the mound, allowing two emitters per group of seeds. Keep the soil moist, watering at least once daily until the seeds sprout.

• 9

  Add a 3-inch layer of mulch over the soil. Do not cover the tops of the mounds where the seeds are planted. Mulch inhibits weed growth and helps keep the soil moist.

• 10

  Snip off the smallest seedlings 10 days after sprouting, leaving three per group. Use scissors so you do not disturb the seedlings' roots.

• 11

  Monitor the watermelon plants for pests such as aphids, cucumber bugs and squash bugs. Use a strong spray of water to dislodge aphids. Hand-pick cucumber and squash bugs from the plants, dropping them into a bucket of soapy water.

• 12

  Harvest at 80 to 100 days, when the tendril nearest the fruit dries and turns brown. A ripe watermelon sounds solid when thumped. Another method of determining the harvest time is when the birds begin pecking at the nearly ripe watermelons.