How to Grow Huge Watermelons

Locate a watermelon cultivar that produces large watermelons. Contact a seed company for information about different cultivars so that you can select one that will suit your needs. Check the soil pH level with a testing kit and amend it with lime if the pH is not between 6 and 6.5.

Select a location that will allow for adequate growth. Melon vines need enough room to grow 12 feet in all directions. The location must also receive full sunlight and have well-draining soil.

Plant the watermelon seeds once the soil temperature remains above 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Create hills for the watermelons that are spaced 4 to 6 feet apart. Sow three watermelon seeds 1 inch deep in each hill. Dig a 12- to 18-inch furrow around each hill.

Water the soil to keep it moist with a sprinkler attachment for the garden hose. Avoid saturating the soil. Continue to water the soil to keep it moist until the seedlings reach 2 inches tall. Use a soaker hose once or twice a week depending on the rainfall and weather by laying the hose on the soil furrow. Allow the soil to dry between waterings.

Work a 10-10-10 commercial fertilizer into the soil around each hill. Spread the fertilizer in a 5-foot radius and always follow the directions to ensure that you apply it properly. Add a balanced liquid fertilizer around the base of the hill each week until the vines begin to grow.

Thin the seedlings in each hill to the best three seedlings once they reach 6 inches tall. Keep one healthy plant per hill.

Apply a 2-inch layer of mulch on the soil to help prevent weeds from growing. Apply organic compost or wood chips for best results.

Add a 20-10-20 fertilizer to the soil until the vines bloom. Apply a 20-20-20 fertilizer monthly until the season ends. Always follow the directions on the fertilizer package for best results.

Pollinate the flowers to help the watermelon fruits set. The Georgia 4-H recommends that you wait for the first six flowers to bloom on long stems. These flowers are male flowers that will not produce fruit. The female flower will have a tiny fruit attached and needs to be pollinated. Gently pick a male flower and brush it over the open female bloom to help the fruit set. Prune all the other fruits off the vine so that the plant can focus on growing a single giant watermelon.

Remove weeds from the garden when you notice them. Weeds will steal the nutrients and water from the soil, which will prevent you from growing a giant watermelon.

Create a slight hill with the soil. Cover the hill with plastic and lay down a layer of straw. Place the watermelon on the straw to protect it so that standing water does not cause it to rot. Cover the watermelon with straw to protect it from the sun.