Kitchen Garden Forum

I bought a watermelon, and just for fun, put some of the seeds in compost on a windowsill propagator with heat underneath. The seeds have, amazingly, germinated. Assuming they go on to produce plants, and that I have the patience to look after them, what do I do next? Has anyone ever grown watermelons? Yes, I know they may be F1 hybrids, but that is not a problem with something like this - just an experiment.

I'm not sure whether our climate is really warm enough in this country to plant them outdoors and get a successful crop. I tried once with smaller melons and ended up with one melon the size of a tennis ball - and that was in a hot summer! If you have a greenhouse it might work in a well manured patch but they take up an awful lot of space. I don't think they would grow successfully, even in a large pot but perhaps an expert here will offer a contrary view.

Watermelons need constant heat, light and water. far more than they can experience outside in a British summer. Under glass, they need extra heat to keep the temperature up at night and on dull days. And space. Lots of space. The foliage is very attractive, though.