Kitchen Garden Forum

How do I tell if a watermelon is ripe. On my grafted plant I have
2 which are quite big about the same size as in the shops. I thought
it was when they sounded hollow but they did that when quite a bit
smaller and they won't get that overpowering melon smell like catalopes
do to let me know.

Do I leave them on until the plants get frosted like squashes or is
there another trick?

Thanks Westi

Hi Westi ,
Haven't tried grafted ones, what are they grafted on?
Check under the melon - if it has a yellow or light bottom, it should be ripe. If it's stripes are found all around the melon, pass on it. It's just not ready yet.
If it sounds hollow, its ripe. Not hollow, unripe.
Look for a heavy melon. Watermelons are made up of mostly water, so an ideal melon should be heavy for its size.

Thanks a lot - they do appear stripey all round but will keep checking.
No idea what it is grafted on as bought grafted melon, cucmbers and
peppers which were tinky tiny when they came and I didn't expect
much but have romped away.

These watermelons are outside as well - have different varieties in
the Greenhouse. They were pretty expensive so I will be doing some
more research into what exactly they are on and will try to do it myself
next year - for the experiment and to save some money.

Westi