Saw that no one had yet responded so decided to offer the following..

Not sure why someone would have suggested "instead of" posting to the container gardening suggestion. I would have thought that "in addition to" would be the better plan.

I'm having difficulty visualizing watermelons in containers but I'd guess anything is possible. Seems like the smaller more compact types would work best.

i have never tried to do WM in a container. mine run a good 10-15 ft in ALL directions, but i also usually have 10-12 40+lbs WM off 3 plants per mound too. if you are moving before they will be ready, then try it, but if not then i would just plant them in the ground and leave them when you move. maybe you will get to enjoy a couple before you go!

fritz
I don't know anything about the melons you mentioned but I can offer this suggestion if you like sweet Melons and water melons. Go to www.evergreenseeds.com and you will find a photo of Yellow Melons they are very tasty and sweet. I can vouch for the Korean varieties,you will need to scroll down to watermelons to see those varieties. They are 1.5-2.5 lbs each and can grow in a container. You should get a larger container and fabricate a cage,6-8 inches larger in diameter than the pot, using 2" x 4" x 5 ft fencing material available at Lowes or HD

Jim

I haven't grown any of the varieties you have seed for, but a quick google search showed Golden Midget to be harvest ready in 65-70 days, didn't see anything on Gold Baby and Cream of Saskatchewan is listed at 70-85 days.

Based upon that information I would go with the Golden Midget if you want the best shot at harvest before moving.

When you decide on a variety, you may want to trellis the vines after you plant so the runners won't be grabbing onto everything around the container.

Abby

I was watching QVC the other day and they were selling EarthBoxes. One of the viewer photographs they showed was a watermelon in an EarthBox and it looked awesome. It wasn't on a trellis just sprawling over the side and onto the ground. I am definitely going to grow melons in my EarthBox this year because of that picture. I just searched the forum on the EarthBox website and I found a picture. It isn't the one I saw before but it is still good. Just in that picture I can see three good size watermelons and one tiny one. That isn't even the whole plant I bet there are a bunch more we can't see.

{{gwi:34681}}

Thanks for the info.

When I mentioned that it was suggested I post over here, I think I mis-stated it. I saw mention about posting here, I thought about cross posting, but I've been around various forums for a long time and I usually see cross posting as semi-spam.

My thinking is to use one of those big plastic buckets that people use to put a couple cases of soda in for parties. I'd then use a trellis around the container so they can cling to that.

As for planting them in the ground, I thought about that, but from what I've read, the ground needs to be loose. I'm in an end of group townhouse and my yard is all clay and crushed run. It's like concrete. I'd have to go with raised beds anyway. That's still a possibility, but not sold on that.

On these forums cross posting isn't the unforgivable sin it is elsewhere. It should be avoided when reasonably possible, but it's not a big deal when a post could fit into multiple places and it's really not clear which forum will get the most/best responses. Noobies get special tolerance ;-)

Just do your best and I think most will be fine with it.

I don't have a lot of advice for you as it regards melons other than to just plant some seeds and see how it goes.

I have grown melons in the shade in clay soil that wouldn't even grow weeds. The plants got very large and simply grew into the sun and their roots seemed to break through the rocklike soil and get to water and nutrients.

Melons are remarkably tough plants. Sure, there is an 'ideal' way to grow them, but don't think it's not worth a try if you can't provide the ideal.

In nature the melons grow in hostile environments which is why they have evolved to have such a deep root system. Given a little sun light most people can get melons to grow at least reasonably well.

I tried it last year. I won't say I "grew" melons in pots, because they never matured but I think it was just because I started them too late. My first melons died during our 7-in-of-rain-in-one-week-phenomenon (yeah, that was great for the garden) and when I replanted I put some in the ground and sound in large terracotta pots. They ones in pots were trellised. They were ice-box sized watermelons so not too huge but they only got to be about softball-sized. The ones in the ground, however, never even set fruit so the ones in pots definitely did better. I started them late June so I knew it was wishful thinking but eh, it was worth a try. Anyway, I'd definitely try it and if you can get some in the ground too, so much the better!

I planted Sugar-Baby watermelons a few years ago in a cattle trough (8'x2'and about 2' deep), with "Mel's Mix" and trellised with stockings to hold the watermelons. They did well. The next year, not so well. My watermelons were tiny, stunted, misshapen and died on the vine. I found out later that they probably didn't get pollinated enough. One female flower needs to be pollinated about 8 times to form a proper fruit. I realized that I didn't see a lot of bees around that year. Just something to keep in mind!

I've done this with great success! A big pot w/ saucer (remember it's gonna drink like a monster!) on the back deck (had full sun from 10a on). I planted Moon & Stars, and I forget what other variety in another pot. Best thing was, the vines got to grow over the deck...no soil or bugs to muck things up!

I've grown both Golden Midget and Cream of Saskatchewan, in the ground, but given my hard clay soil and the fact that I dig deep trenches, it's effectively container gardening on a large scale.

Watermelon vines are very fragile and will probably not survive the move unless you trellis. If you are going to do this, I would recommend as large a pot as feasible for you, perhaps 18" diameter by 18" deep or larger. Buy a redwood trellis that is about 2 feet wide by 3-4 feet tall and secure in the pot, then plant. Thin to your best 2 vines and weave then through the trellis as the vines grow. When the vines reach over the top you can weave then across, then down, then across and up again. Cradle the baby melons in a fabric sling that you tie-wrap to the trellis. Put the melons on a drip irrigation system unless your schedule allows you to regularly water.

When you move, load the pots into back of a pickup truck and drive to your new home !

Wayne

Thanks again for the input. We aren't completely sure that we are moving. We will be looking, but the ecconomy may not allow it.