Please Help

I have no idea why your seeds aren't germinating, but I will add two ideas about what you are doing.

First, could you replant in between the hills as a backup? I don't think it's too late, and you can remove the new hills if your old hills come through.

Second thought is whether or not the oak bark mulch mixed in is a good idea. It seems to me that you'd be better off leaving the bark out of your mix. Uncomposted bark is going to rob nitrogen from the soil. Mulching with the bark would probably be better than adding it to the soil mix at root level.

Brandon:

I also direct seed watermelons and cantaloupes and I know why yours haven't germinated. You put them in way, way too early, before soil temperatures were high enough for germination. Melons will not germinate until night temperatures are at a reliable 60 degrees F. Many people start their melon seeds indoors to get a little jump, but it's not much, and you run the risk of the seedlings becoming leggy. I think they catch right up when direct seeded a little later, and there is no transplant risk.

The most friendly environment you can create for melons is black plastic, with hills planted in holes through the material. You can lay down the plastic about 10 days before planting, and it will warm the soil and hold in the heat.

Creating bowls of organic material where you plant will have little beneficial effect, since melon roots spread far and wide, following the vines above. If you want to improve the fertility of your patch, till in compost over the entire area, not just where you plant the seeds. Agree that undecomposed oak bark is a bad amendment, and may rob nitrogen from the soil.

It is not at all to late to re-seed your melons, since the seeds you have previously sown have probably rotted in the soil. I am in a warmer climate than you, and have not even considered sowing melons yet because of low night temperatures. Last night we got down to 39 degrees. But I will lay down my plastic today, and will sow in the next few days. I will be picking the 75-80 day melons from mid-August and into September. Your much larger melons, which I never grow, may take a little longer. I prefer a sugar baby type hybrid called Jade Star, which can get to 19 pounds, and this year will be growing some very expensive seedless types from Stokes. I want to make sure every one of those seeds germinates, since they cost close to a buck apiece.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks Don. As usual, you give great information. I will probably do what you have sugested in that I will cover my entire planting area which is quite large with compost, and then till it in well. I wonder why my cantalouple and atlantic giant watermelon germinated then. I guess they require less warm temps. I did use black plastic, however I havent pulled the material up around the seeds as well as I could of. I forgot the actual hole where they were planted, so I just placed the plastic around the mounds. Should I soak my seeds as well, would that help at all? Oh and if I need to replant when could I try that. If I used a milk jug, or some plastic container to create a greenhouse effect over the hole would that help the germination process. Thanks again, you give great information. brandon

brandon: If you really want to get your melons up early go the mini greenhouse route. I planted watermelons this yr in mid March with low temp in the 30s and low 40s. Using clear poly and a 40 watt bulb at night they emerged in 3 days. The hill is now 8ft across with small fruit. We have had 8 days so far this yr with low temp 60F or above. We don't reliably get above 60F at night until late May-early June.

It does take some effort but clear poly will warm the soil much more than black. It is also great for growing weeds. So this is just something you use until it warms up. Also, I'm in a sunny climate. Neither black nor clear poly will help in cloudy rainy weather.

There is some poly sold by places like Harris seed that both warm the soil and control weeds. They are kind of intermediate between black and clear on both soil temp and weed control.

The Fruitnut

Don,

I've never been able to grow a consistent good tasting watermelon, so you're way ahead of me, but in case it had escaped you, wanted to mention the new seedless types require higher temps to germinate. I've read 90F for optimum germination. Just wanting you to get the most bang for your buck. At a dollar a seed, they may be worth more in weight than gold.

I've planted seedless watermelons for the last few years and had excellent luck. The seeds germinate just as easily as all the seed types for me. They do come up 3 or 4 days after most of the seeded type but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with temperatures.