I'm surprised nobody has responded yet BR. I know watermelons are though of as a summer crop but I've often thought they would be easier to grow in the fall here due to less rain/mildew and pest problems....

Tom

Tom,

I goggled the question and have found little information on it. I don't see why it would not work.....we shall see, I planted both just a bit ago. Same watermelon I planted this spring which was awesome (strawberry) and planted Gandalf cantaloupe that Silvia sent me......we shall see.

BR,
I tried growing them in the spring inside my screenhouse last year but they didn't pollinate well without bees.
I grew both of them them for last fall with good success outdoors(not in the screenhouse)but I was still using my earthboxes(not in the ground)and I planted the seeds taken from fruit bought at a local roadside fruit stand on HWY41. So I'm no help as to the variety they were, but both the cantaloupes & watermelons reached full maturity. I will be planting them again for this fall(I'm leery as to when to start them with all this dang heat we've been having) Let me know when you will start yours for the fall. I did not plant them this spring in my screenhouse as the runners go everywhere.

Lou

I read an article somewhere a few years back that they actually did better here in the fall due to less mildew and pest problems; I guess it all depends on how much night/morning dew you get in the fall vs. excessive moisture from the summer rains. Sure wish I knew why the farmers here don't bother with them this time of year, folks not buying them in the fall/winter? Decreased production? Better selling crops for their land use?

Tom

Lou,

I planted them today. Glad to hra it worked for you last fall.

Silvia,

I agree, does not hurt to try.

Tom,

I wondered the same thing.....you would think the farmers would plant a fall crop.

I planted some about 2 weeks ago. For the first week I provided some screening for shade and bug protection. They are fine with the heat. No disease evidence yet. I saw some minot insect damage and killed one tiny worm. We shall see.

BR,

OK sounds good, I will start some tomorrow morning. I was holding off because of the heat, but I still have plenty of seeds to start up a few 6 inch pots of each and see how they do before transferring them to the earthboxes.

Lou

I planted sugar baby at the beginning of July, I have several flowers on it and so far no issues with powdery mildew or bugs. Haven't seen any fruit set as of yet, but I hope to soon.

Hello all!

My first post here. Glad to have found this thread as I have also planted some watermelons this fall (along with some pumpkin and volunteer 'compost' cantelopes!)

My question/concern is: I planted my seeds on July 24, and have had good success with flowering, bees, and fruiting. However, in the last week or so, I have not noticed any further growth. I have one melon that is as round as a tennis ball and 8' long. This is about the size I got them last time I tried watermelons before they started to shrivel up.

I laid out black weed cover as a 'mulch' before planting, which seemed to help a lot as the seeds came up really fast.

Both the watermelons and pumpkins leaves are yellowing (a lot more on the watermelons). I think I water them pretty good, and I read to let the top 1' - 2' dry before watering again. I am wondering if I should take the 'mulch' cover off to allow the soil to dry more.

I am attempting to fertilize with by a specific schedule according to some info I found online (but some say more potassium when fruiting starts, other say more phosphorous).

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I am at my wits end as I can't find any specific info online, and don't really know anyone here in NEFL who grows them successfully.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a link that might be useful: My Blog

Well shoot, if I had a watermelon that was eight feet long, I'd be pretty proud of it, myself! :)
I don't think the black weed cover could be hurting anything - watermelons usually have mostly just one long taproot, going straight down from where the original seed was planted, so if water can get in right there, that's probably good enough. Have you tried spraying with anything fungicidal? I think if you take the mulch cover off it might hurt more than help, because they're so darn susceptible to molds and fungi picked up on the leaves from soil.

^^Ha! Yeah, that would be quite a feat! Chalk it up to bad typing habits...

Thanks for the info, Karen. I am trying to use as few chemicals as possible, so I have not used any fungi- or pesticides, and so far, haven't really needed them. I am kind of flying by the seat of my pants, and whatever info I can find online and in books, but nothing is consistent (and nothing specifically for Zone 9. :P ).

If anyone successfully grows them in NE FL, I'd be interested in meeting up to compare notes.

I started my first crop in April and had a disaster, rabbits ate most of the plants and only had 2 watermelon the size of a grapefruit. I started the plants I 1 gallon buckets with potting soil 10/10/10 and miracle grow. when about 4 inches tall transferred to the ground. any advise. I want to succeed. thanks all Steve

what’s the Proper fertilization for the watermelon plants