I know the weather will get warmer again, I think the night time temps are important (critical?) aspect, and the pattern for the next 10 days looks significantly below the ideal of 75 degrees.

I get the sense that 95% of watermelon growth has already occurred, just wondering if anybody who has grown them in cooler zones can attest. I have cabbages and other cool weather seedlings that need 2 months (about exactly what remains before frost in this area) to go in the ground.

I rarely have night time temperatures in the 60s, let alone 70s. I do not try to grow the large watermelons but the smaller ones still ripen in the warmer days.

Good to know. My prior experience with melons was at my home garden using various methods and locations, I'd get a little to no vine growth until 6 weeks later, followed by a golf ball sized melon mid July, and a softball sized melon by August. Then it would become cooler and I'd have a pink immature excuse for a melon in Sept.

Growing at the community garden in sandy soil, in full sun, planted early has been a huge difference. I just need to figure out what my problem is at my home garden.

Curious about your blacktail watermelon. How long after it was pollinated was it ready? I know this is a shorter growing time variety compared to other watermelons. I have one growing and they are predicting a very warm September and possibly October too.

I had black diamond mixed with blacktail mountain so I'm not fully sure which variety I had at the end. Seeds were planted Mid april, planted out Mid May, and I think visible fruits were being seen early June. Most of them were ripe and picked early to mid August.

Thanks for the response! I think I will just leave it there and see what happens. I am not planting anything there for fall anyway so might as well.