Grow a healthy watermelon crop

 6 tips you need to follow to grow a healthy watermelon crop

On a hot summer day, the taste of sweet, juicy watermelon will win some things over! This easy-to-grow plant is an excellent addition to gardens and does not take much work to make a successful harvest. If you have garden space, you will find that growing watermelons is worth the work.

Sometimes we can all use a little extra help in our projects. So if you have never grown watermelons before, if you are an experienced person who wants to give it a try or want to see if you are doing it right, read these tips to grow a healthy watermelon crop!

1. Start with well-fertilized soil

Regardless of what you plant in your garden, one of the best things you can do for it is to start with nutritious soil. This will help to provide the nutrients needed for the seeds or seedlings to start growing. Before planting, add a thick layer of compost to the garden area and work well up to 4-6 "above the soil surface. Adding nutrients to the soil is one of the many benefits of composting; Earth911 talks about many more.

2. Plant seeds or seedlings in the hills

Watermelons like to be grown on soil mounds. If you are planting seeds, 8-10 seeds per hill, push them into the soil about 1 ". After germination, thin the dunes to the best 2-3 plants. If planting seedlings, you can put 2-3 small plants per hill.

3. Give more space to plants

As watermelon vines grow, they will take up a good amount of real estate in your garden. Space at 2-3 'intervals between hills and rows 7-10' to allow the plants to expand. Some gardeners prefer to plant them at the edge of the garden, allowing the vines to crawl out of the yard from other garden plants.

4. Provide plenty of water

One of the most important aspects of growing watermelons is ensuring that they have plenty of water. Since watermelons are made up of 92% water, watermelons need water when they are growing fruits. Give the plants a limited amount of water and if possible try to keep the water directly at the base of the plant, avoiding the use of overhead irrigation techniques. If possible allow water to penetrate to 6 "above the soil surface.

5. Keep the zone free of weeds

Before the plants grow long vines and cover the soil surface, it is important to keep the area between the hills free of weeds. This can be done by manually measuring the soil lightly or using a small, running rototiller, carefully avoiding dunes and root systems.

6. Benefit from subsidiary planting

Subsidiary planting - or planting vegetables together to benefit each other - is a common practice in many gardens and will help plants grow better through their symbiotic relationship. Watermelons grow well when planted with polar beans or corn. Beans provide extra nitrogen to watermelon plants and corn helps large watermelon leaves provide shade from the midday sun. Marigolds repel beetles, creating an exceptional accessory to vine plants. Provides an excellent chart listing vegetable garden life acceptable sub-plantings.