What fruit makes summer? No fruit like the good ol' watermelon, as far as I'm concerned.
I planted a few watermelon seeds at the edge of a mulch pile this spring, crossed my fingers and walked away. Much to my surprise (after much of my garden ended in dissapointment when heavy rains took a toll on my seeds) these watermelon seeds finally sprouted and took off. I would have to estimate that these plants are growing close to a foot a day in all directions.
I have spoken to many gardeners who just haven't had good luck with watermelon in my area. I planted one seedling last year and harvested five decent fruit. I wondered if it was just luck. Looking at this years progress so far, I would have to say it isn't just luck.
I've proven over and over that I don't have a particularly green thumb, so I can't take all the credit. I think it is because I'm using mulch with the "Back to Eden" gardening method. I know most people gardening these days are at least familiar with this method, but if you aren't you should check it out at Back to Eden Film.com. The way it is explained by gardener Paul Gauchi, the mulch captures water when needed and displaces the excess. I don't water my garden much, if at all. Granted, I may have better results with some plants if I do, but honestly I don't think anything I've grown has failed due to lack of water. The mulch does a really good job of keeping it damp just an inch or two below the surface. There are many more benefits of this method that I feel make it worthwhile.
But this isn't a post about "how-to" this or "you should" that. I just wanted to share my watermelon success!
Thanks for reading!
Edit: Like I said, I really don't have a green thumb. While I love gardening, I'm still learning. My wife brought it to my attention that these watermelon looked more like squash. Well, I believe she is right. They look more like butternut squash leaves. So, let's laugh a little, because I can't delete a blockchain post.☺
What about you? How is your garden doing? Have you grown watermelon? Any tips or advice that might help?