How to grow Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

Common problems

• Fruit rots where it touches the soil. Belly rot from constant ground moisture. Set ripening melons on straw, cardboard, or a tile to lift them off wet ground.
• Flowers but no fruit. Only male flowers open yet, or too few pollinators. Be patient for female flowers; hand-pollinate or plant flowers to draw bees.
• Bland, pale flesh. Harvested early or watered heavily near ripeness. Check the ground spot turns creamy yellow and the tendril nearest the fruit browns; reduce water late.
• Wilting vines in midday despite moist soil. Cucumber beetles spreading bacterial wilt. Control beetles early with row cover until flowering, then remove wilted vines.