Use this guide to learn how to transplant watermelon seedlings from your starter trays to your garden this summer.
If you live in a northern or some other cooler climate, you will probably want to take some extra measures if you desire to grow juicy watermelon in your garden this year. This will often mean growing them from seed indoors and then transplanting your seedlings outdoors later. Transplanting watermelon seedlings needs to be done with a little bit of care, so here are some tips on how to transplant watermelon seedlings for success.
How to Harden Off Your Watermelon Seedlings
Most seedlings need to be put through a hardening-off process before planting outdoors. This process allows your plants to get used to the outdoor temperatures and conditions before being planted in the ground. Watermelons are certainly no exception. It’s a very simple process, too.
To harden off your watermelon seedlings, simply take them outdoors, as long as it’s warm, and place them on a covered porch protected from wind if you expect it. To start, take them outdoors for just a couple of hours. Take them in each night. Leave them out for longer periods of time until you can leave them overnight. This should only take a few days.
How to Transplant Watermelon Seedlings
First, you will want to prepare the soil. This is done by adding extra compost and fertilizer to it and mixing it in. You can also get the sil to be warmer by adding black gardening plastic over your soil in a couple of weeks before you plant them. This will also keep weeds away at first.
You will also want to time it right. Watermelons can take 60-90 days to be harvested. This depends on the variety and your area, but make sure you aren’t planting too early (before the danger of frost has passed or so they will be in danger of frosting when harvest comes.) To be safe, don’t plant until 1-2 weeks after the last frost has passed.
If all of this is right, you can take your watermelon seedlings gently out of their seedling containers and plant them into the ground. Dig holes that are the same size of the plant and build a little mound for each one to grow in. Do not handle the roots too much when you plant. Watermelon seedlings are very prone to damage at the root and will die if not properly cared for. Don’t shake the dirt off.
Watermelons will need 4-6 feet spacing to have enough room to grow. Make sure you space them for their variety as dwarf or quicker growing varieties can tolerate 4 feet but others cannot.
Water after planting, but do not soak.
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