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[Campo Girl]

Hey Gang

You are not going to believe this but on my way out to the supermarket this afternoon we spotted a watermelon growing wild, I am very excited, however, I don't have the foggiest idea what I need to do, I expect I need some form of netting or support like I do with my tomatoes.

It is a dark green watermelon - I will take piccies tomorrow and post them in so you can see.

CampoGirl - you know where the hole is for Chris' telescope? Well it is growing next to that, I couldn't believe it, I will show you tomorrow.

Laters people

[gayleywaley]

Ha, I too have a melon growing in with yy tomato plants, which were topped up with soil from the compost. Its quite ickle at the moment but I have high hopes for my melon which I am hoping will be ready for Halloween and a vodka melon....yummy!

[Campo Girl]

Ha, back at ya

We have 2 more growing again, we ate the last ones and they were yummy.

Weird how they just grow from nowhere! It seems like the wild stuff grows fine but the veggies that I pray will grow all die - maybe I should just scatter seeds and then walk away and hope for the best

I have done 2 vodka melons over the oast few years, both of them were forgotten and thrown away, waste of Vodka

Send us pics of your melons

[Alana]

Dear fellow watermelon growing friends,

I have joined your ranks!!

Watermelons are the first fruit that I am growing. (there is a lemon and an orange tree in the garden but I am solely responsible for my watermelons)

In my eagerness in the garden centre last week I was looking at the seed packets trying to find out what was best to grow in the months of May/June. Turns out there wasn't much in this garden centre (the one on the Coin road near the storage warehouse unit that burned down a couple weeks ago) that liked growing in June so I went with the carrots, cuandalucia gardening bers and watermelon seeds that were good for May time.

I have no idea what to expect but I have it on good authority from Campogirl that my pots should be ok and I don't need 1.5 metres of seed lines to get 1 watermelon so I'm quite excited at seeing my diddy watermelon grow from the soil.

I hope not to kill it through over/under watering so any tips on that front would be fab.

:-)

[Campo Girl]

Hola

How exciting that we have converted you to a gardener so soon! LOL

Watermelons should be no problem at all, I have had them growing wild in the garden before now, all the need it water and remember do not water in the heat of the day or you will burn the leaves, treat them like you would a baby

If you water in the morning and at night you will have success

It will not hurt to feed with tomato fertilizer in this heat and do that in weekly intervals.

Pinch out growing tips to encourage the sideshoots, which will bear the fruiting flowers

When you see flowers forming you should also get pollinating insects arrive too, so you will be a hive of activity, if fruits have formed, remove as they inhibit subsequent fruiting

Watering well will prevent the fruit from splitting, remove any leaves that you see affected with powedery mildew, periodically damp down to deter red spider mite

Good luck and if you see issues, let us know straight away, good to have you here girlfriend x

[Alana]

Thanks for the advice!

I am eagerly awaiting the first shoot now and shall make sure I water them often. The only other thing I have managed to grow so far has been rosemary and chives. Chives need next to no input whatsoever which is probably why they are still alive but I am determined to get my own watermelon!

:-)

[Campo Girl]

Please make sure you share an image or two when you do grow, attached is an image of the Piel de Sapo that we grew last year and we had 1 a day which is just lovely, in the shops these are €2 each so we were well impressed

Above you can also see the image I uploaded of the wild watermelons we had growing, we thought someone had kicked a football into the garden LOL

[Alana]

Definitely!

I am hoping I don't miss too much while we're away (about 10 days this month)

Maybe I should temporarily move them out of direct sunlight while we're away??

:-)

[Campo Girl]

Eeeek and nobody to water them? There is a good possibility of losing them if they get hot sun all day and no water, if watermelons get 0 water this causes them to split and yours have not even germinated yet

Your best solution would be a small irrigation system, we have irrigation here because there is just no way I could go outside and hose every single day, so we have automatic irrig which comes on twice daily during summer

If you cannot give them irrig then yes move them out of the sun, you can also buy small packet from Aki and for the life of me I cannot remember what it is called but basically you slit the packet place on the soil and it releases water slowly, it is like a gel, I have always found it in Aki in their garden section, this may not serve them for 10 days but could do 7 days

If you want, bring the pot to me and I will tender it for you while you are away x

[Alana]

I'm touched! A qualified pro in the watermelon growing stakes as my watermelon seed plantsitter!  (you know I'd do the same for you but a) I'm away at the same time and b) I would need an extensive do-water-this & don't-water-that sort of list! lol)

We actually have the bits to do an automated irrigation thing sitting on 1 terrace, the watermelons are on the bottom terraces now but should be able to move pot (heavy clay thing) to be temporarily irrigated while away. Otherwise gardener does come 1/week to do the rest. The tiny pot with watermelon seeds in (hey, what can I say, I thought it would be funny to see what smallest pot you could grow one from....!) could potentially be looked after in the office (although I've also been told I would have to take the cat-shaped pot with dangly eyes into the office to ask if they'd look after it as "he" will not do it!)

My melons will not die!! Or I'll feel like I've "failed" a season and will have to look into veg-I-can-plant-in-June!!

If it all goes to plan I shall be asking advice on preparations for autumnal vegetables and will buy my own pink gardening tools!! oh-er....

x

[Alana]

Watermelon update!

[Alana]

I've finally managed to attach the photo of my fledgling watermelons!!

They have been on the automatic irrigation since we were away and are coming along quite nicely! I know they should really be in bigger pots but there was slight overexcitement just to get them planted (newbie gardener an' all that...) but I am hoping they will continue to grow!

How long do they actually take to grow to actual watermelon size? Or even until I can make out the beginnings of an actual watermelon??

:-)

[Campo Girl]

The image has failed Alana

I am glad they have not died though and you took the advice to get an automatic irrigation system

It will not be long until you can recognise that it is a watermelon

Simone x