Watermelons

[Leafpoker]

I have been to Publix and most groceries in The Villages looking for good watermelons. I have got a couple from Browns Market, they were not ripe. Marion Market is a real crap shoot. If anyone has a good consistent place. Would you please let me know. I am not interested in anything other than watermelon.

[Uptown Girl]

How to choose the best watermelon

One of the best ways to celebrate summer is to enjoy sweet, ripe watermelons. But knowing when to harvest or buying the best one is not always an easy chore. Of all the hard-to-choose fruits, watermelon is one of the toughest to select. The hard rind of a watermelon can be up to an inch thick and doesn't soften as it ripens. It's green when ripe and green when unripe. So, how do you select a juicy, sweet watermelon?

Your best bet is to grow your own or buy local and "in season", through mid-July. Collin Adcock, Extension Agent in Washington County, provides us some tips on how to know when to harvest watermelons from your garden.

Choosing a ripe watermelon from the field or garden can be much easier than choosing a ripe one in the store. The ability to recognize a ripe melon comes from years of experience and careful observation. In the garden there are several clues to help determine the ripeness of a melon that one does not always have in the store.

Most people rely on four methods of determining melon ripeness in the field.

First, look at the tendril or "pigtail" closest to the melon. When this tendril turns brown and dries out, it is a good sign that the melon is ripe.

Next, look at the bottom of the melon where it lays on the ground. When this area, sometimes referred to as the "color spot", turns from white to a light yellow, there is a good chance the watermelon is ripe.

Then look at the rind. When the rind becomes rough to the touch and turns from a more shiny color to a more dull color and is resistant to penetration by the thumbnail it is a sign of melon ripeness.

The last method is the thump test. This is done by thumping the top of the melon. If the watermelon has a dull thud when thumped, it is very possible the melon is ripe. Unripe melons will usually have a tighter, ringing or hollow sound. Be careful when using this test because it is not always reliable. Watermelons do not always give off a dull thud when ripe. For some watermelons a dull thud may indicate an over-ripe melon.

Only a melon's taste can provide definitive proof as to its ripeness. A foolproof approach is to cut open several melons that appear to be ripe (based on the above methods), and then taste all of the melons and decide which one has the best taste. After locating the best tasting watermelon note the condition of the closest tendril, the color spot, how the thump sounds, and the shine of the rind along with melon size. Harvest all those that have similar characteristics.

When buying a watermelon, you should look for "a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free of bruises, cuts or dents" according to the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

When you see a nice-looking watermelon, pick it up and feel its heft; then pick up a few others of similar size to compare. At 92 percent water, a good melon should feel heavy for its size.

How do you know a watermelon ripened on the vine? Easy, turn the melon over and check for a creamy yellow spot. That's a sign that the watermelon sat on the ground and in the sun to ripen. The yellow spot is the only place the sun didn't hit.

[Mikitv]

I use most of that information when picking our water melons and we buy one or two a week. So far the best ones have been the Publix at Colony Plaza. If you have trouble picking out a good one ask one of their produce people. They are very good about what's good.

[skyguy79]

For some strange reason the title of this post reminded me that we're staying in a hotel in Phoenix that's directly across the street from a Hooters! :shrug:

[samhass]

I bury vegetable scraps in my flowerbeds and am always getting volunteer "stuff". Today I picked a large seeded watermelon. I thumped it but was not sure if it was ripe. When I cut into it, the melon almost exploded. It was a luscious, sweet, perfect melon. I cut it into pieces and shared with my neighbors. The rind and seeds will go back into the flower beds.
It was quite large. Several more melons are growing, as are cantalopes, peppers and volunteer tomatoes. When I buy the large tricolor packs of peppers at Sams, the seeds and stems go into the backyard flower beds. The vegetable matter feeds the soil and I am rewarded with vegetables and fruits.
Recycling my veggie scraps gives me food for body and soul.:smiley:

[jojo]

samhass, First welcome back. Good to hear from you and about your watermelon. I wish we could have a garden forum. We are still adjusting to Florida gardening and have not figured out the timing for planting. This year I put tomatoes in in February and it worked better than previously. However, in the middle of the summer I find it difficult to grow any vegetables. Would be interested in what other folks are able to grow. We have had good luck with green beans and green peppers and some "cold" weather vegetables that we plant in the fall like cabbage and collards.

[samhass]

Things seem to grow better in the lanai during the heat of summer. Mr Sam built a raised garden on wheels for me. The soil/peat moss in it is about a foot thick. A pipe carries water to the bottom of the soil since some plants do not like wet leaves. The "garden" is outside the lanai at present but is sheltered from the afternoon sun. In a bad storm iI can be rolled inside the lanai.
Back to the original thread, this is watermelon country. Poke a hole in the ground with your finger and put a seed in it. That's how you get a good melon!