There is no summertime treat that compares to the freshness of a watermelon picked from your own garden.If you don't know when to pick watermelons, your efforts will go unrewarded.You'll be able to tell when your melons are ripe and ready by knowing what to look for, feel for and smell for.
Step 1: Allow the watermelon to grow for a few months.
It takes a lot of different factors to determine how long it will take for your melons to mature, but it should be between 2 and 4 months.For an idea of how long it will take for the watermelons to mature, look at the seed packet.Store your seeds in a safe place if you write the date on the packet.It's a good idea to keep a record of when your watermelons will be ready.Depending on the climate you're growing them in, the time it takes for your melons to mature can vary.Don't rely on the time frame to tell when your watermelons will be ripe.
Step 2: The watermelon has a color on it.
Lift the watermelon and be careful not to pull it off the vine.The melon is resting on the ground as it grows.A yellow watermelon is ripe if it has a white field spot.As you turn the watermelon over, look for insects on its underside.
Step 3: The tendrils around the melon should be looked at.
The tendrils around each melon may start to brown as the melon matures, because the vines the watermelon grow off of will remain green up until they die.To determine which melons are ready to be picked, look for this around each melon.If there are still watermelons left on the vine, you should harvest them immediately.The vine is dying and the watermelons are ripe.
Step 4: A hollow sound can be heard when a melon is hit.
If you want to knock on the watermelon, hold it up to your ear and flick it with one finger.A ripe watermelon will give off a lower-pitched and hollow sound, whereas an un ripe one will have a higher pitch to it.One of the more reliable ways to check for ripeness is by using this.If you're unsure if your melon is making the right sound, find someone who can demonstrate it for you.The best way to find out what the perfect melon should sound like is to ask around.You can use your phone to record the sound of a melon.You can record the sound of other melons from the same and future crops if it's perfect when you cut into it.
Step 5: To see if it gives, squeeze the watermelon.
When firmly squeezed, a ripe watermelon should have some give to it.To check the watermelon's give, use two hands, be careful not to damage the melon, and give it a light squeeze.
Step 6: Look for a dull color.
As watermelons mature, they will change from having a bright green rind with a slight shine to a duller and more uniform tone over the top.Look for melons with very little contrast between their stripes.
Step 7: It's a good idea to check for a sweet smell.
The smell of a watermelon can indicate when it is ripe and ready to be picked.Take a deep inhale when you get close to the watermelon.A ripe melon has a sweet scent that reminds you of a perfectly ripe watermelon.The test might become less effective if you grow a lot of watermelons.It's more difficult to pick out the smell of a watermelon from a field than it is to smell it on its own.The smell test is more effective with other types of melon than it is with watermelons.