Watermelon Production

Land preparation

A large expanse of land is required to successfully run your watermelon farm. The first step to take is to find the land you will need for the cultivation in a location where the watermelon plants can get six to eight hours of sunlight each day. Source: http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/starting-water-melon-farm/ . Watermelon can be planted on flat land or on ridges/plant beds depending on the nature of the soil. It requires loamy soil or silt loam soil and it also performs well on heavy soil if it is well drained. It does not tolerate water logging and so, if planted on heavy soil, ridging will be helpful to improve drainage. According to plant physiologist, if the water table level is high (in the core rainy season), seed beds or ridges are essential. On loamy soil, it is usually planted on the flat land. http://leadership.ng/2017/05/12/make-millions-farming-water-melon-anywhere-in-nigeria/

Types of watermelon

All varieties of watermelon share a distinct mouth-watering, thirst quenching, sugary flesh encased by a solid rind. Some watermelon types have higher sugar content and are sweeter; and some varieties have different coloured rind and flesh. Most of us are familiar with the oblong, dark green watermelon with vibrant ruby red pulp, but melons may also be light pink, yellow and even orange. Size can vary amount watermelons from small 5 pounders to a monstrous 200 pounds. There are basically four types of watermelon:

1. Seedless Watermelons: Successive breeding has at last created a melon that is just as sweet as seeded varietals; however, it has not greatly improved low seed germination. Growing seedless types is a bit more complex than simply planting a seed and letting it sprout. The seed must be kept at a constant 90^oF that is (32 C.) until emergence. Seedless watermelons have tiny underdeveloped seeds, despite the name, which are easily consumed. The melons usually weigh from 10-20 pounds and mature in about 85 days. Seedless melons include: Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, Millionaire, Crimson, Trio and Nova
2. Picnic Watermelons: this is another type of watermelon that tends to be larger, from 16-45 pounds or more, perfect for a picnic gathering. These are the traditional oblong or round melons with a green rind and sweet, red flesh – which mature at around 85 days or so. Some varieties here include: Charleston Gray, Black Diamond, Jubilee, All sweet and Crimson Sweet
3. Icebox Watermelon: These type is bred to feed one person or a small family and, as such, are much smaller than their counterparts at 5-15 pounds. Watermelon plant varieties in this genre include:

• Sugar Baby: Sugar Babies are sweet pulped with dark green rinds and were first introduced in 1956
• Tiger Baby: Tiger Babies are golden once mature in about 75 days.

1. Yellow/Orange Watermelons: These are typically round and can be both seedless and seeded. Seeded varieties include: Desert King, Tender gold, Yellow Baby and Yellow Doll. Seedless varieties include Chiffon and Honey heart. As you may have guessed, depending upon the variety, flesh is yellow to orange in colour. These melons mature in about 75 days. As you can see, there are plenty of watermelon options out there to experiment with in the garden. Maybe you even want to try and grow a square watermelon nexthttps://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/watermelon/types-of-watermelon.htm

Seedlings:

The next step to take is to source for healthy watermelon seedling. Farmers that already run their own watermelon farmers can supply you with healthy seedling to use on your own farm.

Climatic and soil requirement:

If you live in warmer climes, you can sow seeds directly outdoors, but wait until the soil temperature warms to at least 70°F to avoid poor germination. Watermelon vines are very tender and should not be transplanted until all danger of frost has passed. (To be safe, wait at least two weeks past your last frost date.) If you are in a cooler zone, start seeds indoors about a month before transplanting. Amend soil with aged manure, seaweed, and/or compost before planting. Watermelons are heavy feeders. Growing the vines in raised rows, known as hills, ensures good drainage and will hold the sun’s heat longer. Space the plants about 2 feet apart in a 5-foot-wide hill. If you’re growing in rows, space 6 feet by 6 feet apart. Watermelons like loamy, well-drained soil. Handle them gently when you transplant. After you transplant, cover the plants with row covers to keep pests at bay. You’ll remove the row covers when you see both male and female flowers on the vine.

Management

• Mulching with black plastic will serve multiple purposes: it will warm the soil, hinder weedgrowth, and keep developing fruits clean.
• Watering is very important—from planting until fruit begins to form. While melon plants are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
• Keep soil moist, but not waterlogged. Water at the vine’s base in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves and avoid overhead watering. Reduce watering once fruit are growing. Dry weather produces the sweetest melon.
• If you choose to fertilize (and many do), make sure it delivers more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium. However, after flowering begins, use a fertilizer with less nitrogen. We like to use liquid seaweed.
• Pruning isn’t necessary, but vine productivity may be improved if you do not allow lateral (side) vines to grow and stick to the main vine. When the plant is young, just cut off the end buds as they form (before the side shoots become vines). You can also pinch off some blossoms to focus the energy on fewer melons (though it’s a challenge to kill off a potential fruit).
• Vines produce male and female flowers separately on the same plant. They often begin producing male flowers several weeks before the females appear. Do not be concerned if the male flowers fall off. The female flowers (which have a swollen bulb at the base) will stay on the vine and bear fruit.
• Blossoms require pollination to set fruit, so be kind to the bees!
• As fruit is ripening, prevent rotting by gently lifting it and putting cardboard or straw between the fruit and the soil. https://www.almanac.com/plant/watermelon

Pest and disease

Cucumber beetles and vine borers are the worst watermelon pests of watermelon.

Aphids

• Use commercially available biological aphid controls or by spraying with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.

• You can often get rid of aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent. https://www.almanac.com/pest/aphids

Cucumber beetles:

• Apply an insecticide such as Sevin or use Bacillus thuringensis for organic control.
• Floating row covers work, too, but they should be removed when watermelon plants start to bloom, at which time pollinating insects must be allowed to reach the flowers. http://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/vegetables/watermelons/all-about-watermelons/article10022.html

Squash Vine Borer Moths:

• Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the stalks when the squash vines are small. Reapply after rain. Also, build up the soil around the vines. Or, sprinkle black pepper around the plants as a defense.

• If possible, catch and destroy the moths at twilight or in early morning when they are resting on the upper side of leaf bases. https://www.almanac.com/pest/squash-vine-borer

Planting

Watermelon is a space hog; vines can reach 20 feet in length. So plant where there is plenty of open ground. Amend soil with organic matter such as compost or composted cow manure. Add a balanced fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. Sow 8 to 10 watermelon seeds in a hill, and push seeds 1 inch into the soil. Space hills 3 to 4 feet apart, with at least 8 feet between rows. Thin plants to the 3 best in each hill. Keep soil free of weeds by shallow hoeing or with a layer of mulch. Watermelon plants have moderately deep roots and watering is seldom necessary unless the weather turns dry for a prolonged period. When vines begin to ramble, side dress plants with half a cup of balanced fertilizer (5-10-5). A third application of fertilizer should be made when melons are set. Withhold water as melons start to mature to intensify sweetness. http://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/vegetables/watermelons/all-about-watermelons/article10022.html

The cultivation process in watermelon farming is quite complicated as you need to plant the seedlings in a specific way to give them better space to germinate. When planting the watermelon seed, each hole for the watermelon seedling needs to be 1-foot-deep and over 1.5 feet wide. Cover the hole with fertilizer, place the seed on the top and push with your finger till it gets to at least 0.5 foot deep. For the spacing, you should allow a space of 8 feet between each plant to allow the vines enough space to spread out when the plant begins to grow. If possible, do the planting when the weather is hot, up to at least 70 degrees hot, because watermelon functions better in hot weather.

Watering: For the first few weeks after planting, you need to water the watermelon generously twice in a week, then reduce the watering to just once every two weeks as soon as the vines start sprouting out. This is to help increase the sugar content in the watermelon fruit. If a watermelon has a watery taste, that was because the farmer continued to water it consistently even after the vines started growing and didn’t give it the needed space to absolve sugar from the soil.

Weed Control: Since the watermelon plant is pest resistant, you need to focus more on getting rid of weeds on the farm; this can be done with herbicides. http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/starting-water-melon-farm/.

Harvesting:

One way to determine when watermelon is ripe is to watch the tendril closest to the melon stem. A tendril is a modified leaf or stem in the shape of slender, spirally coil. When it turns brown and dries up, the melon is ripe. The trouble with this method is that with some watermelon varieties, the tendril dries and drops off more than a week before the melon is fully ripe. The surest sign of ripeness in most watermelon varieties is the colour of the bottom spot where the melon sits on the ground. As the watermelon matures, the spot turns from almost white to a rich yellow. Also, all watermelons lose the powdery or slick appearance on the top and take on a dull look when fully ripe. http://leadership.ng/2017/05/12/make-millions-farming-water-melon-anywhere-in-nigeria/. It is the part everybody is waiting because harvesting means that the sales and money making period is around the corner. I mentioned somewhere above that it takes a watermelon plant 85 days to get to maturity The question is; how do you know that your watermelon is ready for harvest? Your watermelon is ready for harvest when the fruit loses it outer shiny appearance and also the when the part of the fruit that touches the ground changes into a rich yellow colour. http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/starting-water-melon-farm/.

Storage:

Watermelons cannot store for a long period; but will keep for 2 to 3 weeks at low temperature (11°C to 15°C). Relative humidity should be 85% to 90%; higher humidity may promote stem-end rot. At higher temperatures, watermelons are subject to decay. Watermelons should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid heaping in storage and transporting them with other fruits which emit ethylene such as tomatoes, ripe pears, etc. because watermelons are sensitive to ethylene. http://agriculturenigeria.com/farming-production/horticulture/watermelon

Sales:

After harvesting, the final step is transportation from the farm to the wholesaler, retailer or final consumption for sale. To successfully sell your watermelon produce, you have to know who your market is. The main market for your produce include: owner of fruit stores, grocery store owners, restaurants and hotels, pharmaceutical companies that need watermelon extracts as raw material for the production of supplements.http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/starting-water-melon-farm/.