Watermelon farming can be a profitable and rewarding business, but it requires careful planning and execution. From choosing the right variety of watermelon to preparing the soil and managing pests and diseases, there are many factors to consider to ensure a successful harvest. In this article, we provide expert guidelines for watermelon farming that can help you maximize your yields and profits. Whether you’re a seasoned farmer or just starting out, these tips and best practices will set you on the path to a thriving watermelon business.
You will discover the precise, step-by-step procedure for achieving maximum production and quality in your watermelon farming.
Table of Contents
The Origin of Watermelon
Watermelon is believed to originate in Ancient Egypt about 4,000 years ago. Soon after, seed farming expanded to other regions of the ancient world, including Persia, Arabia, and India. The arid climate in these regions contributed to the mass production of this crop. Today, watermelon is the third most widely grown vegetable globally, behind potatoes and tomatoes.
Site Selection for Watermelon Farming
Watermelon does well in long warm, dry climates. When choosing a site, ensure the soil is fertile, well-drained, sandy loamy, and rich in organic matter. The site must also have flat terrain (not sloppy).
Another important factor you should consider is the pH of the soil. Like other melon species, watermelons love to grow in slightly acidic soil (pH between 6.0 and 6.8).
Further, watermelon farming needs a growing season that is between 70 and 85 days long and warm. Therefore, for optimal growth and fruit yield, the location needs to have enough sunlight and a temperature range of 18°C to 35°C.
For farmers in colder climates, there are two ways to succeed in watermelon farming. One way is to grow the watermelon seeds in a nursery indoors before taking the seedlings out when it’s warmer. The second approach is to plant short-season varieties of the crop.
Land Preparation for Watermelon Farming
This involves clearing, tilling, and treating the soil to make it suitable for crop growth.
Land clearing involves removing plants, trees, or shrubs. Remove anything that would prevent the watermelon plant from receiving enough sunlight or that would compete with the crops for nutrients. Make sure to burn or properly bury weed remains. Some of the leftovers can be saved and applied to the plant as mulch.
Conservation tillage is the best method of soil preparation for watermelon farming.
Furthermore, you may need a little plowing and harrowing to soften the soil on farm areas with clayey or hard soil. This will help facilitate deeper rooting and create room for better penetration of water.
Additionally, if you want to, the best time for you to create raised beds is during the wet season and when the soil is sandy loamy in texture.
You may also need to apply chemical treatments to the soil to eradicate any pests or disease vectors that may be there. The process of solarization can also be used to treat the soil.
Finally, you can use pre-emergence herbicides to control weeds.
N/B: You can also establish a watermelon garden using a hydroponic growing system.
Select Viable Seed Varieties for Watermelon Farming
Make sure to select a good seed variety that will produce watermelon fruits that are good in quality and size.
There are many varieties of watermelon seeds suitable for commercial watermelon farming. Below we highlight some of the best-performing watermelon varieties.
- Pink Sweet
- Black Diamond
- All Sweet
- Royal Sweet
- Crimson Sweet
- Hercules F1
- Jubilee Charleston Gray.
Planting Operation in Watermelon Farming
The following actions must be taken during the planting operation to ensure success in watermelon farming:
- Fungicide-treat watermelon seeds prior to planting in order to shield them from fungal attack in the soil.
- To promote quick germination, soak watermelon seeds for at least 1 hour in warm water before planting. This is particularly necessary if the soil moisture level is low at the time of planting.
- Plant the seeds when the soil is warm enough to promote quick germination.
- For seeding, dig holes that are 1 inch deep and insert 2 to 3 watermelon seeds, then cover with loose soil.
- Plant spacing for watermelon is 3 to 4 feet within rows and 6 to 8 feet between rows. This will provide the plant with sufficient room to spread its vines.
- After germination, thin the crop to only one or two stands to lessen plant competition.
Irrigation in watermelon farming
Since watermelon is a plant that thrives in heat, it makes sense that the optimal time to plant would be when there is little chance of rain.
Therefore, the following best practices should be applied during irrigation in watermelon farming:
- Start watermelon farm irrigation if there is no rain for the first three weeks after planting.
- During the summer, use irrigation once a week.
- Once the seeds begin to sprout, cut back on watering to once every ten days and continue if there’s no rain.
- When plants are mature, only irrigate them when necessary.
- Don’t flood the watermelon field excessively.
- Avoid wetting the vines or other vegetative components when irrigating, especially during flowering and fruit sets.
- Refrain from often watering heavy soils because this will encourage excessive vegetative growth.
- 3-6 days prior to harvest, stop or reduce irrigation for improved sweetness and flavor.
- Even if there isn’t any rain, you can stop watering the plants once the fruits mature. This will concentrate the fruit’s sugars and keep the flesh crisp, resulting in better-tasting watermelons.
Weed Control in Watermelon Farming
Apply pre-emergence herbicide right before planting the watermelons to control weeds. During the early stages of growth, keep the farm weed-free. Weed can reduce yield by 30% if effective control measures aren’t taken.
Further, intercultural procedures should be carried out 15–20 days after sowing. Two to three times weeding is necessary, depending on the degree and intensity of the weeds.
Weeds may start to appear after the watermelon plants have three or four leaves. The weeds may now be controlled by shallow hoeing and the use of a post-emergence herbicide like sethoxydim or clethodim.
Fertilizer/Manure Application
Prior to using any fertilizer or manure application techniques, you must first consider the soil quality of your field through proper soil testing. A licensed agronomist or agriculture consultant can then offer you advice based on the soil test results, tissue analysis, and crop history of your field.
Induced Pollination in Watermelon Farming
The development of watermelon fruit depends on the work of bees and other helpful insects that disperse pollen. Place one or two strong, healthy hives per hectare, especially when you plant seedless types.
If you grow watermelons in a greenhouse or where the local bee population is insufficient to pollinate your plants, manual pollination is another option.
Care for the Fruits
Straws are an excellent barrier to place between the watermelons and the ground to prevent rot and illness.
A by-product of agriculture, straw is made up of the dried stalks of cereal plants that have had their grain and chaff removed.
Before you put the straws under the fruit, make sure they are dry to prevent them from doing more harm than good.
Pests and Diseases Control in Watermelon Farming
The most common pests that affect watermelons are thrips, spiders, mites, and aphids.
The diseases that affect watermelon plants include fusarium wilt, Downey mildew, powdery mildew, gummy stem blight, anthracnose, and mosaic virus among many others.
For more information, read pest and disease management in watermelon farms.
Harvest, Storage, and Transportation
Watermelons are usually harvested by hand. You must be cautious to cut and not pull the watermelon, otherwise, the fruits may crack open. This would make them unmarketable.
When harvesting the watermelons, trim the stem with a sharp knife just above the fruit and store them correctly so that they can be graded and sorted before being sold.
Depending on the kind, you can keep entire watermelons in storage for two to three weeks.
Apples and bananas should not be stored with watermelons as they create ethylene during storage, which softens and alters the flavor of the fruit.
If you plan to ship watermelon fruits to a far-off market, keep them chilled at around 7.2°C and between 85 and 90% relative humidity. However, watermelon will suffer chilling damage if held at this temperature for an extended period.
The Bottom Line
Like with most endeavors, following best practices may increase your chances of success and profitability in watermelon farming. This article has provided tips and best practices you can follow. Whether you are a new/potential or experienced farmer, you might benefit from applying this guideline.
However, your success rate may depend on many factors, such as your environmental conditions, the prevalence of pests and diseases, and your level of commitment, among others. After weighing all factors, you may decide to stick to these tips alone or consult an agronomist before establishing your farm.
Lydia Thompson is an agri-business consultant and Founder of Allgreen Integrated Farms and Agro Consults. For your training or consulting on agriculture and agri-business related matters, contact on Linkedin
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This is great and highly informative.
Wonderful article