Growing Watermelon in a small garden

[obsessed]

So I was growing watermelon this year but man is it fast. It almost took over everything (cause I had to work 3 weeks straight and could not get out into the garden). And then when I tried to trim it back oh-so-very-not-gently-even-though-I-was-trying I killed a bunch of the little melons and only have 1 out of 6 melons surviving. So anyway, how do you keep your watermelon in check in a small garden? I do a lot of reading and it looks like the watermelon may not belong in a small garden?

 

[PotterWatch]

If you figure it out, let me know. I am no longer growing melons or squash like pumpkins in my garden because they just take over everything.

 

[obsessed]

Do you grow catelop or other melons or did you just give up on them all together? I was thinking on giving up because of how much they do take over. I already hate the attack of the killer cukes but at least I get a ton of cukes verses 1 or 2 melons.

 

[PotterWatch]

I have given up entirely. I would love to grow them but I simply don't have the space. I am getting ready to move most of my garden to the other side of my yard and if my husband doesn't mind me keeping the current space too much, I may keep it to grow melons and such in the future knowing that I can't put anything else in that space while there are melons/squash.

 

[digitS']

Vining plants are a problem even in a large garden. I mean, how are you going to get the rototiller thru?

It has been such a different response to cool spring here. Instead of stunted vines like I had the last time it was a real cool start, I've got cukes that are about to go crazy with production, average cantaloupe and such, and the most aggressive little Sugar Baby watermelon I've ever seen!!

I had a neighbor who was a good gardener. The last year he was there, he grew cukes on a section or 2 of cattle panel that he had bent at 90 and laid on the ground. He could also have made a arched tunnel and it would have served the same purpose -- to give the vines something to climb on without taking up quite so many square feet.

It occurred to me later that he could have covered the wire with plastic early in the season and gotten the vines off to an earlier start. The panels could have served more than 1 purpose.

Since it really wasn't very high or wide, keeping the ground under it free of weeds didn't seem to be a problem. The vines helped with that and he may have used a mulch under there.

Steve

 

[wifezilla]

you might want to try a totally different type of melon. I have "Collective farm woman" melon I got from Baker Creek growing. The plant is more compact and since the melons only get softball sized, it is great for vertical growing. I have an old baby gate behind it and it is partially climbing on that and on the ground around it.

 

[chris09]

I dont have a small garden BUT I do grow some "bush" variety vegetables.
You could try Sugar Baby or Sugar Bush. The Sugar Baby will get a 8" diameter watermelon.

Chris

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Because of my lack of experience I grew Jubilee watermelon in my SFG. They had their own 2 x 2 bed in the corner fence. They grew up and over my fence through part of the yard. It was okay with me that they grew that way, it was my intention. I found it hard to support a Jubilee watermelon on chicken wire fencing which was just there to keep the chickens out of my garden. I did pinch some off of the fence but grew 3 fairly nice sized watermelons supported by pantyhose and t-posts (I made a hammock). It now is growing vines in the garden which I picked up and ran through the fence so that they grow on the other side. I have cantaloupe growing in another corner. I had to pinch off a lot of those because when I found them they had started in the holes of the fence and were growing with the fence cutting into the melons. I did have and do have several maturing just "hanging" around. I have not supported them as they are small. When ripe they just fall off. So if you can put them in a corner with room to "spread", I would with some sort of fence or trellis and train the vines to grown there. You have to be very diligent if you have a lot of plants. I only had 3 watermelon and 4 cantaloupe plants.

 

[lesa]

I grew the sugar babies this year. The vines were very small and I got a lot of fruit. I planted 4 or 5 plants and probably have 10 melons out there. That is pretty good for zone 4- now I just hope they have time to fully ripen. I was pleasantly surprised- they sprawled a little, but did not try to take over the world. Like my pumpkins and winter squash.

 

[vfem]

I just let mine take over. Some reason... I planted some in May, they failed in June and I planted again last week of June. They sat and didn't grow, only to these little weedy vines. So I forgot about them about 3 weeks ago. I looked the other day and there are like 6 watermelons and the vines have taken over my corn rows I was going to rip out and my strawberry patch!!!!

Strange little vining plants they are!