watermelon failure

[Greenthumb18]

This is the worst year here for growing watermelons, the weather feels like march here instead of june.
My watermelon seeds were all rotten not one came up out of 50 seeds........

Not sure what i should do, do i plant more? i think its too late

 

[Texan]

Where do you live?

 

[Greenthumb18]

Where do you live?

New York

 

[lesa]

I am in NY too- zone 4. You can find previous posts of me complaining about watermelon!! I know some people have success growing them in NY, but after this year, I am giving up. When I posted about it last, some dear gardener suggested perhaps it wasn't warm enough yet, had it hit the 90's!! 90's, I was feeling lucky when it was 70! I just don't think we have the weather for it. I'm sticking to cold weather crops- my broccoli is doing great! WalMart is selling watermelon for 4.00- I'll stick to that! Sorry none of your seeds sprouted- meet you at Walmart?

 

[Greenthumb18]

I am in NY too- zone 4. You can find previous posts of me complaining about watermelon!! I know some people have success growing them in NY, but after this year, I am giving up. When I posted about it last, some dear gardener suggested perhaps it wasn't warm enough yet, had it hit the 90's!! 90's, I was feeling lucky when it was 70! I just don't think we have the weather for it. I'm sticking to cold weather crops- my broccoli is doing great! WalMart is selling watermelon for 4.00- I'll stick to that! Sorry none of your seeds sprouted- meet you at Walmart?

I'm not going to give up that easy, i always try to try things again, not to give up. I remember one year i had watermelons in my garden, this year is not as warm as last year for some reason.
I even picked an early variety so maybe its not too late. I know cool weather crops do great here, at least theirs something we can harvest here. Thanks for posting, unfortunely no walmart here.

Thanks again, i'll give you an update on the melons, you never know gardening surprises you sometimes!!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might try germinating the seeds indoors so you can warm the soil and aid them in germinating. I built a flat box, lined the bottom inside with aluminum foil, and put a heating pad inside. Some people use incandescent bulbs. Then put the planter on top. As you have electricity under the planter, you need to make it waterproof. It made a lot of difference in germination rates for my tomatoes.

editted to add

It helps to have a thermometer to check soil temperature. It is easy to get the soil too hot. I had to run my heating pad on low to keep from geting it too hot.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi!

Ridgerunner is right; I did something similar & it has worked so well. It got my Stevia seeds germinated within a couple of days.

I made a hot-bed under my melon patch ahead of time & popped in the little plants I'd sown & germinated indoors. I'm now mulching with fresh grass cuttings every week -- to keep the heat up & the moisture in. It's covered with a sheet of glass at the moment but I'm just about to fabricate a tall greenhouse tent over the top. I don't know how well this is going to work but it's fun trying! I like a good experiment!


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[Greenthumb18]

You might try germinating the seeds indoors so you can warm the soil and aid them in germinating. I built a flat box, lined the bottom inside with aluminum foil, and put a heating pad inside. Some people use incandescent bulbs. Then put the planter on top. As you have electricity under the planter, you need to make it waterproof. It made a lot of difference in germination rates for my tomatoes.

editted to add

It helps to have a thermometer to check soil temperature. It is easy to get the soil too hot. I had to run my heating pad on low to keep from geting it too hot.

Thats a great idea i'll have to try planting them again with this method.
I dont have a heating pad but an incubator, couldnt i just pop the whole flat in there? Maybe lowering the temperature a bit i suppose.
Thanks i appreciate it!! :coolsun

 

[karanleaf]

If you have the C9 type christmas lights you might try them. use them under a rack or a vented type table top.. Attach them to the underneth side they should do the trick. I myself use a waterbed heater, has theremastat control I keep mine at 75. Works Great and it's water proof

Good Luck :bee

:happy_flower Karan

 

[vfem]

Can't you find a shorter season watermelon!? I think there is one out there that is closer to 80 days?!

Example:
Cream of Saskatchewan: This variety consists of small round fruits, around 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter. It has a quite thin, light green with dark green striped rind, with sweet white flesh and black seeds. It can grow well in cool climates. It was originally brought to Saskatchewan, Canada by Russian immigrants. These melons take 8085 days from planting to harvest.

Here's another kind:
http://www.localharvest.org/watermelon-seeds-black-tail-mountain-C4006