What do y'all use for fertilizer on y'all's melon patch? I'm planting a bunch of sugar babies, charleston grays, black diamond, crimson sweet, cantelopes and jubilees. About 40 plants!! I love melons and it's my main goal this year to grow some dandies. Any tips? I have about 15 sprouts going in yard and fixing to plant the rest in seeds outside. Hopefully I will have a lot to give away to neighbors and friends. Last year I had too much shade but I cut my trees and brought in some decent topsoil.

I use 15-5-10 on mine.

Just use a 13-13-13 and hit them with 34-0-0 after about a month.

Watermelons are pretty particular. If youre gona do like squadren77 says, i would use calcium nitrate to lay by instead of amonia nitrate. Amonia nitrate will cause hard hearted or hollow hearted watermelons. A balanced fertilizer in a split application would be my suggestion. Theres alot of literature on this very subject you could read. Google watermelon field trials or commercial watermelon production.

Ok I really appreciate the info!!! Thanks guys!!

I have had the best luck laying my rows out and running a middle buster down every over one. I then put a good base of composted chicken litter in the furrow. I shoot for about the equivalent of a 4” pvc pipe of manure in the furrow if that makes sense. On top of the chicken litter I put basic slag, last year I had 75 hills in two rows and put 50lb of basic slag on them. Then I put my plow on and roll the furrow closed. I have also made a pass down each furrow with a tiller to blend it in the soil but not sure it’s necessary. We then transplant 2-3 plants every 2ft in a hill. I usually only plant desert kings and have several that are 30lbs every year.

You can do a simpler version of this and just dig a hole at each hill the depth of a shovel head and about the size of a 5 gallon bucket and fill with litter and basic slag. About 1.5 shovels per hill and a double hand full of basic slag. Blend some soul back in and transplant 2-3 per hill.

If your soul is poor you might want to add some 17-17-17 as well but I generally plant in a bottom area that has good soil and don’t need the additional fertilizer.

Shotts that is probably the best way there is to grow watermelons, except horse manure instead of chicken. There was an old man around here in the 60s who grew watermelons just like that. He would shovel stables out all winter and collect manure. When he ran out of manure, he quit planting right there. Daddy told me that man regularly grew 60-75lb watermelons. Back then it was all about size. Nowadays people want their watermelon to fit in the refrigerator. Personally, i want a 30lb watermelon.

All I grow are desert kings. I normally compost every fall along with hardwood ash and lime late winter. A little fertilizer when I plant and hit em again just as they start to run. Normally have several 28-30 pounders. Biggest I've grown was 38 # .

It works, last year my plants were waist deep and made a ton of watermelons that were delicious. I haven’t gotten them in yet this year hope to this week but rain has been rough on my schedule. I have had my garden broke since first of March and disk twice but can’t get it to cooperate to plant.

My grandpaw grew a good acre sized garden each year. We hauled lots of truck loads of cow manure throughout the winter and spread it over the entire garden. He always had a beautiful garden and good melons. He is 92 now and quit. Now all his landowner neighbors are dead and the lands changed ownership. I'm not allowed on the properties anymore but I'm gonna start looking for cow manure donations. Maybe I can find someone that will let me clean out their feed areas where the manure is concentrated. I know a few cow farmers that might let me come get theirs. Over the winter I'm gonna start spreading it. I just now finished my yard for my garden but I'm about a month late. I went ahead and started a garden but next year I will have her good and fertile hopefully.

Youre right on time. I just finished planting mine today. Nights in the 40s are not conducive for good vegetable growing. Especially watermelons

Planting mone tomorrow

It hit them with triple thirteen when they come up,, then a nitrogen to get good vine growth, another little bit of triple 13 when they are blooming.