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#Leggy watermelon seedlings how to
In this guide, we'll teach you the benefits of using grow bags and how to plant bush-type or smaller watermelon varieties. Watermelons can be successfully grown in grow bags, a great alternative for small spaces and urban gardens. You don’t want to overwater your plants and waste water.Are you interested in growing your own watermelons but don't have much space or a proper garden? Make sure the soil is kept moist but not water-logged.If you’re expecting frost, you could put down some mulch or fleece to try and protect the plant before you’re ready to harvest the fruits. If your area is hit by an earlier autumn frost, it could damage the plant. If you get late frost in April, it could kill off your young melon plant. Keep an eye on weather forecasts to make sure there’s no late Spring frost.But there are other things to keep in mind… They’ll need plenty of moisture and as much sun as possible. Once summer begins, your cold hardy melons can be treated much the same as other melon varieties. Whether you’re keeping them safe from frost, storms, or even floods. As we mentioned in the previous section, you’re able to fill containers with fresh, loose compost to keep the roots well-fed and healthy.Īlso, if your garden is hit by some unexpected weather, containers could be temporarily moved to a safer location. Growing your melon plants in a container has a number of benefits. Just make sure to tie up any larger melon varieties with a melon hammock or sling!Ī melon seedling planted out Growing cold hardy melons in containers Their long vines and big leaves can extend upwards instead of taking up valuable floor space. If you’ve got a narrow balcony or mini garden you could grow your cold hardy melons up a trellis. Growing melons vertically is a great way to maximize space in your garden. Like pumpkins, melons can take up lots of space in a small garden. However cold hardy melons will still grow well in a container placed outside in a sunny location. If you have room, a mini greenhouse could be a great addition to your small garden space. The best position should receive plenty of sunlight and may have a fence or wall protecting the area from harsh wind.Ī greenhouse would be an ideal place to grow melons as the temperature and humidity will be higher. To keep things as hot as possible, try to grow your melon plants in the sunniest part of your garden. Weather, space, and soil conditions all play a vital role in the health of a melon plant. Choosing where to position a melon plantĬold hardy or not, all melons need their growing conditions to be as warm and protected as possible. So you could even start sowing your melon seeds 3-4 weeks before your last frost dates. If your windowsills don’t receive much sun, it may be worth investing in a grow light.Ī grow light allows you to start seeds earlier, as it can provide enough light to grow healthy seedlings even in the low light conditions of winter.
If you start the seeds off too early, your seedlings will become leggy and weak and may be eaten by pests or damaged when you eventually plant them outside. Most melon varieties can be started indoors 2-3 weeks before your last frost date. The key to growing tropical fruit in a cold climate is to start seeds off early indoors.