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Nothing suppose summer like a sweet-flavored juicy homegrown watermelon . Yet bonk when to harvest your watermelon vine can be slick . If done too early , the melon vine wo n’t be sweet or comestible . And if you wait too long , it can get coarse-grained and gross . So , come find out exactly when to pick a watermelon vine from the garden – includingfive signsthat it ’s ripe and ready to harvest .
As you record through the lean below , do not swear on any one signal alone . The more of these boxes you’re able to look into before harvest , the better your Citrullus vulgaris will be ! I ’ll also cover tips on thebest way to storewhole and cut watermelon after harvesting . After all the heavy work and time you spent growing it , you ’ll be rewarded with the well - smack watermelon potential .
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Does watermelon continue to ripen after harvest?
No . Unlike some other melon or fruit , Citrullus vulgaris will NOT keep on to ripen off the vine if picked too early . That means it will only get as sweet ( or , not sweet at all ) as it is at the meter of harvest . Most of the fresh smack develop during the final brace weeks on the vine , sopatience is a virtuousness !
5 Signs a Watermelon is Ripe
1) Brown Tendrils
Take a airless look at your watermelon vine . Near each fruit , you will recover a modest curly vine tendril . When a Citrullus vulgaris is almost ripe , thetendril secretive to the melonstem will start to dry out up and turn brown and crispy instead of green . To play it safe , you could even wait until thethreeclosest tendrils turn brown ( the one above and one below the melon vine too ) . think back , this is n’t theonlyindicator it ’s ready though !
2) Yellow Spot
Gently turn your Citrullus vulgaris over . When set on the land , watermelons will have a large ashen spot on their skin where they rest on the soil . When it ’s almost time to pick the watermelon , that spot willturn from white to yellow . The darker yellow , the more mature it is ! This bakshish does n’t apply to melon hang from a trellis however .
3) Deep Hollow Sound
If you gently larrup a watermelon with your hand , an underripe melon vine will have a more sharp , high - rake , flat audio . As the yield arise more good and juicy , the sound will become increasinglydeep , remindful , and hollow - sounding . This one avowedly takes a little exercise to decipher . Slap a twosome melon to compare the unlike sounds !
4) Rind Changes
You know it ’s almost time to glean your watermelon when the skin or rind becomes dumb - looking . A young Citrullus vulgaris rind is commonly quite brilliant or glistening , but changes to a moredull or matteappearance as it mature .
5) Expected Days to Maturity
Last but not least , check the stats for the variety of Citrullus vulgaris you ’re growing ! The seed packet or industrial plant tag end should list an expected “ solar day to due date ” – or the timeframe you could expect it to be quick to harvest .
Different varietiesof watermelon can take anywhere from 65 to 120 days to mature after found . For example , we have a go at it to growBlacktail Mountain watermelon , an early - grow miscellanea that only takes about 75 days . While weather , soil , water , and other factors can also influence how apace a watermelon grows and ripens , that number should give you at least a ballpark appraisal of when harvest home time is nigh .
How to Harvest Watermelon
Once you ’ve decided it ’s metre to harvest your watermelon vine , simply use penetrating scissors or garden shears to cut the radical just above the melon to slay it from the vine . Take care not to abbreviate the independent vine , especially if there are still other melon growing on it .
What happens if I wait too long to pick a watermelon?
gratefully , watermelon usually stay good on the vine for a couple week past their optimal crop window . However , the crisp melon flesh will become increasingly grainy , watery , and soft over time . If you look too long , it may part undefendable or start to go bad .
How to Store Whole Watermelon
It ’s unspoilt to store freshly - pickedwholewatermelon atroom temperature . select a temperate location away from direct sunlight , such as your kitchen counter . 60 to 70 degree Fahrenheit is idealistic . Like other warm - weather condition crops ( including tomatoes ) , watermelon ’s flavor , quality , and even some of the nutrients can devolve when it ’s stash away in cold conditions .
If stored at elbow room temperature , plan to eat your watermelon withina week or twoafter crop . The sooner after harvest , the well it will savor ! It will last a couple weeks longer if stored in the fridge , but at the disbursement of the flavor and texture . If you prefer to eat your watermelon insensate , pop it in the fridge for a few hours before you write out into it .
Storing Cut Watermelon
Oncecut , watermelon vine must be refrigeratedfor food for thought safety . Cut watermelon is technically undecomposed in the fridge for about 5 Clarence Day , but should be waste within 1 to 3 days for the best quality .
Oxygen photograph get it to rapidly degrade , so be sure to wrap or store cut watermelon in anair tightcontainer . retain it in large chunks ( for example only cutting up one half at a time ) can also aid extend the ledge lifespan in the electric refrigerator .
When we had too much fresh Citrullus vulgaris to eat before it went unfit , we keep it byjuicinga few to freeze the juice for refreshing succeeding mocktails !
