When is watermelon ripe

Follow these 4 simple guidelines, and you'll know how to pick the best watermelon in no time:. Good quality melons are usually firm, symmetrical in shape, fresh, attractive in appearance, and of good color. The external rind color may vary from deep solid green to gray, depending on the variety.

A ripe watermelon will easily be picked from the vine. Another indicator to take note of is the color of the spot on the watermelon. The ground spot on the belly of the melon will from white to yellow when it is ripe and ready to be picked. Give the watermelon a thump. An immature watermelon will return a dull, metallic ringing noise, where as a mature watermelon will have a soft hollow sound that indicates its ready to be picked. Store watermelons at temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 degrees F.

Their watermelon season includes all of June, July, August and September. There are several aspects that influence growth and with a lack of them could potentially throw these dates off. They include:. Now, there over 1, varieties different kinds of watermelons, but most grocery stores only carry a few. Although there are over 1, kinds of watermelons, they all have one thing in common. The seeds should all be planted about a month after the last frost. In general, watermelons cannot handle temperature that are below 50 degrees.

When the temperatures drop this much, the sweetness in the watermelon will begin to diminish. For people who want to get a little bit of a head start, they can start their watermelon seeds inside their home. Once you have your supplies, simply plant your seeds in the pot, and let them sit out and grow.

Like mentioned above, there are over 1, different kinds of watermelons. Many of these watermelons will have different harvest periods. The tip that works for me is first make sure it is not shinny, next I feel around the melon for ridges.

Any fruit that gets numerous seeds in a row will bulge where the seeds are after they are mature. Of course if it is seedless this might not work. I used to grow watermelons commercially.

I found that each variety has different 'signals' as to when it's ripe. The most common was the yellow belly. Some had the first small leaf on the vine closest to the attachment point dry up as an indicator. Others it was the curly tendril that dried up. I most often used the sound when the melon was thumped to guide me.

It's all in the tone and is very hard to teach to others. I tried with my brightest worker, but he never got the knack of it. When he picked the watermelons, I got complaints. So I went back to thumping and marking the ones to pull. Interestingly Desert King, a yellow meated melon, would have a tone all its own. Much lower and more dull than other melons. You had to learn the variety's own code. Cantaloupes were easier for the workers to pick. The outside would lose its green cast and with very gentle pressure the melon would detach from the vine - called 'full slip'.

What you see in the super markets these days are cantaloupes with a piece of the vine still attached. Don't even bother. They taste like cardboard. As a backup, smell the vine end of the melon. It will smell like cantaloupe. Honeydew melons will be soft on the blossom end when pushed. The softer, the more ripe until it's overripe. Yellow skinned honeydews are easier to pick.

They don't turn yellow until they are close to ripe. There is no substitute for the thump test. Once you've heard the sound of a ripe melon, it will forever be unmistakeable unless you have a tin ear.

I am a city boy gone seaside yankee and I had to learn many years ago incity markets how to pick a good melon or grandma would never forgive me.

An old man at a farmers market showed me what to look for and I've never been wrong since. We eat watermelons like a main course around here and buy several a week during season.

My dad was a farmer, and he grew just about everything, he always said when the bottom of a melon is yellow, then its ripe. He didn't grow the sugar babies so not sure about them.