First timer! These are sugar babies so shouldnt be huge. I harvested one at 9 lbs too early and was very disappointed. Today I saw the squirrels harvested a much smaller one that was ripe. I haven't harvest anymore bc the sun spots on bottom aren't there at all or very significant. Do melons get their sun spots on top sometimes? It's also been over 105 alot lately so idk if that's sunburn but I'm just confused now bc of seeing the aftermath of the squirrel harvest this morning. Thanks!
by non-toxicmama1279
7 Comments
Stem still green not dried out yet
Is the tendril closest to the stem dry? [See here](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EC8Q8yNXkAAsi-l.jpg) for an example. There’s no perfect indicator of watermelon ripeness, but the tendril is the most reliable.
Local farmer that always has perfectly ripe watermelons each year told me that it’s not ready until it easily detaches from the vine when you pull it away. Dried tendril, tapping on it, yellow spots, all unreliable tests.
in my limited melon growing experience (cantaloupe & honeydew), they’re ready when the stalk attaching the fruit to the main plant is getting dry + when you can easily break the fruit away from the plant. when it’s ripe it’ll readily want to fall off without you putting really any effort into it. you won’t have to cut, pinch, tear or twist to get it to detach. i also smell the rind, not sure if watermelons differ in this way but ripe cantaloupe you can smell the sweetness through the rind!
Rule of thumb is to have a very big golden spot on the side sitting in the ground. Tendril idea does not work. It raises false positives many times. You can use tendril as the second confirmation after confirming the Giant golden spot.
If tendril closest to the stem is dry then is ready
The most reliable way to tell if a watermelon is ripe is flipping a coin.