Watermelon

Sugar Baby is a sweet, juicy, home garden variety of watermelon with great flavour.

Get better success with sugar baby watermelons:
1. Summer is the perfect time to plant watermelons. As they need about 3 months of warm weather to grow and ripen. Sowing of seeds can start earlier but with seedlings, December is a great time to put them in the soil.
2. Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. 
3. Use fertile soil with lots of organic matter. Seaweed (Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic) and fish fertiliser can work wonders.
4. They need a lot of water especially in the early stages.
5. Give them a lot of space to grow. Plant in mounds 2 meters apart. 
6. Bees and beneficial insects help pollinate the melons. Plant marigolds, dill, borage, onions, mint, lavender, chives, sunflowers (will also provide shade), cosmos near your watermelons to invite more bees.
7. You can tell when the watermelon is ready for picking when you tap it and it gives a slight echo sound. 
8. Sun is the secret in successful watermelons.