found some seeds in a seedless watermelon :)

[jocelyn]

I've got 4 or 5 seeds, and they seem plump enough. I've never gown watermelons before, so how do other folks start them?

Specifically, when, if frost is expected till about JUne 4th or so?  Got any tips? 

This was a grocery store watermelon, so other than knowing it was grown in New Brunswick, I know nothing about it.

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

Nice! I always save those seeds! Usually it's only one or two, but i always throw them in my landrace.

I've grown them different ways. You can plant them in a decent sized temporary pot and transplant out like squash if you want to and just be careful with the roots.

But generally i either rototill the soil or use a garden fork to loosen the soil and use a pointed furrower to dig medium-shallow rows to plant seeds in and plant direct seeded. I generally plant 3 weeks before it will be perfect for them to grow. I've been planting early lately, but i try to aim for May 1st-ish or May 9th because i think traditionally our last frost date is May 10th or 20th. And we usually get a light snow or rainstorm on the 10th and direct seeding right before a rainstorm is perfect. I then can supplement water as needed during those two or three weeks until they germinate and grow.

Also after planting the best fertilizer is mowed up apple tree leaves. It provides a great nutritious environment for fungi and other communities to make the soil lush and soft and put great nutrients back in the soil. I also think trees can pull up more micro nutrients from deep in the soil that shallow plants can't. Its kinda like permaculture in a way.

I don't pre-soak my direct seeded seeds. I also don't plant in "hills" as i figure rows have enough overlapping watermelons that its similar enough. We have a dry climate sometimes so if i did want to do "hills" i would probably dig little basins instead to help gather more water. But i have not tried that yet.

So That's my method.

-Andrew

[walt]

Interesting. I've read that seeds from seedless watermelon are generally tetraploid. If yours are, they could be used to make more seedless watermelon by crossing with regular diploids. Or you could start your own line of tetraploids. But how to handle them, others here could tell you better than I.

[jocelyn]

Humm, Ok. Looks like pots to start them in the house then. Not knowing how long from emergence to ripe fruit I can expect, I'll need to start them inside to give them a jump on the season. This is going to be fun.

[lochaberbreeder]

In triploid hops, the rare seeds they yield can be diploid, triploid, tetraploid, or even pentaploid, the most common being tetraploid, though all results except pentaploid were common.

I'm guessing one could expect the same from triploid watermelons' rare viable seeds.

[jocelyn]

Well, 2 plants from 4 seeds. They are a bit small but seem to be growing nicely.
When they get a bit more size on them and the danger of frost is past, I'll put them out.
It will be fun to see what they do:)

[lochaberbreeder]

I just stumbled onto an article that also confirmed that about 1/1000 of triploids' gametes should be viable 1n or 2n.

Old articles also seem to suggest that triploid seed lots could contain a relatively high number of tetraploids, but I'm skeptical about that having remained true today. I guess it's still a possibility, though, but one would assume such a tetraploid to be off-type to the hybrid.

[jocelyn]

I don't mind if they are not the same. I'm doing this for fun, to see what they do.
If they ripen here and are tasty, I'll keep them going.
They are a small seeded type, or the parents were, so not hard to eat as is.

[steev]

As with grapes, I've come to the point of chewing up the seeds.

[jocelyn]

Yah, me too, just munch them up.

[jocelyn]

There is a tiny watermelon growing. It is twice as big as the other day, so I think it's pollinated. Both plants had male flowers.
This is going to be fun:)

[prairiegardens]

so what was the end of the story? did you get a ripe watermelon in the end and if so, was it tasty?

[flowerbug]

i'm curious too.