How to plant watermelons

-I have plenty of water.
-How do I go about it, from planting, fertilizers, watering and gap between the plants?

Watermelon is a warm season crop and it requires a long growing period of high temperatures. Good vegetative growth requires 18-32oC, the optimal being 18-24oC. Watermelons are produced from seeds, and germination is best at a soil temperature of about 22oC, which is not available during the rainy season.

Therefore, the right time to plant melons is during the dry months (August to October).

Melons do better with adequate water supply. Within a growing season, at least 400mm of moisture will be required. Soils should be well drained and with good water-holding capacity with a pH of 6.0-6.8. Melons have been grown successfully in sandy soils, where water supply is adequate. However, the best soils are sandy loam or silt loam.

Watermelon is mostly directly seeded and the planting depth is about 2cm and between row spacing is 1.5-1.8m, while the intra-row spacing is 30-60cm.

Watermelon requires nitrogenous fertilizer at a rate of 80kg N/ha for soils with high organic matter while light soils require 140kg N/ha. The nitrogenous fertilizer is applied and incorporated into the soil at planting time. Phosphorous and potassium applications are based on soil tests and should be applied at planting time.

Depending on the environmental conditions, 450-600mm of water is required within a growing season.

Water can be applied through drip or furrow irrigation. Use of sprinkler irrigation increases humidity creating a conducive environment for foliar diseases.

Source: Daily Nation
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