The best melon we ever grew, we forgot about. The leaves were hiding it, and we didnt find it til the end of the season when the leaves started dying back. That melon was HUGE! It took both of my boys to carry it into the house. They were so proud, finding it and bringing it to me. It was about 18 inches long and 10 in diameter. Had to be 30 pounds. I think it was a Georgia Rattlesnake. It was so perfectly ripe that it pretty much split on its own as soon as the knife went into it. We will forever remember that perfect, forgotten watermelon. It was like finding hidden treasure.

@oluwanifemikim1996

9 ай бұрын

Was it juicy

@AngryManSki

Ай бұрын

What did it taste like?

@duli931

3 күн бұрын

That sounds amazing!❤

This was my first year growing watermelon. I didn't realize I'd be so emotionally invested. I had one that I thought was done and it wasn't and completely white inside, 2 others burst, a few little ones that just didn't make it, etc. Out of the 9 potentials, I ended up with 4 of the most incredibly sweet watermelons ever but I just don't think my nerves can take it again.

@johntheherbalistg8756

2 жыл бұрын

You get numb to it. Try to figure out what's going on, what caused it, and try to mitigate the chances, but in the end, you have to get used to some losses. It's totally worth the occasional emotional damage to eat so good

@timesthree5757

2 жыл бұрын

Weak!

@arielraya5979

2 жыл бұрын

Just remember food is da best part of life so if u even managed 2 grow a few, it da end it was worth it 2 hav eaten some

@maryj7035

2 жыл бұрын

Watching the video I was like… I would be so in love with my plant I would almost feel guilty eating it lol 😂 I was emotionally invested just watching.

@timesthree5757

2 жыл бұрын

@@maryj7035 you don't eat the plant you eat the fruit. Which is the whole point of growing it. I've become invested in eating a water melon that I grew. What is it with people. You become emotionally invested into why you are doing something not the something itself.

The best part of these videos is Kevin’s excitement for what he’s grown. Also you can save the seeds and roast them like pumpkin seeds, they’re really good.

@sunnyday_lemonbars

2 жыл бұрын

How interesting! I'm going to try that! 🍉

@victoriavasquez1937

2 жыл бұрын

What watermelon seeds do I buy? And where do you get yours?

@nicolek.6776

2 жыл бұрын

@@victoriavasquez1937 I have just saved them from melons I bought from the store, but health food stores or Amazon sells roasted melon seeds. You can do it with any melon I believe, not just watermelons.

@curly__headed

Жыл бұрын

Never hear of this, will try soon, thanks for the tip!

@arnoldmmbb

Жыл бұрын

You mean Eric?

I didn't have a ground to plant watermelon. my parents have a rooftop garden with potted plants. Last summer I randomly decided to sprout some watermelon seeds and planted them in a pot. I had 0 knowledge about gardening. I watered it every day and 1 or 2 months later I had my first watermelon. It was tiny, but it was very delicious. This year, I'm doing a little research before planting them. wish me luck!

I've got to imagine everyone is seeing "epic" and mistaking in for eric

@steezydan8543

2 жыл бұрын

WELCOME TO ERIC GARDENING WE'RE HERE TO GARDEN AND I'M ERIC HELLO AND WELCOME TO ERIC GARDENING

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Something like that!

@shervin6711

2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking you were Eric too. Maybe that's it! I honestly don't know why I thought that. Sorry! Lol.

@saraschoen9818

2 жыл бұрын

That’s what I was thinking too lol

@valstriplin1207

2 жыл бұрын

That's exactly what I was doing in my early days of watching. It's an easy transition to go from epic to Eric.

I grow mine on an arched trellis with sling supports for the fruit. Takes up a lot less space that way. This is my first successful year growing them. yay go me!

@laurenmoran9516

2 жыл бұрын

I've done my pumpkins this way by accident 😅 they started growing up a felled tree beside the garden instead of taking up my garden space!

@gwendyrose8905

2 жыл бұрын

I grow ALL of my melons & squash vertically using the Square Foot Gardening method. Unless they will get bigger than "Eric" did, I don't even sling them. The vines are usually strong enough to support them on their own. Spaghetti squash does REALLY well vertically. It's one of my favorites to grow. 😊

@notadoctor8979

2 жыл бұрын

@@gwendyrose8905 I do my squash that way too! I love spaghetti squash and I have some pie pumpkins and acorn squash the same way. I habent needed to sling them either but the melon vines are not as hardy as the squash. At least for me.

@emmecalvert6691

2 жыл бұрын

Could someone explain to me more about using a trellis for watermelons/pumpkins? I can only imagine that it would put too much stress on the vine to have the fruit suspended in the air. I'm planning on growing some next year and I want to save as much space as possible but I would like to know how it's going for you guys who have experience with it.

@gwendyrose8905

2 жыл бұрын

@@emmecalvert6691 I have cattle panels that are arched over my raised beds. I plant the vines at the end of the bed & train them to grow up the panel. Most squash vines are very thick where they meet the fruit. You have to typically cut them off the vine with a knife. Melons can be a bit more challenging since the vines aren't quite as thick. However, I had a 10 pound (ish) watermelon that I cut last year. (Melons are still growing this year.) If they are a variety that gets over 10 pounds or so, then you use a sling/cradle to help relieve some of the weight from the vine. But, plants can handle a lot more than we think they can. Most vines in nature climb up, not out. 😉

2:30 def expected you to say "he's Eric, I'm Kevin, show us respect so we can flourish" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I love how excited you get when you harvest that finished product. I recognize the feeling. The proud excited feeling of accomplishment and thankfulness. It's so cute to see. Thank you for sharing, long time viewer/ subscriber here.

It's the humming at the end for me.😄 It's so rewarding when you get to eat something you've grown from scratch. Absolutely satisfying!😌

@klyanadkmorr

2 жыл бұрын

ITA Even if you could have bought something cheaper or more amounts from a store. Everything I make from my garden is epic culinary as I also am a student of GORDON RAMSEY cooking! lol

@uchennaW

2 жыл бұрын

@@klyanadkmorr definitely priceless 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

@uchennaW

2 жыл бұрын

@Anu Breed wow that's awesome! I love watermelons but never grown them.

@klyanadkmorr

2 жыл бұрын

@@uchennaW I've been more successful growing zucchini cucumbers & yellow squash. Tried mini watermelons but got a sad shriveled fruit but I'm working with not the best soil as I've not been careful building up nutrient mulch.

@klyanadkmorr

2 жыл бұрын

@Anu Breed I'm more into the taking time and mulching composting which when I did a small amount 2-3yr ago had a great harvest that year but I have had issues PANDEMIC & health making maintaining a good pile and prepping my small plots. I'm going to move to more Pot plantings too.

The history of watermelons is actually Really interesting. There was Centuries of effort to get watermelons sweeter and red as apposed to light green and almost flavorless. Watermelons also originated in Africa

@jspyrogram

2 жыл бұрын

Bradford Watermelons - Brix 12.5

@gcc2313

2 жыл бұрын

I'd actually say they were grown for different purposes instead. They were initially grown for the seeds not the fruit flesh. Modern watermelons have somewhat had a similar evolution as other fruits like bananas. Where the fruit flesh is more important than the seed.

@gcc2313

2 жыл бұрын

@@happymama2793 They were first domesticated in Africa as that's also where they originated. Grown for different purposes meaning some cultivars or types were grown for the seeds to consume like you would peanuts or pumpkinseeds. They also started to be cultivated for the flesh and water content especially for areas that experience very dry seasons. This all happened thousands of year ago. Then in the last few hundred/thousand years Different varieties were then transported across the world often through trade, like the Moors did to Spain. So like I stated they were grown for different purposes starting thousands of years ago.

@beyondalpha1072

2 жыл бұрын

THATS RACIST

@DavidSmith-uz8lw

Жыл бұрын

@@jspyrogram Just discovered their history last week and bought some seeds. Can't wait to plant them!

New subscriber here. Love that you get right into your information that your title depicts. So many channels get into talking about themselves or other topics and you get the information you were looking for in the last 5 minutes of the video. Thank you!

That looks so so good! I am growing watermelons this year and they are going crazy. I only planted 5 total plants I bought from a nursery. They must love the soil and the sunlight because they’re doing awesome. Thanks for the tips on how to know when it’s ripe and how to care for it. Appreciate you!!!

The tendril method is what my neighbor told me to use. Of course we have had a crazy wet year here in southern Mississippi so every watermelon has split open when it got to softball size. Then Ida comes and dump even more water on my already overly watered watermelons. “We’ve had too much rain this summer.” Words a San Diegoan has never uttered. Maybe I can get some watermelons next year.

@mfhmonkey

2 жыл бұрын

I thought mine were gonna drown. East Texas saw 35 inches of rain this spring.

@cheerios0522

2 жыл бұрын

You need to add more fertilizer for frequent heavy rains . That's what I did and I had zero problems

@domesti-city

2 жыл бұрын

From San Diego: What is this 'rain' that you speak of?

@zimmejoc

2 жыл бұрын

@@domesti-city water actually falls from the sky where I live. 🤣

@zimmejoc

2 жыл бұрын

@@cheerios0522 if next summer is as wet as this one, I will definitely give that a try.

We had the same, dumbfound excitement in our garden last year when we somehow managed to grow a couple giant watermelons and it definitely hits different when you grow it yourself. Congrats man!

Amazing! This is my first year growing watermelons and they’ve been my most successful crop so far. One thing you didn’t address is watermelon blossom end rot, which I struggled with. Apparently, fertilizing with a high-calcium fertilizer solves for this. I didn’t realize you could overwater later in the growth cycle, so that’s a great tip!

I've got five seedlings growing right now and hoping for just one to make it this season. Your enthusiasm is infectious and I hope I can have a similar reaction to the joy you felt when you cut yours open. :)

Kevin always gives me Property Brothers vibes! I can totally see a collaboration of sorts, hopefully one day soon

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

The Garden Brother

@justakym

2 жыл бұрын

@@epicgardening Perfect name 😍 It will be EPIC!! 😉🥰

@SpaceCadet4Jesus

2 жыл бұрын

@@justakym No...It will be ERIC!! 😉🥰

@SpaceCadet4Jesus

2 жыл бұрын

If he can't interest you in a watermelon, he's got some fixup property on the side.

I have two melon plants I started indoors hydroponically from a single seed each, transferred each to one of two 3 gallon pots outdoors on the deck when I felt they were ready for the heat of the deck (90 to 100 degrees). I stretched a bungee net (attached to the deck) over the two containers so they can tie into it and support the fruit load. Each plant is at the flowering stage right now, with 4 to 5 yellow blossoms each. I'm going to assist them in what they seem to want to do, no pruning, just nutrients, water and some conversation. This melon species only produces one to two melons per plant for most people, but I'm going to try for more. Wish me luck, I'm a newbie gardener.

@cheetah3036

Жыл бұрын

Hey! Checkin' in, how are ya? How'd the melons turn out/go? :D

@SpaceCadet4Jesus

Жыл бұрын

@@cheetah3036 Last year (first year mentioned above) was the handsized Tiger Melons, potted up, grew about 9 melons until the excessive rains caused fungus. The variety was mostly seed, mild in taste and not worth the effort at all. But... This year I grew two new varieties New Orchard F1 and Golden Midget in an above ground planter. Almost ready to pick them now, 4 from New Orchard and 2 from Golden Midget. My mistake this time was putting the plants to close to each other and the New Orchard F1 almost killed the output of Golden Midget. Otherwise, next year, it's strawberries and watermelon again. I'm still a newbie.

@SpaceCadet4Jesus

Жыл бұрын

@@cheetah3036 Also the potted plants underneath a deck webbing worked out well, until after harvest, I almost broke my foot a few times not avoiding the screw-in eyebolts on the deck. I removed them a bit late. Ouch.

Omgarsh I just found you as I'm finishing up caring for my greenhouse friends! I am growing sugar baby watermelon, in my GH. They are growing off the hook ! I was life , I'll have 50 when I'm done. Lol After waiting your video I see a few things wrong . I already have one soft and she's not gonna make it. Darn! They are crowded and are in long boxes up off the ground . I wish I was gonna get 50 , but some of the tiny ones are dying off already . I'm going to watch again , and I subscribed! I'm so glad I found you ! Have a lovely weekend!

ahh yes, the wee little baby homestead that this use to be. I came back to this video to try to refresh what mistakes I made these last 2 years and try to start in an angle that might be better. Man you have really made some major improvements to this place! Great job so far. :)

Kevin, been following your work since December. been planting because of you. saw you on the today show 2 days ago. glad you are helping folks. stay blessed and inspire!

I planted watermelon for the first time this year. Slow start and then they took off. I was pretty excited, even had several fruits growing (one was larger than my hand) until some field mice came through and destroyed all of my vines and all 6 of my fruits 😭

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

😭😭😭

@Koobehtmoor

2 жыл бұрын

Same for me! The wee baby watermelons were small but strong. I was so excited thinking of getting to taste my very own fresh homegrown watermelons. Along came the mice….

@sonnyanthonyguevarra4281

2 жыл бұрын

I have 3 path of watermelon with 2 almost the size of a bowling ball but was destroyed by rats 😡😡

@RaspyOB174

2 жыл бұрын

@@epicgardening I too am about to build a fence and a ratwall to keep out pests and squirrels that are destroying my crops every single year. It's making gardening not even fun anymore to come out and see the damage to all of the fruit. They always eat half or 25% of each fruit and leave the rest to rot. It's now beyond frustrating. Maybe I can do live traps? Idk what to do.

@laurelweiner8

2 жыл бұрын

@@Koobehtmoor try tule fabric to keep out the mice..

I’m actually growing sugar baby watermelons 🍉 right now. I have two that are the size of golf balls and today I noticed two other female flowers the size of a marble and just manually pollinated two other female flowers. I’m so excited. My first time ever growing any fruit… I’m so excited for my watermelon! Can’t wait until I can harvest and it eat. Thanks for the video.

I hear you!! Grew a 31 pound Ali Baba last year - the flavor and smell/color was unbelievable. Knowing when to pick is so tricky. I have two growing this year- one tendril is hard but not dried. The other one has a tendril that is still green and soft. Hoping in 2-3 weeks I can pick the bigger one. 🤞🏾🍉👩🏾‍🌾

This season is my first time trying sugar baby watermelon and this video is great to know what are my mistakes, thanks Kevin (Eric) 😁

@thejessicadiaries

Жыл бұрын

I’m currently growing a Sugar Baby for the first time! It’s so exciting to watch it grow. How did yours turn out?

This video is right on time! I'm struggling with my watermelon. I hope my melons come out well. (Goes back to watching the video). Just watched to the end an am all smiles! I'll definitely be a bit more patient with my watermelons and use your tips on picking when they are ripe! The hum at the end, golden!! 🎉

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

Thanks for the tips mate. I have my first crop of watermelons and I have no idea when to harvest them. Talk about heat and the summer, we had a record 6 days straight of over 40c which equates to about 104f, my water bill was huge but the watermelons have thrived. I think I’m still a few weeks from harvest, can’t wait. All the best from Western Australia 👌

@meganfedds

Жыл бұрын

Reading this comment and seeing "6 days straight of over 40°C" and I thought 'sounds like Perth haha' then continued reading and saw 'Western Australia' Going to try sugarbaby watermelons in Perth this summer. Hopefully I get just one tasty melon

@Keekijddmsm12348

Жыл бұрын

i grow my watermelons in extreme heat for a whole summer and they still produce like tempereatures up to 40 degrees celcius but the production is low in july and august

I did Black Mountain Watermelon last year in my South Florida garden. It is really the only annual that handles the heat and humidity of our summers.

I was able to grow a delicious 20 pound seedless watermelon in my yard. It is very gratifying growing edibles in my own yard. I also grew yellow squash that was so big it made the grocery store yellow squash look so puny. Nobody told me about the vines growing from watermelon or yellow squash, so yes they do need a bit of space.

@Moriddin

2 жыл бұрын

You can save alot of space by growing the squash vertically. I use cattle pannels as an arch and tie them to it. ( bonus being it helps keep the powdery mildew at bay with some pruning)

@MissMultiConsole

2 жыл бұрын

that sounds so nice i bet it feels so good to know that you grew it yourself and it is bigger and better than what the shops sell.

@nancywells5626

2 жыл бұрын

@@Moriddin Thank you for the tips.

You are right about eating food that you grew yourself. I picked some tiny tomatoes from an experimental farm 20 years ago, froze the seeds, and just planted them this year. The tomatoes (which didn't have a name, just a number back then) grew, flourished and are presently feeding the multitudes! Oh, and from a dyslexia point of view, Kevin and Eric have the same vowels in the same order. Throw in the title Epic (again with the vowels) and it is an easily made transfer.

@trevormanuel9869

2 жыл бұрын

Hello dear how are you doing?

4 of my seedings have sprouted :D I have them in a huge bucket but it's hard to move it into full sun, so I'm gonna carefully dig them up and put them in smaller pots to a more sunny spot. I live with my family on 12 acres and 2 are currently being converted to a giant garden. I may use the giant pot to grow some potatoes (since we have root-loving moles digging around) Happy growing!

I can appreciate just how much work goes into planning and producing videos like these. Thanks for sharing Kalem!

🤤 That watermelon looks incredible. I grew some Sugar Baby watermelons vertically this year. Only a few because I didn’t have a lot of space but it was a great experience.

@katherinecornette5315

2 жыл бұрын

Me too!

I have never grown them due to the space needed. But when my development was first built they only built 15 of 99 lots and for years melons would grow in the lots that they did not build on. Was never sure what the land was used for before but it gave me a good idea. But it was nice for a few years to just walk around and find them.

I have 5 fruits out of 1 plant last year, each fruit was 25 to 30 lbs. They all tasted really sweet. The reason i let them fruits that many is because the seed package said it was small variety, maximum 10 lbs per fruit 😅

I have 2 on my plant, one smaller than the other hanging on a trellis outside in south Wales, can't wait to try it.

Expensive, expensive crop (resources, time, effort, soil, water nutrients)....gotta get them right or it could be a big loss. EPIC, as always. :-)

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

So true!!

@theBoonarmies

2 жыл бұрын

I've tried 3 successive seasons here in Australia, and not a single fruit yet. I'll get it eventually.

@mfhmonkey

2 жыл бұрын

If you have the space it’s great eat’n.

@goto8438

2 жыл бұрын

@@theBoonarmies you must be doing something wrong. I live on the central coast NSW and have had great crops without doing anything really special. Maybe planting when too cool. Good luck!

@user-unknownorknown

2 жыл бұрын

@@epicgardening Eric -i misread Eric from the EPIC gardening.

This past year was the first time i was successful with watermelon and i was so excited, i feel your joy KEVIN keep gardening man love it

I just met your LA rep Linda. She is great! Thanks for tip on watermelon care.😊

@lluvaldez

9 ай бұрын

It was great meeting you Mr. Baker! Thank you for supporting Botanical Interests seeds in LA. #GregoryHinesDoppleganger

Did a test garden this year. Got two watermelon starters, and a few others plants. The watermelon went crazy. The vines have spread over 1/4 of the garden. We've had 2 so far, 8 more still on the vines. It was a super-hot year, but it's starting to cool fast, so hopefully they all finish soon.

My first year growing them. Luckily I checks how much space they need. I'm having trouble deciding when ripe. We've had so much rain for the last two weeks and they look fat now. This vide made me happy, time to pick a watermelon!

@stever7709

2 жыл бұрын

Supposed to be ripe when the nearest tendril has completely dried out. But it's been hit and miss for mine this year.

@Justin_aka_Stickman

2 жыл бұрын

If you get heavy rains during the ripening process, you'll want to cover your plants. Like he mentioned, the excess water will lessen the concentration of sugars in the melon.

So happy you just dug into half a watermelon with a spoon like we do. I also felt like I got to share your joy in unavailing that watermelon. Thanks for the tips! Wish us luck!

🤣😂 the way I grinned watching the excitement you had for that beautiful watermelon! I love your videos ❤️

We all need someone in our lives who adores us as much as Kevin adores that melon. So wholesome!

Eric, i mean kevin is not lying when he says that these things take up a lot of space. It is crazy. These things make pumpkins look like parsley plants that being said, i planted a cosmos a little too close to a watermelon plant. The cosmos pretty much swallowed it completely. Sad stuff.

@skullykittie9889

2 жыл бұрын

Really wish I knew this before starting 10 of them in a pot thinking they couldn't possibly be as bad as the pumkins...

@thall3827

2 жыл бұрын

My seed packet says 18 inch vine. Try 10 feet at least. Planted 3 and I'm completely overwhelmed.

@kittiew260

2 жыл бұрын

Smaller ones perfect for growing vertical. Use pantyhose to tie onto the pannel and you have plenty of space 😉

The end excitement around the success is so relatable. It’s so hard to grow a tasty perfect watermelon! 🎉

We Love Eric's!!!!!!!!! Great video. I love gardening and small farming. What I have found out about melons is to not rush them and try and not pick them early, because the inside wont be as soft throughout.

There are varieties where I live, that usually give 3-4 watermelons per plant of 110-15 kilos each; and they are planted at half a meter distaance from each other. As little water as possible is the best tip for growing watermelon. It is a desert plant after all.

This was my first year growing watermelon too. I grew some "space-saving" style ones --- Golden Midget and BlackTail. They both didn't take much space and they tasted amazing! Next year I plan to grow some larger ones like the star and moon type too.

@raeezawilson317

2 жыл бұрын

Hhoooh hh

@torakfett3351

2 жыл бұрын

That’s one of the ones I’m growing this year! Got my seeds from MIgardener! 😆 My grandfather used to grow watermelon in our backyard so I know how good homegrown is- hoping my baby will this year.

@chantellemansfield6334

Жыл бұрын

Our favorite watermelon here in our not-so-little garden in our little southern Wisconsin town is Blacktail Mountain. So sweet and delicious. I had 6 volunteer watermelon plants come up this year and one of them has a big watermelon coming on. I think most of them must be Golden Midgets because they're the only ones, except for one Ali Baba, that we lost a few of last year because we were out of town when they came to ripeness. But the one with the big fruit coming on I thought had to be an Ali Baba based on location and it's light color, but yesterday when I went out to check the garden (a happy evening rigtual for my husband and myself), it had darkened up a lot literally overnight, so now I'm a bit confused. We shall see when we harvest, I guess. I've got both "mystery melons" and "mystery 'maters" in my garden this year and that it so fun for us! Thank you, Kevin, for your videos. Blessings to you and yours and your audience!

I grew my first this summer. That joy is indescribable☺️. Happy growing everybody!!

Thanks, Eric :) You have given a lot of great tips! I’m getting ready to plant some watermelons

I did sugar baby watermelon for the first time last year and I watched so many videos on how to make sure it’s ripe. I went based off the yellow spot and the dry tendril. I also took note when it stopped growing which is when it indicated to me to check the tendril. Home grown watermelon does not ever beat store bought! It was so fresh and juicy and delicious! Thanks so much for the video!! I love your channel. 🥰

@peggycole616

Жыл бұрын

Planted sugar babies this year ( my first watermelons) 🍉 what is the lighter variety you savored? It looks somewhat cubed like Japanese watermelons

Love this season! I just made a little video on how to tell if a watermelon is ripe, too (for me and my 9 lovely followers!) - in my experience the bonus tendril test is the most important

@simpinainteasyRHEC

Жыл бұрын

Im #373! Lol nice job growing!

Thanks for the useful tips on harvesting! I’m growing cantaloupe and watermelon on my flat roof garage this year (zero shade Colorado sunlight) using either 25-30 gallon pots or fabric bag. I guess I should try both and compare. 🤞🏻🍉

Your reaction to eating the watermelon made my day! Have a good one! Thank you for all your gardening tips friend 🌸

Gosh! Eric looks delicious!!! Your content is fantastic. Thanks for sharing your epic garden. 👊🏼♥️

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I tried the watermelon "sugar baby" this summer, it's a small variety. Yesterday I ate the first one, it was really sweet. Can't compare to the big ones in the supermarket, love mine :) I built a trellis to save on the space I don't have for them on the ground. Next year I will try 1 more different location: 1 one the ground, 1 again on the trellis. Hopefully the summer will be better and not so rainy.

@AdirondackRuby

10 ай бұрын

I'm growing Sugar Baby right now and just spotted my first melon! So excited. Rewatching this video to get tips.

Nice video Epic!! I would like to add, it is always good to plant some bee loving flowers within your garden to help with the pollinating. Also, the best fertilizer is a healthy soil at the beginning of the season, adding compost, worm castings, fish emulsion, bone meal, etc... is better than adding chemical fertilizers. Also, spray in fertilizers make for a bitter tasting fruit. 😉

@sistaotey_prays

Жыл бұрын

you must be new here

I’ve been watching you for a long time. I circle back sometimes to videos of things I want to grow. For the longest time I thought your name was Eric. You look like an Eric. But it was only about 6 months ago I realized it was Kevin! 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️. Either way… you have helped me get some prolific harvests. Thank you KEVIN!

“Probably not the best place to cut this, but I don’t really care” Kevin gets it.

2021 was my first ever attempt to grow watermelons. I live in a suburban house with about 4000 square feet of backyard. I used about 500 square feet for my garden. I grew Sugar Babies from seed in tiny peat cups until they were about 3 inches tall (7 to 8 cm). Half of them died young, but I had started out with 6 so it was okay. When they were almost ready to transplant, I made a long hill about 1 foot high, 2 feet wide, 18 feet long by scraping up bare dirt I had solarized over the winter, and covered it and adjacent areas with weed control cloth. Under the very bottom of the hill, I had buried some weeds and some of the wild clover that grows abundantly in my yard, to act as a slow-release natural fertilizer. I put in 3 of the peat pot watermelons 3 feet apart on the downhill end of the hill, and 3 cantaloupe seedlings on the uphill end, all at the top of the hill through x-shaped holes I cut in the cloth, and ran a drip hose on one side of the elongated hill. To help the 6 seedlings get started in the hill, I gave them _point source irrigation_ with 1 pint (1/2 liter) plastic drink bottles with the bottoms cut off, and a small hole punched through the bottle cap, about 1 millimeter or 3/32 inch diameter. The bottle tops were just pushed into the dirt next to the peat pots far enough to make the bottle stand up stably. I would top off the water in the bottles once or twice per day, which would slowly filter out into the dirt over the course of 2 or 3 hours. I also put in just a few granules (about 2/3 of a tablespoon or 10 cc) of 10-20-20 slow release fertilizer through the x-cut cloth at planting, and 2 or 3 weeks apart 2 more times. A few times I dissolved a very small amount of generic MiracleGro in the water headed for the plastic bottles. I did not prune the vines at all, I just moved them to keep them on the weed control fabric, so 3 feet either side of the hill. *They got a bit crowded and could have used more like 6 feet either side, but even so, I harvested a dozen beautiful Sugar Babies.* The cantaloupes did much less well, almost all bursting open from too much water from a late season tropical storm that hit North Carolina. I grew corn and butternut squash and climbing beans (the Three Sisters) a few feet away, which helped attract bees, mostly bumblebees, away from the wild clover. Pollination was never a problem. I also grew tomatoes and leeks in my container garden, in pots where I transplanted some of the wild clover to act as living mulch (and nitrogen donor). Those container plants got the same fertilizer treatment, except for adding some garden lime.

Just picked my first 2023 watermelon yesterday...yep, ate the whole thing🤣🤣 tried to store half...went back and ate pretty quickly! Yum

Have to admit I had an ear to ear smile watching u cut then taste ur fruit for the first time. I can’t wait!! I’m going to grow the small watermelons in laundry baskets lol. Space is an issue. Getting excited. What kind did u grow?

Super Informative! Maybe because Eric is close to Epic…

@mackenziearcher7785

2 жыл бұрын

That’s exactly what I was thinking

I succeeded on my first try growing them this year IN WISCONSIN! I only had to let them take over 1/3 of my lawn after they escaped the garden lol. Also, you're too tall to be a Kevin. Definitely getting mad Eric-energy from you. Or even Luke vibes.

This is the video I decided to subscribe!! I love your reaction to opening that beautiful watermelon! Well done!

i love growing watermelon! I have SIX growing right now. I used to have a watermelon plant and it started climbing up on my gate and the lawn service people cut it down :(. But i got to harvest thereof the watermelons from my watermelon plant but the two HUGE one were white on the inside :(. But i harvested the tiniest one and it was super tiny, And THAT was the one that was red on the inside. Thank you Kevin for telling me when to harvest them :). I want mine to be as HUGE as Eric.

I tried growing the jubilee in a large container and it didn't do very well. In fact, none grew very large ( not reallysweet), and a couple split open.

@usewisdom2

2 жыл бұрын

Maybe they split open because you watered it too much, as Kevin said.

@mostintrinsicone

2 жыл бұрын

@@usewisdom2 Yesss I believe so. It's my first try. I'll do it like Kevin said to do. I hope to get it right next summer.

It's because Epic looks like Eric understand certain altered states of consciousness.

I just started my 1st gardening thanks for the advice

You made my mouth water when you took a bite of that watermelon. Thanks for the tips.

EPIC is so close to ERIC, I think that may be where people get mixed up.

@trevormanuel9869

2 жыл бұрын

Hello dear how are you doing?

Eric looks amazing! 😁 Do you know where the persistent myth that there are such things as "male" and "female" watermelons comes from? It's all over the guides on how to choose the right grocery-store watermelon, and it makes zero sense botanically.

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Huh?! Hadn't heard

@GR-bo5zt

2 жыл бұрын

The FLOWERS are male or female. Not the fruit. Fruit comes from the female flower. ☺️

@TooLittleInfo

2 жыл бұрын

OMG I have heard this about bell peppers too, that the difference between 3 or 4 lobes depends on the gender of the fruit lol

@ivacheung792

2 жыл бұрын

@@TooLittleInfo Yes! And eggplants-something about the shape of the blossom end.

I've been growing watermelon for a few years now. I made the mistake of over watering them last year and they weren't as sweet. This year though the summer is hot and they get watered about once a week. I have 2nd generation Sugar Baby's in the ground of all different sizes! They're grouped together a little tight but, it's okay, I've had success with different distances between mounds! I'm extremely excited for my crop this year and intend to make dehydrated watermelon jerkey and sweet pickled watermelon rinds🥰👍🏻

Hi Eric 😁 thanks for sharing, I’ll be growing watermelon for the first time this summer

Hahaha. I love that I am not the only one to get excited like that and do the happy dance while eating my fresh fruits and veggies! Great job!

So glad I came across this much needed video. And although I’ve been following you for a while now, I do keep thinking your name is Eric not Kevin lol. It’s because Epic Gardening, my eyes see “E” and then the “I” and “C” and I just auto correct to Eric and I’m like that his garden. Crazy I know. Thanks for these tips. Which fertilizer at that point would you recommend? I look for a video on that

A few years ago I tried this crop for the first time. It was going well until the bugs came along. I'm still a newbie gardener and what I thought was simple stink bugs on my plants turned out to be a horrible infestation of vine garden pests! By the time I figured out what they were, I had already lost 4 or the 6 watermelons growing as well as the whole cantaloupe patch. Those bugs ate through everything. This year, I'm using a mixture of castille soap and neem oil and have killed 2 of them so far. Once I started the neem oil mixture, I haven't seen anymore! 🤞 Thank you for these tips! Next year I hope to have at least a 1/4 acre garden with lots of edible goodies and will be using your videos as I go! Have a wonderful growing season! 💚

@sandrascolari1854

Жыл бұрын

I'm a newbie and am trying all different kinds of crops just to see what works and what doesn't - two of which are watermelon and cantaloupe. First question, what exactly is a vine garden pest (is that a generic term for pests that eat vines)? And secondly, what was the ratio for the castille soap and the neem oil? Thanks so much.

You’re videos are awesome very straight forward. I’m Almond farmer in the Central Valley starting a little garden in my backyard for fun appreciate the tips!

Thanks for the information Eric!

I am growing mine in 20 gallon plant bags that are growing up a arbor trellis. Works great

I can almost taste that; can’t wait til mine grow! And…definitely Epic/Eric; I made that same mistake…while talking about one of your posts to a fellow gardener…then said hold on a second, I don’t think his name is Eric…wasn’t it Kevin 🤣

Thanks for the video Kevin. I’m still learning the do’s and don’t of Watermelons.

Your excitement was quite contagious!

This is very informative. Thanks eric!

as somebody who has started growing watermelon about 2 weeks ago, thnak you for the tips!

Thanks Eric. I'm going to try this.

I just simply love your videos!! You're instructional and conversational-- I leaned it to look at the🍉🤣. Thanks for the tips, just put out some sugar babies in Kemah TX 🤞🏽

Thanks for all the great info, Eric!

I cant wait to taste test mine this year

Thanks for the tips, Eric! I hope mine turn out as nice as yours!

I love his genuine excitement over his watermelons, that’s how you know he grew it

I'm gonna start growing yellow watermelon next year. I discovered them at a farmers market and I'm saving the seeds till next year as its too late now, can't wait to see how it goes for me

Awesome video brother! Very helpful, and congrats on your successful harvest🙏🏾

Love your video. Can I convert my avocado brown leaves to mulch for the watermelons? I have a plant growing in my front yard but the yard get overgrown with weeds, so I want to prevent that with mulch, but am in the tropics and mulch is very expensive if bought at the plant nurseries. Thanks for your response!

Hey Eric, thanks for all the wonderful videos

Thank you for these tips Eric. i have been trying to grow melon for sevral years, i get miles of leaves but really struggled to get fruit. thank you,

The delight when he ate it!!!! 😂 The humming!!! I love it and can’t wait to experience it too!

Hi Kevin, I planted a seedless variety watermelon and it is currently about the size of a softball. When I gently lift it from the bottom it is super light, at what stage should it start to feel like it's more solid/weighty? Enjoy your channel and videos, keep up the great work

Good morning Kevin. New follower and loving the info, so thanks. Third year growing watermelons and still have questions. My melons (2) are pollinated and growing great. I’m pruining back the multitude of vines to concentrate the power but I’m worried about not leaving enough vibrant leaves to keep the energy flowing. The oldest leaves have lost their life and if I cut all the new growth, will I be hurting the plant’s ability to provide energy for the melon? What’s the sweet spot here?