Growing Watermelon

AllisG · Aug 13, 2011

Im wondering if anybody grows large amounts of watermelon. I have a 1/4 mile id like to plant in watermelon but i want to now if there is a way to plant seeds behind the tractor?[b:85f0226877][/b:85f0226877]

AllisG · Aug 13, 2011

(quoted from post at 14:06:18 08/13/11) Im wondering if anybody grows large amounts of watermelon. I have a 1/4 mile id like to plant in watermelon but i want to now if there is a way to plant seeds behind the tractor?[b:578068301c][/b:578068301c]

orry it would be a 1/4 mile long going on the edge of the feild. Also can you use a potato hiller to make the bed to plant the seeds?

Brendon-KS · Aug 13, 2011

I plant watermelons in my garden with a Deere #71
unit planter. The "cucumber/cantaloupe" plate
(sorry, I can't remember the part number) works fine
for the smaller-seeded varieties.

Briar Hill Brittanys · Aug 14, 2011

(quoted from post at 23:22:45 08/13/11) I plant watermelons in my garden with a Deere #71
unit planter. The "cucumber/cantaloupe" plate
(sorry, I can't remember the part number) works fine
for the smaller-seeded varieties.

What gears do you use, for the population? Do you have to go back and thin out some, or just leave all the plants? Seems like you'd need a hill drop unit, or something like that. The book for my 70 Flexis show some kind of middle sprocket for extending the distance between seed drops. I'll have to look it up, the book is in the barn. Mark

greenbeanman in Kansas · Aug 14, 2011

If you are willing to pony up the bucks a Stanhay belt planter will quite accurately plant them for you as well as about any other seed you wish to plant.

A belt is punched to the size of seed you will be using with the holes spaced correctly too. Even punched side by side for planting closely spaced crops with a divider shoe. The green belt is for planting 3 drills of carrots in one row. Another photo shows the divider shoe. http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t298/growerguy/100_1724.jpg

I'm providing a link which shows various punched belts. The one closest to the sheave is for cantaloupe, and the vertical one close to it is for watermelon. If the photo is enlarged you can read the belt tags.

The optional link shows a watermelon row the first year I planted with the Stanhay. Irrigation pipe back ordered so drip tape wasn't used after being placed.

Stanhay punched belts.

Brendon-KS · Aug 14, 2011

I use the 9:22 ratio sprockets which gives an 18"
spacing with the 16-cell plate. (The 9-tooth
sprocket doesn't come with the planter; it has to be
ordered from Deere.) I've found this seed spacing
works out fairly well without any extra thinning
since not every seed survives.

Kevin Happke · Aug 17, 2011

What kind of watermelon do you want to grow?, Do people in your area use any mulch {black plastic} to Plant in?

Growing Watermelon

AllisG

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AllisG

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Brendon-KS

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Briar Hill Brittanys

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greenbeanman in Kansas

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Brendon-KS

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Kevin Happke

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