Sowing: Sow indoors if possible and transplant. Outdoors, sow the seeds in spring after the last frost of the season. Space the plants at least a foot a part, in full sun. Germination takes about 3 to 4 weeks. Needs light to germinate.

Transplanting: Transplant to soil tilled or loosed to a depth of about a foot. Dig a hole at least 2x the diameter of the pot the plant was in. Fill in the soil around the root ball, ensuring that the top of the root ball is level with the ground.

Soil Preference: Watermelons like rich warm soil. Make sure your soil has good drainage and won’t be likely to accumulate standing water at the base of the plant.

Other Tips: Some gardeners don’t like the appearance of the flowering stalks, and these can be trimmed away (close to ground level). Do your best to remove dying or dead leaves. Keep away from standing water, as this can encourage leaf rot. Prolonged wet weather can also bring about rot.