Frequently Asked Question
When should I harvest my watermelon?
Last Updated 5 years ago
How do you know when to pick (harvest) your watermelon? If you pick it too early, it won't be sweet. Too late and it will be mushy.
One way is to look at the tendrils. Also called the qurley-q, it is the little part sticking off of the stem near the fruit that has a curley part at the end that will hook onto a trellis or whatever is nearby. (not talking about the stem) When the fruit is ripe, the tendrils will dry out. Common advice is if the tendril is partially dried up, wait a few more days until it is all dried up.
Here are two pictures of dried up tendrils, watermelon is ready to pick.
This picture shows a green (not-dried up) tentril, this watermelon is not ready to pick.
The video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kjOnnhcLfs gives more details about checking for ripeness using this method.
One way is to look at the tendrils. Also called the qurley-q, it is the little part sticking off of the stem near the fruit that has a curley part at the end that will hook onto a trellis or whatever is nearby. (not talking about the stem) When the fruit is ripe, the tendrils will dry out. Common advice is if the tendril is partially dried up, wait a few more days until it is all dried up.
Here are two pictures of dried up tendrils, watermelon is ready to pick.
This picture shows a green (not-dried up) tentril, this watermelon is not ready to pick.
The video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kjOnnhcLfs gives more details about checking for ripeness using this method.