FRUIT-TINY TOT-WATERMELON

How to Grow Tiny Tot-Watermelon

1. Choose a warm, sunny position as Tiny Tot Watermelon needs a warm growing season and a position with full sun. Choose a spot that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day, with plenty of room for the vines to spread. Watermelons grow best in fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost or aged manure.
2. Sow outdoors, after all danger of the last frost has passed, and the soil has warmed. Tiny Tot can be directly sown into the garden, or started in pots in cooler areas and planted out once the weather is reliably warm.
3.  Plant seeds about 20 mm deep. Water gently after sowing and keep the soil moist, but not soggy, until seedlings appear. Watermelon seeds usually germinate best in warm soil, around 27- 32°C.
4. Space plants around 60–80 cm apart, with rows about 150–180 cm apart. Even though Tiny Tot produces smaller fruit, the vines still need room to grow and spread. If space is limited, vines may be trained up a strong trellis, but fruit will need support as it develops.
5. Watermelons need consistent moisture while they are growing, flowering and setting fruit. Water deeply at soil level rather than over the leaves, as wet foliage can encourage fungal problems. Avoid letting plants dry out severely, especially while fruit is forming.
6. Feed for healthy vine and fruit growth in well prepared soil with compost or aged manure.  A little extra fertiliser may be needed. In poorer soils, use a balanced vegetable fertiliser when seedlings are established, then a liquid feed during flowering and fruiting if plants need a boost. Avoid too much nitrogen, as this can encourage leafy growth at the expense of fruit.
7. Watermelon plants produce separate male and female flowers on the same vine. Bees and other insects are important for pollination and good fruit development. If fruit begins to form but then shrivels, poor pollination may be the cause. Hand pollination can be done by transferring pollen from a male flower to a female flower.
8. Once fruit starts forming, place straw, sugar cane mulch, cardboard, or another dry barrier under each melon to help keep it off wet soil and reduce the risk of rotting.
9. Tiny Tot Watermelon is usually described as a quick-growing variety, producing small fridge-size fruit of around 2 – 3 kg in about 75 days from sowing, though growing time can vary with climate and conditions. Look for ripeness signs such as a dry brown tendril near the fruit stem, a duller skin surface, a heavy feel for its size, and a yellowing patch where the fruit rests on the ground.
10. Harvest carefully. Cut ripe fruit from the vine with a short piece of stem attached. Store harvested watermelons in the fridge and use them soon after picking for the best flavour and texture. Tiny Tot’s smaller size makes it ideal as a manageable, fridge-size watermelon for home gardens.

Additional growing tips of Tiny Tot-Watermelon

• Use a soil thermometer, not just the calendar. Watermelon can sulk badly if planted into cold soil. A little trick is to check the soil temperature early in the morning, when it is at its lowest, before deciding whether to sow or transplant. Watermelon seed germinates best once soil at seed depth is above about 21°C / 70°F.
• Start seedlings in pots that minimise root disturbance. Watermelons dislike having their roots disturbed, so if raising seedlings, use individual pots, peat pots, or larger cells and transplant while still young. Watermelons are difficult to transplant and need suitable containers to succeed.
• Pre-warm the growing bed before planting. In cooler areas, black plastic, low tunnels, or temporary covers can warm the soil earlier and give melons a stronger start. Soil-warming mulches and low tunnels can allow earlier planting and maturity, but covers should be removed once flowering begins so bees can access the flowers.
• Don’t panic if the first flowers do nothing. Male flowers often appear before female flowers, so early flowers may open and fall without fruit forming. Female flowers are the ones with the tiny swollen “baby watermelon” behind the flower. Male flowers appear at least a week before female flowers.
• Hand-pollinate early female flowers if bee activity is low. Watermelon pollen is heavy and sticky, so wind will not move it properly. If bees are scarce, touch pollen from a fresh male flower onto the centre of a female flower in the morning. Good pollination is especially important for the first flush of female flowers.
• Support fruit early if growing vertically. Tiny Tot’s smaller fruit size makes it more practical for trellising than large watermelons, but the fruit should still be supported in a sling made from soft cloth, netting, or old stockings before it gets heavy. Personal-size watermelons under about 3.2 kg / 7 lb  are suitable for trellising.
• Keep only the best-shaped fruit if vines are overloaded. If a vine sets too many small or misshapen fruit, removing poor fruit can help the plant put energy into the better ones. Pruning or removing misshapen or poorly pollinated fruit can improve the balance between vine growth and fruit set.
• Think potassium once fruit is forming. Too much nitrogen gives lush vines, but potassium is important for fruit quality and sweetness. Adequate potassium fertilisation is important for melon crops because potassium is correlated with melon sweetness.
• Ease back on heavy watering near ripening. Keep plants alive and steady, but avoid suddenly overwatering late in fruit development. Excessive irrigation in the later ripening stage can reduce sugar levels and cause fruit cracking.
• Use drip watering if possible. Drip irrigation keeps moisture near the root zone while keeping the leaves dry, which can reduce disease pressure compared with overhead watering. Drip irrigation helps crops grow evenly, reduces weed emergence, and keeps foliage dry.
• Grow in slightly raised soil if your garden holds water. Watermelons prefer rich but well-drained soil, and they dislike sitting in wet, heavy ground. Raised mounds or raised rows can help drainage, especially after heavy rain. Watermelons prefer organic, rich, well-drained sandy soils, but most soils can work if drainage is good.

Heritage of Tiny Tot Watermelon