Know When A Watermelon Is Ripe To Pick

Make sure your watermelons are ripe before picking them.

There's nothing more disheartening to a watermelon gardener than tending to a patch all season, only to pick a watermelon before its prime. Watermelon does not continue to ripen off the vine, making the picking time crucial to enjoying a good slice of the fruit. The most foolproof methods for knowing when to pick a watermelon come down to sight and touch. Pay attention to all of the signs, as the cumulative body of evidence will help you determine the best picking time.

Instructions

1. Look at the stem tendril near the fruit for signs that it's brown and curling, but that the rest of the vine and leaves look healthy and green. This is a clue of a ripened melon, as the fruit is no longer taking in nutrition from the vine.

2. Flip the watermelon gently over to examine the portion that comes in contact with the ground. Look for a yellow or yellow-white spot for signs of ripeness; a pure white or pale green spot signals the melon is not ripe. Press the spot gently with your fingernail. A mature fruit will have a tough ground spot that doesn't give under your fingernail's pressure.

3. Examine the fruit's surface condition. Ripened watermelon has a dull surface and hardly any contrast between the stripe colors.

4. Thump the watermelon with your knuckles sharply, but not with enough force to damage the fruit. A hollow, dull sound indicates a ripe watermelon. Test several in the patch to have a good comparison.

Tags: pick watermelon, picking time, with your, your fingernail