I guess I was just being a little girl who did not want to be bothered by what seemed like a messy fruit when I refused to even try a watermelon. It bothered my mother who kept persuading me to eat each time there was a watermelon in the house. When I was 11 years old, I decided to taste a slice and the rest is now history. I figured out why any mother would do anything to make their child experience the extraordinary sweetness.
farm & garden with Doreen Badze
I started to appreciate the colour and the fruity smell of this produce with each bite. My father brought home the huge watermelons he was given by his white farmer clients of the company he worked for when he went around delivering petrol to farms. Other than the watermelons, he always brought something good from the farms that included fresh eggs, oranges, carrots, onions, potatoes etc. Additionally, as if it was a ritual, we would sometimes go without some Christmas goodies but one thing that would always be there was a huge sweet watermelon. It signalled our Christmas in a big way as we sat as a family and enjoyed the big desert. What puzzled me though were the different watermelons that my grandmothers saved for us in the rural area. Some were moderately sweet but nothing like the size and sugariness the ones my father brought home from commercial farmers. However, I remained curious as to why both my grannies could not produce those quality watermelons in their rural fields.
Horticulture has always fascinated me. As I learnt more about this entity, I then figured out the one thing that made a difference in what could be the same crop. Different quality produce starts with a particular seed that defines a particular variety. Back to watermelons, my grandmothers used old heirloom seeds and grew their watermelons differently. What was interesting was when I got to try the yellow one in Texas, it was equally as sweet as the red one. My love for watermelons made me research on how they are grown.
Even though watermelons are grown annually, farmers have a way of supplying the market throughout the year, though they are more abundant in summer than during the other seasons. They favour the lowveld areas of the country with high temperatures and relatively low rainfall where they are grown throughout the year. Other areas that are not in the lowvelds can only grow them annually, totally avoiding the winter. Common watermelon varieties are Charleston Gray, Crimson Sweet, and Sugar Baby. However, some seed houses are coming up with different hybrid varieties like Star 9905 from Charter Seeds and Kito from Prime Seed.
Ideal soils and temperature
Watermelons thrive on well-drained sandy loam soils. Heavy soils should be avoided; they may cause plants to develop slowly, reducing the fruit quality. Recommended temperature should be between 22 and 28 degrees centigrade. When temperatures are lower than 15°C, plants become sensitive to cold and growth is affected.
Planting watermelons
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Direct seeding is mostly done, especially when the soil is starting to warm up in most areas. Germination is a challenge in colder places. Some farmers get around that by use of seedlings that will have started way earlier, giving them the advantage of harvesting a little earlier. Seedlings also have an advantage of avoiding the risk of germination problems, as well as sown seeds getting eaten by mice and other insects. Watermelons should be allowed ample space for their rumbling vines. Spacing varies with different farmers. The latest I got was from one Prime Seed agronomist who said that 40cm apart rows and one and half metres between rows is ideal in line with saving space. Other farmers prefer leaving 2m in between rows and a metre apart in row. Compound L or C can be used on planting. Most fertiliser companies have fertigation programmes for watermelon and they can be reached for further information.
Watermelon Festival 2017 will be initiated this coming summer at the peak of the harvesting period. This is getting together watermelon farmers. Details and updates will be elaborated on this column weekly. Meanwhile, watermelon farmers can reach me on the telephone numbers below to be added to a watermelon group.
This week in our nursery, we have the following seedlings; rape rampart, tsunga paida, broccoli, eggplant, lettuce commander, roma tomatoes, sweet cabbage and covo hybrid. Happy farm and garden week!
Doreen Mutobaya Badze is a retired nurse and passion-driven gardener. She can be reached on Cell: 0779 730 880 or 16 Metcalf Road, Greendale, Harare. Email: [email protected] Facebook Page: Badze Garden Nursery
