Watermelons - More Than A Fruit

By Ashleigh Smith

Did you know that watermelons aren’t just a fruit? They are actually vegetables as well, closely related to pumpkins and squash. They are considered fruits not because of their sweet taste, but because they carry their seeds. Botanically they are a part of the gourd family. You may start to see this as you compare their thick rinds to those of other squashes and cucumbers.

Something not commonly known is that the entire watermelon is actually edible. While you may not want to eat it fresh, in some Asian cuisines the rind is added to stir fry’s. We wouldn’t recommend adding the colored flesh though as over 90 percent of a watermelon is water. Imagine that!

Not every watermelon is the same. If you are interested in trying something different from the same old red flesh with black seeds, check out our seed offerings. You can find small, large, seeded, seedless, green or yellow skinned, red, orange, and yellow fleshed varieties. There are many varieties allowing you to pick one that best suits the weight, sweetness, color, and growing conditions you are looking for.

If you are a pro at growing watermelons, perhaps you would like to do something extra spunky this year. One of the coolest things about growing melons is that you can actually shape them. You will just need to use a melon mold that is put on while the melon is very young. As it grows the mold will force it to develop your desired shape. Careful, this trick may put your melons in high demand this coming season.