Diana F1 Watermelon Melons Vegetables Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

Diana watermelon seeds produce beautiful little golden-yellow watermelons with fantastic, delicious, dark pink flesh. Each fruit weighs around 1kg (2.2 lb). They are fast to mature and have strong hybrid resistance to plant diseases. Their unusual colour makes them stand out like gems in the garden. The ripe fruits of Diana watermelon are extremely sweet and flavourful, and have few seeds. Diana scores 10.3 on the Brix scale, which means they are super sweet with complex flavour. When picked at the peak of ripeness, they are just incredible. So much more appealing flavour and texture than can be found in a grocery store melon.

Matures in 75 days. (Hybrid seeds)

• Little golden-yellow watermelons
• Dark pink flesh
• 1kg (2.2lb) fruit
• Hybrid seeds
• Matures in 75 days

All About Diana

Latin

Cantaloupes (musk melons) & Honeydews: Cucurbita melo
Watermelons: Citrullus lanatus
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Difficulty

Easy in a greenhouse or cloche, or outdoors in long, warm summers. Somewhat challenging without these conditions.

Season & Zone

Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full-sun

Timing

It is essential to start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse 4-6 weeks after the last frost date. Transplant when the plants are 5 weeks old. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 20-25°C (68-77°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.

Starting

Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep. Set transplants 60-90cm (24-36″) apart in rows 1.5-2m (5-6′) apart.

Days to Maturity:

From transplant date.

Growing

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. Choose a warm, well-drained soil. Add dolomite lime and compost or well-rotted manure to the bed and ½-1 cup of balanced organic fertilizer beneath each transplant. Melons need warm growing conditions. Use black plastic mulch, cloches, or floating row covers. Success may improve in raised beds. Melons plants require 8-10 weeks of good, hot growing weather from the middle of June to the end of August. During that time, a melon vine must grow 5-9 leaves before starting to flower, then set 4 or more male flowers before making its first female flower, and then ripen its fruit before cool, damp weather sets in. Melons do not ripen off the vine. During the entire growing season, make sure to provide ample water.

Harvest

Fruit will ripen in late August to early September. Ripe cantaloupe will easily detach from the vine when light finger pressure is applied to the stem. Watermelon is ripe when the tendril nearest to the fruit withers and dries up.

Seed Info

In ideal conditions at least 60% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 60 seeds, per acre: 5.2M seeds.

Companion Planting

Melons are great companions for corn, marigolds, nasturtiums, pumpkin, radish, squash, and sunflowers. Avoid planting near potatoes. Melon leaves are full of calcium, so they’re good for the compost heap.

More on Companion Planting.