2013: Year of the Watermelon

Not only are watermelons (Citrullus lunatus) delicious, they are one of the largest edible fruits grown in the U.S. It’s also one of the most useful fruits as every part is edible: the flesh can be eaten as is, the rind can be pickled and the seed can be roasted or ground into other ingredients.

Today’s watermelons can be classified as picnic, icebox, seedless and yellow/orange flesh types. Picnic types are the larger melons that can be round, long or oblong and are the largest ranging from 15-50 pounds. Icebox melons are smaller, round types that range from 5-15 pounds. Seedless are mid-sized, oblong or round and range from 10-20 pounds.

In the early 1990’s seedless or triploid melons came onto the market and it’s estimated that 50% of all watermelons grown commercially are now seedless. For the home gardener, seeds of a huge variety of heirloom and hybrids are readily available, allowing you to choose from rind colorations that range from light green to dark green and can be striped, solid or mottled. Flesh color ranges from almost white to bright red.

Read more about the watermelon on NGB.org