Early Moonbeam Organic Watermelon

Nature & Nurture Seeds

Citrullus lanatus

$4.49

Pkt(≈18 seeds)
VALUE SIZE: 6 g (≈ 100 seeds)
Certified Organic
75 days. Capture the glow of the summer sunshine in a convenient sized watermelon that will fit into your refrigerator and picnic basket! This is a yellow-fleshed, “icebox” sized watermelon that grows to 5-8 lbs. This variety was bred for northern growers by genius plant breeder Dr. Alan Kapuler of Peace Seeds in Oregon. He bred Early Moonbeam by dehybridizing Yellow Doll Hybrid watermelon, maintaining sweetness and earliness. A good choice for gardeners trying to maximize their space, Early Moonbeam sets fruit on shorter, highly productive vines. Rind is thin, mostly a light green color interspersed with dark green stripes.

Watermelon is a hot weather crop and needs lots of room to sprawl. Direct sow seeds outdoors once warm summer weather has arrived (minimum soil temp of 65° in early June). Keep seeds moist until germination. Or, start seeds indoors 5/7 in small biodegradable pots (watermelons do not like their roots disturbed during transplanting) into a good starting mix. Ideal temperature for germination: 85-95° (use heating mat). Watermelon seedlings are sensitive to damping off fungus so keep soil lightly moist but not too wet and use an oscillating fan (set to low) to provide good air circulation. Days to germination: 4-5. Once 2 leaves appear, grow plants at a cooler temperature (around 72°). Do not let plants become pot-bound in their pots. Transplant seedlings outdoors, pot & all, early June. Protect plants from cucumber beetles by covering seeds/seedlings with row cover fabric at planting. Protect plants from groundhogs and deer. Though this watermelon is a good choice for northern growers, watermelons are a hot weather crop and will perform poorly during a particularly cool summer (if temps are not at least consistently in the 80’s).