It’s the middle of July and our watermelons are about ready.

The striped melons are Jubilee watermelons . These melons are very special to us because Grandpa Bill Simmons used to grow them every summer and he saved his seeds, keeping them in the freezer to last longer. Now Grandpa is no longer with us, but we are enjoying growing watermelons from his seeds. Tim is continuing his father’s farming and gardening legacy and has been able to grow big tasty melons from his father’s saved seeds.

So now we go to the garden to check on the watermelons. There are so many big ones, but are they ready to pick? The best way to tell when your watermelons are ready is to look at the pigtail closest to the stem. When the stems start to dry out, your watermelons aren’t getting any more nutrients. So, from looking at the dried out stems we know that our watermelons are ready!

You can leave them on the vine a little while longer, but you don’t want them to bake in the sun, so it is best to harvest when the stems are dried out and the melons are ready! Ready watermelons should crack open when you’re cutting them.

TIP: Tim placed straw under his watermelons because the garden was too wet.