Like other melons, they won't continue to ripen once you've picked them off the vine. If you don't take the time to learn when to harvest them, you might end up with inedible fruits and a lot of wasted time.
Like many icebox types, 'Sugar Baby' ripens 8- to 12-pound fruits in 75 days (compared to 120 days for a full-size watermelon). Even though fruits are small, they're packed with full-size flavor and sweetness. Need more convincing?
One of the most reliable indicators that your sugar baby watermelon is ripe is the tendril nearest the fruit. When the tendril turns brown and dries up, it's a sign that the baby watermelon is ready to pick. Look for the curly, green tendril attached to the vine close to the fruit.
Some, like watermelon, do not continue to ripen once harvested. Therefore, flavor will not improve nor will they become sweeter—t is what it is at harvest. However, cantaloupe and similar fruit will continue to ripen after harvest.
You should pick a melon that has a strong, consistent stripe pattern. The green stripes should be a deep, dark green, while the pale stripes should be a creamy, light yellow. Additionally, you may want to choose a dull-looking watermelon. If the melon is very shiny, it is likely underripe.
This widely adapted heirloom variety is solid, dark green on the outside with a bright red, firm and fine-grained flesh that is super sweet. Watermelon contains high levels of healthy antioxidants, making Sugar Baby a great sweet way to pack in good nutrition. Vines are compact. Plant about 4 feet apart.
If your sugar baby watermelon is white inside when you cut it open, then it wasn't ready for harvest. Knowing when your sugar baby is ripe can be a little tricky. You need to time it right — if you pick them too early, they'll be inedible.
Can you ripen a watermelon after it's picked? Unfortunately, no. Unlike some other produce, watermelons do not continue to ripen once they are picked.
Unlike many fruits, watermelons do not continue to ripen after they've been picked. That's why it's important to know whether a watermelon is ripe before picking or buying it. Once it's been harvested from the vine, it will hardly change until it goes bad.
Do a thump test. A ripe watermelon should have a deep hollow sound when you thump the rind with your hand, similar to a knock on the door. An unripe melon will have a more high-pitched resonance, whereas an overripe melon will sound more like a thud.
Sugarbaby is a heirloom watermelon that produces sweet, red-fleshed, round fruit to 20cm diameter. Smaller fruits means that sugarbaby watermelons will ripen quicker than those of other varieties. 10-13 weeks to harvest. Each packet contains 20 seeds.
Sugar Baby Watermelon Seeds - Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, non-Hybrid Victory Seeds® – Victory Seed Company.
While melon plants are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Keep soil moist, but not waterlogged. Water at the vine's base in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves and avoid overhead watering. Reduce watering once fruit are growing.
Root damage – Stunted watermelon growth might be the result of damage occurring during transplanting. You may have damaged the roots irreparably and they just can't take sufficient nutrients up to support further growth. Cultivating around the plant can also damage roots, which can affect fruit size.
That said, whether you're growing cantaloupes, muskmelons or watermelons, leaving the ripening fruits on the ground can lead to rot and damage from pests such as slugs, earwigs, pill bugs and wireworms. Elevating developing melons so they don't contact the soil solves this common problem.
If your garden produces under-ripe watermelon, try your hand at a crisp and refreshing salad: Feta cheese, olives and mint or basil tossed with watermelon chunks.
Hot weather (temperatures in the 90s) can also lead to fruit disorders. In general, watermelons tolerate high temperatures; however, some varieties are less tolerant of extended hot weather, leading to irregular ripening. Long season varieties often take longer to ripen, even when outwardly they appear to be mature.
A lack of calcium ultimately causes rapidly developing cells in fruits to collapse on themselves, turning the blossom end of the watermelon into a black, leathery lesion. Blossom rot in watermelons is caused by a lack of calcium, but simply adding more calcium isn't going to help the situation.
How many watermelons do you get per plant? You should get between two and four watermelons per plant so it's important to protect your harvest. Lay straw underneath any fruit grown at ground level so that they are protected from the soil, which can cause rot.
“Sugar Baby” (Citrullus lanatus “Sugar Baby”), for instance, has sweet red flesh and seeds, while “Yellow Baby” (Citrullus lanatus “Yellow Baby”) has characteristic bright golden flesh and also has seeds.
Sugar Baby watermelons are known for their small size and round shape. They typically weigh between 6 to 12 pounds, making them significantly smaller than other watermelon varieties. This compact size makes them ideal for small gardens and allows them to be easily transported and stored.
YaraLiva® Calcium Nitrate is the top choice for fertilizing watermelon during Vegetative Growth, Flowering and Fruit Set. YaraLiva calcium nitrate supplies readily available nitrate-nitrogen for fast growth and high productivity.