Don’t forget to plant seedless ‘Orange Crisp’ with a seeded pollinator cultivar, such as ‘Charleston Gray.’ According to Guinness World Records, the largest watermelon ever grown weighed in at just over 350 pounds!

These cultivars weigh between three to six pounds, and are a delight to cut in half and eat with a spoon in one sitting.Plants reach a height of 15-24 inches and should be thinned to 36 inches apart, to allow for a spread of 72 to 96 inches. It is also ideal for first-time gardeners as it is easy to grow, small, fast maturing, and highly productive. It has a dark green rind and crimson flesh. Chris Cross This Iowa family heirloom watermelon produces round, pale green fruits weighing 15-20 pounds. But if, like me, your summer gardening fun is typically foreshortened by early autumn frosts, you’ll probably need to start picnic type watermelons indoors and transplant them out to your garden after your last spring frost. Also called ‘All Sweet’ this is an open-pollinated variety, so you can save the seeds from this year’s crop to grow next year’s melons.

An early-maturing variety that is well-suited for northern gardens and high altitudes. Great little icebox watermelon. Red Ruby Hybrid Red Ruby Hybrid is a seedless watermelon variety that produces super sweet, perfectly crisp, ruby-red flesh. Introduced in the 1940s, this heirloom open-pollinated variety has a dark green rind and tasty red flesh.You don’t have to get quite that big for your melon to be considered a giant though. Giant cultivars include those that weigh at least 32 pounds at full ripeness. Fruits have thin but tough rinds that are light green with dark green marbling. Flesh is pink, crisp, and sweet, with a fine texture and very small tan seeds. Many love watermelon for the juicy, sweet flavor and crisp texture that can be a welcome treat to beat the summer heat. Hundreds of watermelon cultivars have been developed over the years and vary in taste, texture, and color. Read on to find the perfect variety for you! Red Flesh The vines of this early-maturing cultivar are compact at four to five feet long, producing melons that are ready to harvest in 65-70 days. Expect three to four fruits per plant. Golden Midget’ is a super early variety that’s great for short-season growers – fruit will be ready to harvest in just 70 days.