How can I tell if a watermelon is ripe?

[Botany]

Last year I picked one too early .... :cry:

[flying_wahini]

1. If the part that is on the ground starts turning yellow

I have never grown watermelons, so I can't testify to this
personally....

think I saw this on GardenWeb.com one of my favorite websites.

[grasswire]

2. and when you thunk it, it sounds a bit hollow

I'm pretty good at picking a good watermelon. First I look for a big yellow spot on the bottom that shows it laid in the field a good while. Then I thunk it, and compare the sound with other melons near it. Just slap it with the flat of your hand. A good melon will have a nice rich sound. A not-so-good melon will sound flat. Like "thup" rather than "thunnnnnk" for the good one -- hard to put into words but I think you'll hear the difference.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. My seed catalogs agree.

The other sign is that the stem is beginning to wither or turn yellow.


I don't grow watermelons anymore but the finger flicking test is reliable for other melons too.