Grow along with me: CaliKim Melon Seed Collection: calikimgardenandhome.com/seeds/calikim-melon-seed-collection-heirloom/ Save $5 with seed/book bundle: CaliKim Container Garden Seed Collection/Organic Gardening for Everyone (book) bundle: bit.ly/CaliKimContainerGardenSeedCollectionBookBundle Smart Pots containers: amzn.to/2RqjAHq As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases: Amazon general search page: amzn.to/3897OqD Seed starting supplies: amzn.to/30kbmDG Garden fertilizers:amzn.to/2uQkhBh Garden disease and pest control: amzn.to/2FMw6L7 Grow Lights: amzn.to/2NlY5FB Garden Tools: amzn.to/2RiwRRq Amazon lawn & garden supplies: amzn.to/30kFe2Z What kind of melons are you growing? Thanks for watching!
Hi Garrett - fabulous! You'll love growing from seed - it's so exciting to see them sprout and grow! Thanks for growing with my seed collections - keep me posted!
Oh wow! That's so neat to see that the hand pollination really works. We don't have a lot of bees where I live, I'm planting a lot of stuff and gonna plant some good pollinator flowers to encourage bees and hummingbirds and little pollinators bugs, we have a fair amount of hummingbirds, we actually had a little nest that was at eye level, last year. We could walk over and peak in the nest at the little eggs and then eventually the babies as they grew, they were so small, they looked like little bugs at first, so tiny and vulnerable. It was so fun to watch them grow, but I digress, haha. I'm glad to see the hand pollination works cause ill probably be doing that with a lot of my stuff this year. And I love the panty hose trick, that's great.
We are growing 3 watermelon plants in the ground, coaxing them up a fence and 4 watermelon plants in pots in a backyard in the city. So much fun to watch them grow!
I always like your videos and the fact that you always give us inexpensive ways to take care of our gardens. My cantaloupe has at least one fruit, so exciting!
I put a knee high hose on the last large tomato the the squirrels didn’t get yesterday. We have been in an all out war with the squirrels ( in North Carolina). Today they annihilated it. Ate right through the hose. 😡. My last resort ...we have tried many things... was to make hot pepper juice and put it on all my tomato plants. I hope I can use the pantyhose/knee-highs for my trellised squashes if needed.
Yay for this video! I actually bought pantyhose a couple of months ago just for this purpose. My husband was wondering I had bought extra large pantyhose (I am a petite individual and don't wear pantyhose)!
Hey Kim, I've got a related tip on this. I have upwards of 60 old sheets that I use in the garden in the spring and fall. About half of these are the "impossible to fold" fitted sheets. Back when my oldest daughter liked Barney (she is now a school teacher), well, we still have Barney in the garden, lol. Here is the tip... each of the fitted sheets has four corners. Take a pair of scissors and cut out the corner, about six inches in on all sides. This corner piece forms a little cradle that the fruit can sit in so it won't fall out. I then just poke some holes to weave a piece of twine through the three "ends", and tie it up! The original sheet is still usable for many things, and as an added bonus, now it's easier to fold!
I really really want to grow sugar baby watermelons in my little container garden. Perhaps next year. Watching your videos for tips so that I'm ready to solve problems before they strike. Thank you for showing us how to protect the melons. Have a great day. Hugs and kisses to Mac.
I’m growing birdhouse gourds on a trellis in my raised garden bed and used your videos from last year to get ideas to support these. I have a combination of t-shirt and panty hose slings. So far they are doing a great job supporting these beautiful gourds! My melons and pumpkins are just setting fruit now and will use t-shirt supports for those.
First time trying grow bags, cannot wait to see how they do, I had burlap bags laying around for crafting, well I used one, filled with potting soil, literally threw a few cucumber seeds in it as a experiment really and I will tell u I have about 2 cuces per day. I can't wait to put all my fruits in the grow bags ur vids are the best.
Good day I am inspired on your garden that is why I started to plant on my small garden. although its hard to start but I'm so happy to harvest less stress... Thanks
Great tips and video as usual! Cantaloupe and cucumbers are going to be hanging from my deck soon. Those slings answered my question on how to support them.
Great video Kim. I'm starting over with my melons. PM got them early on. You're encouraging me. My grandson's pumpkins are going to town! He's excited for the process, they are just flowering now. Hope they hang on in this heat! Lovely to see your plants doing to well together in a 20 gallon Smart Pot. Can't wait to see the follow up harvest!
I'm growing a crimson sweet watermelon in a city pickers container. I'm in Georgia and there were only two types to choose from at my local Home Depot. I bought the seedling on June 30th and it's already doubled in size. I'm looking forward to getting some vines and flowers and using all your trellis tricks!
Hi Kim I'm in Wisconsin and I'm just starting to get the male flower on one of my sugar babies. They are not in pots but I made trellises for them. My cantaloupe is in a container and it is growing pretty good right now. We had such a late start here because it stayed cold for so long but very warm now. Lot of rain here though so that left some powdery mildew but not too bad. Finally got some neem oil too so will help with any bugs. Thanks for all your great info. Love to you and Camera Guy.
I like to use the knee highs to slip over my butternuts so nothing chews/claws on them and stretches as it grows. I have a jaw breaker size watermelon in my planter right now and will use that trick!
My Sugar baby melons are in containers and they are doing great! I am so excited to be getting fruit soon...I will be putting slings out this weekend. :) I decided to succession plant Moon and stars after watching a couple of your videos.
Great growth! I'm in zone 9B Phoenix and it's getting HOT! I have a 100% grow bag garden and my baby melons are loving the heat. I'll have to try the stocking method as a sling soon as they get bigger.
i'm growing canteloupes and love the idea for trellis. thank you! just planted watermelon in garden box. it's so hot here in phx, we have to water 2 x / day, but we are trying!! my cucumbers are producing and taste great!!
CaliKim29 Garden & Home DIY thanks for posting the video. I always get so excited when you post a video. 🙂A lot of people will walk by my garden and say it is so nice that I help my mom with her garden even tho it is really mine! Haha! I hope more kids like me try gardening. It is so relaxing and rewarding. Thanks again for responding I got so excited when I saw!!
I did the same as you did. My canteloupes and honeydew were transplants, but the watermelon I planted from seed, so mine are growing at different rates too. I have a few big melons and a couple small watermelons. I'm so excited!
I grow Giant tomatoes. My personal best is about 4 pounds. I use pantyhose to support them. They work fine, but it can be a bit awkward for a single guy to go to the store and buy pantyhose!
Good morning CaliKim. Thank you so much for your videos. You inspired me to have a container garden this summer. I'm in a condo and my kids loooove picking our peas and strawberries. But we're most proud of our sugarbaby. Not sure how to attach a picture but I'll try. We're running into some challenges now. Aphids and heat 😃 Hopefully the melon keeps growing. It did not like the stalking over it and died. This one loves the stalking sling though. How do i attach a picture?
I loooove melons! Thanks for this tip. Do you think I can grow 3 sugar baby watermelon plants in ONE 7 gallon grow bag? (Dont have a 20 gal) Also, are 2 trellises necessary or can the vines grow up, reach the top of the one tomato trellis and then grow back down? Thank you so much!
I'm growing melons, cantaloupe, dewey but seems like they stopped growing, what can I do? There's tons of bee's, rhey look healthy but just not growing 😕
CaliKim, do you prune the leaves, vines or limit melons for a health plant and getting full grown melons rather than a bunch of babies that don’t amount to much? 🌞🇨🇦
We have a container of sugar babies growing and have successfully hand pollinated 2 of them! We are waiting for your melon seed collection to arrive to plant some more! Curious if you were to just plant 1 plant, what’s the smallest size pot you would use?
Trying antelope and watermelons for the first time, and this looks like an easy way to cradle them. Also how do you keep out the critters from getting them?
Is it better to use something that fully covers the melon to use as a sling or something more netted(btw, unravelled loofahs make phenomenal netted slings. They're exactly the same as the ones you purchase that are made specifically for the purpose of being a sling)? I've found conflicting info on this.. some say something netted is better to allow for air circulation while others say something more full to protect the melon from the sun and that this method will allow for the watermelon to develop that cream/yellow colored spot on the bottom where it rests against the sling completely void of direct sunlight just as it does when grown in the garden where it rests against the ground. Is this true? Also, I see you have watermelon and cantaloupe in the same container.. I was like, wait, what?!🙀 you can't do that! Can you?..... lol. I'm not really sure who told me this or where exactly this notion stemmed from...but after I attempted my first garden (which was the first time I ever actually tried to grow anything at all whatsoever since that wet paper towel/pinto bean in a ziploc baggie on the windowsill project I did in the 3rd grade,which btw, my bean sprout 💩 on all the other sprouts-at least that's how I remember it-which led my brain to believe I was a pro&knew what I was doing lol)which consisted of 3 different types of tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, zucchini, green onions, pill beans, &4 types of peppers-there may have been more but I can't really remember cuz there was so damn many lol. I suppose I got a lil overly excited. The tomatoes grew much faster than I was physically able to eat, give away, or even pick lol. It seemed like as soon as I picked one 3 more suddenly appeared. It was pure chaos. I never amended the compacted sand box dirt that I planted them in,just tilled the dirt,made some rows,planted some seeds,&provided water. NOTHING but water. I never fertilized. Ever. To this day, with the lil bit of knowledge that I have now,am absolutely shocked that anything was ever even able to grow at all. I took no measures against pest, preventative or otherwise. Very quickly my possessed overly productive tomatoes became totally encased in webbing from spider mites which, at the time, further solidified my belief that they were indeed possessed lol. My peppers actually did alright, not amazing, but edible. The eggplant looked phenomenal, however, I nor anyone else ever tried it cuz we all dont like it-pls dont ask me why I grew it,when I figure that out I'll happily share my findings lol. Nothing ever came of my pumpkins 😔 I thought my cantaloupes were doomed to the same fate but they were just late bloomers I suppose (pun intended lol). Meanwhile as the tomatoes obviously died off, the produce ghoul had to go somewhere, so it chose my watermelons and not only did they begin taking over just not my garden, but the rest of my very large yard as well and then even under the fence to my neighbors yard! They were even trying to make there way inside my house(I'd joke that they were getting hot and needed some ac lol)..I thought it was glorious. Melons everywhere! Yay! So I made sure to take very good care of each and everyone as well the 1 single cantaloupe that decided to join the party and I would routinely rotate the melons(back&forth) so it could get an even amount of sunshine, battling the what seemed to be millions of creepy crawlies of various shapes, sizes,&speeds each time . Ew. lol that goes to show how much I didnt know wtf I was doing. I also drastically increased the water they received. They began to bust open on the vine which OBVIOUSLY brought many more creepy crawlies. Each watermelon that busted look good on the outside but terrifying &unrecognizable on the inside. So I was like oh no, they must be over ripe so I picked a few of the ones that hadn't yet busted and although they all looked different on the inside, they all equally tasted like dog💩..either bland or bitter. And idk how to even explain the texture lol there was only 1 melon out of dozens who's insides didnt look like it was grown in some alien territory. It was utterly horrible but I ate it anyways..w/pride lol. Just so I could feel like my garden&efforts weren't a total waste. My single cantaloupe was equally sad. HOWEVER, I swear to you, I grew the best damn cucumbers I've ever tasted. They were def different, and probably not what they were supposed to be, but I personally found them to be even better! They were actually sweet! Now, i cant remember if my conclusions were based off research I did or just my own perceived assumptions lol buuuut I thought that the reason why my cucumbers were sweet&other melons were not was due to cross pollination and therefore you should not plant different melons and squashes next to each other because they can take on characteristics from their neighbor-mostly unwanted ones. Lol. So stupid. 🤦♀️ I know. But ya live and learn right? Lol
Great video!! I'm growing watermelons on a trellis for the first time and was hoping for an easy/cheap way to support them, and your method looks perfect. Also, random but your dog looks very similar to mine - it's actually pretty uncanny!! Would you mind sharing what kind he/she is? :) Either way, thanks for the video!!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Hope it all worked out! Mac, is a border collie/Australian shepherd mix. His mom was on a working ranch and could herd the horses herself! Beautiful animals, aren't they? He has such a sweetheart! Sound like yours? Kim
I am growing honey due, cantaloupe, and watermelon again this year. I live in Allentown Pennsylvania I have a problem with field mice and squirrels eating my melons. I am going to try your method. Can you give me other tips on growing my melons? This year I have cucumbers, green peppers, snap peas sweet peas Squash, cherry tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes, and sweet corn. Also, I grew strawberries the bugs are having a field day with them. Any tips you have for me will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Maggie, yes you certainly can, anything that hangs from a trellis can be supported this way. However, Butternut has very thick stems and often doesn't need support. Have fun experimenting!
Does the slings cause discoloration (lighter skin) on the fruit. I'm use to seeing the yellow belly on my watermelons. So the sun not touching the melons, won't effect the overall growth?
Hi Christopher - PM can be hard to control once you have a lot of it. Have you tried the milk spray? This video, bit.ly/CaliKimPowderyMildewSpray has some tips. Good luck!
I’m growing three sugar baby plants in a smart pots container and I have two other plants that are just coming in an in-ground area. I’ve done the pantyhose slings and they’re working great! Wondering how many melons should one plant produce? I have one melon on each of the three vines in containers, and that’s it. The vines also seemed to just stop growing and stopped putting on flowers. Do you have any advice about this?
For the panty hose can you use dark opaque colors like black and navy or do the panty hose need to be a light transparent color? Thanks for all your tips, I'm in cali too =)
If that's all you have, use it, however, being darker will block some of the light...but again, it's better than nothing. Hope this helps, Harmless - Kim
So Kim can you grow sugar baby melons and Minnesota midget Cantaloupe together will they grow together ok in the 20 lb fabric pot bag with tomatoe cages ?
I did same as you did in the container , they grew beautiful and tied the sling once the watermelon was golf ball size and I don’t know what happened it stopped growing :(
I currently have two Tuscan melons growing in a pot and three in a raised bed. I saved from a melon we had a couple years ago. So good. I also saved some seeds from a melon called Hami and those seeds are germinating in a paper towel moistened with water in a ziplock bag. I do have a question concerning sweet potato vines. The vines of course are all over, so should I cut them back or not. I have seen opinions on both. I would like to contain a bit as in a raised bed, but I do not want to run the risk of size of potatoes.Anyone have a definitive answer? Help!!
Hi Kim! What can I do about cucumber beetles? they are everywhere! I have been spraying with soap and neem and peppermint but they just seem to keep on coming! They are on the Watermelon and Squash and beans and of course on the cucumber plants! Should I just keep on spraying or give up? Is it Ok to eat the fruit of a plant being attacked by those little beggars? Thank you in advance! It's so heartbreaking not to be able to fix a pest problem! :-(
I’m growing Sugar Baby Watermelon. I have two that’s doing awesome and some of them. the flower isn’t opening. The flower just dries up and shrivel up away. What do I need to do?
Hi Frogger - sorry you’re having trouble. The Flowers tend to drop off its over 90. Try some shade cloth to protect your plants. Enjoy your watermelon!
@@CaliKim29 I wouldn't dare tell my mentor about gardening Kimba, but we do live in the same county and I've been at this heat problem daily. For those still smart enough and fortunate enough to be self-isolating due to Covid-19 (I know CG is back to work), if you have the time, cover up your more heat-sensitive plants before the heat of the day starts pounding on them. I'm referring to the plants in full sun all day of course, my squash. cuc and zucchini garden is shaded by 2:30 but one of my two tomato gardens and my melon patch is in full sun all day. By 2:30 I umbrella or pop-up tent them from 2:30-5:30, they're getting enough light where covering them for just a few hours has worked well. Please correct me if this is counterproductive Kim
Does anyone know if my peppers will be ok after having all of the leaves eaten off the plants by a sneaky rabbit, or am I just out of luck on my peppers this year?
Great vlog! I have a question off subject of your video, I started red celery inside from seed (late March/northernCA) babied them (they are so tiny, thinned them out ) finally put them in the raised bed. Put Trifecta under them. Did everything right...they are beautiful, but mostly all greens, few thin stalks, but mostly just leaves. It’s way past the 101 days it said to maturity. What did I do wrong to get no stalks? Should I leave them? Let them go & see what happens? I can DM you a picture on Instagram to show you what I mean. Let me know if that’s ok????
Hey Kim! Thanks to you, I have a beautiful yellow watermelon growing vertically in a t shirt hammock. I have a question though, as this watermelon is growing, my plant has not produced anymore blossoms for more fruit production. What could be the cause of that? We have been getting a crazy humid heat wave here in the Chicago land area for a few weeks now!
If it's over 90 degrees your plant will stop producing flowers/melons. Try shading the plant and make sure it doesn't dry out. Also Kim feeds her plants with Vermisterra Worm Tea every week. Plants grow quickly and they can exhaust the soil of vital nutrients. Good Luck!
I have two sugar baby plants with 7 fruits! There are squirrels, possums, and raccoons in my area. Will these discourage them? They are destroying my pears right now.
I don't think you have mentioned growing pineapple. Something eats mine before I can harvest. I think it might be a mouse or rat. I wonder if I could wrap them in t-shirts to protect them. Any thoughts? Growing in Central Florida.
Here in California I use peppermint and cayenne pepper to discourage rats and mice. I'm told the pantyhose discourages the critters because of the feel. Worth a try?! Good Luck! Fresh pineapple is yummy!
Kim, love your videos ! I tried the t-shirt technique with my sugar baby watermelon (your seeds 😁) however it was very wet (dew) when I checked on it the next morning. Will this harm or rot my watermelon?
Thank you again for the trellis idea! I have harnessed my watermelon and they are getting too heavy even for the harness! I’m excited about the growth, but I’m concerned about the weight causing the trellis and/or watermelon collapsing. Should I unharness and untrellis to allow the watermelon to grow on the dirt in the garden bed?
I’m having issues with my sugar baby melons growing in size, I have hand pollinated and still no visible growth in size on none of the my melons, I have hit a wall & need pointers
1st year sugar baby watermelon grower. I have 5 melons on the vines. My leaves are much smaller, then your leaves. But my concern is I am seeing black spots on leaves. ???
Sorry to hear! Black spots on watermelon leaves can indicate several issues. Fungal diseases like powdery mildew or downy mildew might be the cause, so removing affected leaves and improving air circulation can help, and fungicides may be necessary if the problem is severe. Bacterial infections can also cause spots, and if you notice additional symptoms like wilting or yellowing, copper-based sprays might be useful. Pests such as aphids or spider mites can create spots and damage, so check for these and treat them accordingly. Sometimes, black spots can signal a nutrient deficiency, so make sure you’re using a balanced fertilizer. If your leaves are smaller than expected, it might be worth reviewing your watering, soil health, and sunlight exposure. For more specific advice, consider reaching out to local garden centers or extension services. If you can Aaron, be on my Livestream tomorrow at 12pm. Our guest speaker is the horticulturist for Monterey Lawn & Garden, you can ask him the question, as well, via chat. Something to think about anyways! Hope this helps - Kim
Grow along with me: CaliKim Melon Seed Collection: calikimgardenandhome.com/seeds/calikim-melon-seed-collection-heirloom/
Save $5 with seed/book bundle: CaliKim Container Garden Seed Collection/Organic Gardening for Everyone (book) bundle: bit.ly/CaliKimContainerGardenSeedCollectionBookBundle
Smart Pots containers: amzn.to/2RqjAHq
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases:
Amazon general search page: amzn.to/3897OqD
Seed starting supplies: amzn.to/30kbmDG
Garden fertilizers:amzn.to/2uQkhBh
Garden disease and pest control: amzn.to/2FMw6L7
Grow Lights: amzn.to/2NlY5FB
Garden Tools: amzn.to/2RiwRRq
Amazon lawn & garden supplies: amzn.to/30kFe2Z
What kind of melons are you growing? Thanks for watching!
Hi Garrett - fabulous! You'll love growing from seed - it's so exciting to see them sprout and grow! Thanks for growing with my seed collections - keep me posted!
I’m a kid and I love watching ur videos and I’m growing tomatoes onions strawberry spinach jalapeño radish rosemary and Serrano chill
Yesterday I harvested my first sugar baby melon and it was delicious!!
Color me Green with jealousy! Glad it was tasty!
Oh wow! That's so neat to see that the hand pollination really works. We don't have a lot of bees where I live, I'm planting a lot of stuff and gonna plant some good pollinator flowers to encourage bees and hummingbirds and little pollinators bugs, we have a fair amount of hummingbirds, we actually had a little nest that was at eye level, last year. We could walk over and peak in the nest at the little eggs and then eventually the babies as they grew, they were so small, they looked like little bugs at first, so tiny and vulnerable. It was so fun to watch them grow, but I digress, haha. I'm glad to see the hand pollination works cause ill probably be doing that with a lot of my stuff this year. And I love the panty hose trick, that's great.
Pretty Cool things happen out in the garden, don't they? Pretty incredible ---
Very very nice 👍
Wow watermelon and cantaloupe 🍈 🍉 looks so healthy, just beautiful can’t wait to see mine like that 💚💚
We are growing 3 watermelon plants in the ground, coaxing them up a fence and 4 watermelon plants in pots in a backyard in the city. So much fun to watch them grow!
Super cute watermelons 🍉 and cantaloupe 🍈 and great idea how to protect them!
I always like your videos and the fact that you always give us inexpensive ways to take care of our gardens. My cantaloupe has at least one fruit, so exciting!
I put a knee high hose on the last large tomato the the squirrels didn’t get yesterday. We have been in an all out war with the squirrels ( in North Carolina). Today they annihilated it. Ate right through the hose. 😡. My last resort ...we have tried many things... was to make hot pepper juice and put it on all my tomato plants. I hope I can use the pantyhose/knee-highs for my trellised squashes if needed.
Yay for this video! I actually bought pantyhose a couple of months ago just for this purpose. My husband was wondering I had bought extra large pantyhose (I am a petite individual and don't wear pantyhose)!
Hey Kim, I've got a related tip on this. I have upwards of 60 old sheets that I use in the garden in the spring and fall. About half of these are the "impossible to fold" fitted sheets. Back when my oldest daughter liked Barney (she is now a school teacher), well, we still have Barney in the garden, lol. Here is the tip... each of the fitted sheets has four corners. Take a pair of scissors and cut out the corner, about six inches in on all sides. This corner piece forms a little cradle that the fruit can sit in so it won't fall out. I then just poke some holes to weave a piece of twine through the three "ends", and tie it up! The original sheet is still usable for many things, and as an added bonus, now it's easier to fold!
Awesome tips! Thanks Kim!🥰
I am growing watermelon and cucumbers in containers this year. Thanks for your videos. The fabric pots have been a savior.
I really really want to grow sugar baby watermelons in my little container garden. Perhaps next year. Watching your videos for tips so that I'm ready to solve problems before they strike. Thank you for showing us how to protect the melons. Have a great day. Hugs and kisses to Mac.
I’m growing birdhouse gourds on a trellis in my raised garden bed and used your videos from last year to get ideas to support these. I have a combination of t-shirt and panty hose slings. So far they are doing a great job supporting these beautiful gourds! My melons and pumpkins are just setting fruit now and will use t-shirt supports for those.
Am planting watermelon out of a tire. Am going to hold the up the way u did thank u GA
Good luck! CK
Yes, I’m growing both. Now I will take your tips on making a sling to support them. Thanks!!!
I just started growing a few jubilee and black diamond watermelon 🍉 in containers. Beginner here so all your videos have been such good help.
First time trying grow bags, cannot wait to see how they do, I had burlap bags laying around for crafting, well I used one, filled with potting soil, literally threw a few cucumber seeds in it as a experiment really and I will tell u I have about 2 cuces per day. I can't wait to put all my fruits in the grow bags ur vids are the best.
Beautiful garden uploading, nice content show about plant growing, thanks for sharing to us such amazing informative
Timely video! I just found a pollinated baby watermelon about golf ball size in my container 😁
Thanks for the tips and I just love your videos
Glad to find u .. u understand hot hot weather
Good day I am inspired on your garden that is why I started to plant on my small garden. although its hard to start but I'm so happy to harvest less stress... Thanks
Nice Melons!
Morning kim! Growing water melon for the first time.
Thank you for showing what size to start supporting watermelons!
Once again via say thank you!!! You're s big help.
Great tips and video as usual! Cantaloupe and cucumbers are going to be hanging from my deck soon. Those slings answered my question on how to support them.
Great video Kim. I'm starting over with my melons. PM got them early on. You're encouraging me. My grandson's pumpkins are going to town! He's excited for the process, they are just flowering now. Hope they hang on in this heat! Lovely to see your plants doing to well together in a 20 gallon Smart Pot. Can't wait to see the follow up harvest!
I'm growing a crimson sweet watermelon in a city pickers container. I'm in Georgia and there were only two types to choose from at my local Home Depot. I bought the seedling on June 30th and it's already doubled in size. I'm looking forward to getting some vines and flowers and using all your trellis tricks!
Great video. I am growing watermelon and cantaloupe in a pot also. Helpful video.
Hi Mrs Kim my Cantaloupe plant sprouted a little seed today
Hi Kim I'm in Wisconsin and I'm just starting to get the male flower on one of my sugar babies. They are not in pots but I made trellises for them. My cantaloupe is in a container and it is growing pretty good right now. We had such a late start here because it stayed cold for so long but very warm now. Lot of rain here though so that left some powdery mildew but not too bad. Finally got some neem oil too so will help with any bugs. Thanks for all your great info. Love to you and Camera Guy.
I like to use the knee highs to slip over my butternuts so nothing chews/claws on them and stretches as it grows. I have a jaw breaker size watermelon in my planter right now and will use that trick!
Love yor site, very informative, you have a lovely dog, very friendly and com
I’m growing suger baby watermelon, and I finally have some fruits! We have a heatstroke here so I hope they will successfully grow.
My Sugar baby melons are in containers and they are doing great! I am so excited to be getting fruit soon...I will be putting slings out this weekend. :) I decided to succession plant Moon and stars after watching a couple of your videos.
Great growth! I'm in zone 9B Phoenix and it's getting HOT! I have a 100% grow bag garden and my baby melons are loving the heat. I'll have to try the stocking method as a sling soon as they get bigger.
I love watching your video.
i'm growing canteloupes and love the idea for trellis. thank you! just planted watermelon in garden box. it's so hot here in phx, we have to water 2 x / day, but we are trying!! my cucumbers are producing and taste great!!
Cute dog!
Thanks for the tips! My watermelon are growing on the ground so I put hay under them so they don’t rot. Amazing video as always!
Great idea, Colin - bet you can't wait to harvest! Thanks for watching!
CaliKim29 Garden & Home DIY thanks for posting the video. I always get so excited when you post a video. 🙂A lot of people will walk by my garden and say it is so nice that I help my mom with her garden even tho it is really mine! Haha! I hope more kids like me try gardening. It is so relaxing and rewarding. Thanks again for responding I got so excited when I saw!!
I did the same as you did. My canteloupes and honeydew were transplants, but the watermelon I planted from seed, so mine are growing at different rates too. I have a few big melons and a couple small watermelons. I'm so excited!
lovely video
Such a great idea
Yeah love this and will try in my own garden for my jubilees growing on trellis. Please do an update video
Nice information 👍 mam
Omg we have the exact same watering can lol. Did you get it from Amazon? That is my exact can, hahah how funny.
LOL --- probably, I don't remember!
Finally have a use for pantyhose.
I grow Giant tomatoes. My personal best is about 4 pounds. I use pantyhose to support them. They work fine, but it can be a bit awkward for a single guy to go to the store and buy pantyhose!
If you use t-shirts or pantyhose do the watermelon get light 😊
?
That's what I want to know!!
Good morning CaliKim. Thank you so much for your videos. You inspired me to have a container garden this summer. I'm in a condo and my kids loooove picking our peas and strawberries. But we're most proud of our sugarbaby. Not sure how to attach a picture but I'll try. We're running into some challenges now. Aphids and heat 😃 Hopefully the melon keeps growing. It did not like the stalking over it and died. This one loves the stalking sling though. How do i attach a picture?
I loooove melons! Thanks for this tip.
Do you think I can grow 3 sugar baby watermelon plants in ONE 7 gallon grow bag? (Dont have a 20 gal)
Also, are 2 trellises necessary or can the vines grow up, reach the top of the one tomato trellis and then grow back down?
Thank you so much!
Thanks so much
Hi cail I having lots of husky cherry tomatoes harvest and some are the plant is growing very big and it so hot here in North Carolina
What about sunlight? Don't the fruits need direct sunlight after placing in hammock??
Did you make a video on how to tell when sugar baby watermelons are ripe? Am growing in a bin container (large) with trellis…so vertically.
I'm growing melons, cantaloupe, dewey but seems like they stopped growing, what can I do? There's tons of bee's, rhey look healthy but just not growing 😕
CaliKim, do you prune the leaves, vines or limit melons for a health plant and getting full grown melons rather than a bunch of babies that don’t amount to much? 🌞🇨🇦
We have a container of sugar babies growing and have successfully hand pollinated 2 of them! We are waiting for your melon seed collection to arrive to plant some more!
Curious if you were to just plant 1 plant, what’s the smallest size pot you would use?
Trying antelope and watermelons for the first time, and this looks like an easy way to cradle them. Also how do you keep out the critters from getting them?
Oddly, Pat, it seems the tulle and the netting sling discouraged the critters....I didn't have critter issues * knock on wood. LOL. CK
Is it better to use something that fully covers the melon to use as a sling or something more netted(btw, unravelled loofahs make phenomenal netted slings. They're exactly the same as the ones you purchase that are made specifically for the purpose of being a sling)? I've found conflicting info on this.. some say something netted is better to allow for air circulation while others say something more full to protect the melon from the sun and that this method will allow for the watermelon to develop that cream/yellow colored spot on the bottom where it rests against the sling completely void of direct sunlight just as it does when grown in the garden where it rests against the ground. Is this true?
Also, I see you have watermelon and cantaloupe in the same container.. I was like, wait, what?!🙀 you can't do that! Can you?..... lol. I'm not really sure who told me this or where exactly this notion stemmed from...but after I attempted my first garden (which was the first time I ever actually tried to grow anything at all whatsoever since that wet paper towel/pinto bean in a ziploc baggie on the windowsill project I did in the 3rd grade,which btw, my bean sprout 💩 on all the other sprouts-at least that's how I remember it-which led my brain to believe I was a pro&knew what I was doing lol)which consisted of 3 different types of tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, zucchini, green onions, pill beans, &4 types of peppers-there may have been more but I can't really remember cuz there was so damn many lol. I suppose I got a lil overly excited. The tomatoes grew much faster than I was physically able to eat, give away, or even pick lol. It seemed like as soon as I picked one 3 more suddenly appeared. It was pure chaos. I never amended the compacted sand box dirt that I planted them in,just tilled the dirt,made some rows,planted some seeds,&provided water. NOTHING but water. I never fertilized. Ever. To this day, with the lil bit of knowledge that I have now,am absolutely shocked that anything was ever even able to grow at all. I took no measures against pest, preventative or otherwise. Very quickly my possessed overly productive tomatoes became totally encased in webbing from spider mites which, at the time, further solidified my belief that they were indeed possessed lol. My peppers actually did alright, not amazing, but edible. The eggplant looked phenomenal, however, I nor anyone else ever tried it cuz we all dont like it-pls dont ask me why I grew it,when I figure that out I'll happily share my findings lol. Nothing ever came of my pumpkins 😔 I thought my cantaloupes were doomed to the same fate but they were just late bloomers I suppose (pun intended lol). Meanwhile as the tomatoes obviously died off, the produce ghoul had to go somewhere, so it chose my watermelons and not only did they begin taking over just not my garden, but the rest of my very large yard as well and then even under the fence to my neighbors yard! They were even trying to make there way inside my house(I'd joke that they were getting hot and needed some ac lol)..I thought it was glorious. Melons everywhere! Yay! So I made sure to take very good care of each and everyone as well the 1 single cantaloupe that decided to join the party and I would routinely rotate the melons(back&forth) so it could get an even amount of sunshine, battling the what seemed to be millions of creepy crawlies of various shapes, sizes,&speeds each time . Ew. lol that goes to show how much I didnt know wtf I was doing. I also drastically increased the water they received. They began to bust open on the vine which OBVIOUSLY brought many more creepy crawlies. Each watermelon that busted look good on the outside but terrifying &unrecognizable on the inside. So I was like oh no, they must be over ripe so I picked a few of the ones that hadn't yet busted and although they all looked different on the inside, they all equally tasted like dog💩..either bland or bitter. And idk how to even explain the texture lol there was only 1 melon out of dozens who's insides didnt look like it was grown in some alien territory. It was utterly horrible but I ate it anyways..w/pride lol. Just so I could feel like my garden&efforts weren't a total waste. My single cantaloupe was equally sad. HOWEVER, I swear to you, I grew the best damn cucumbers I've ever tasted. They were def different, and probably not what they were supposed to be, but I personally found them to be even better! They were actually sweet! Now, i cant remember if my conclusions were based off research I did or just my own perceived assumptions lol buuuut I thought that the reason why my cucumbers were sweet&other melons were not was due to cross pollination and therefore you should not plant different melons and squashes next to each other because they can take on characteristics from their neighbor-mostly unwanted ones. Lol.
So stupid. 🤦♀️ I know. But ya live and learn right? Lol
Great video!! I'm growing watermelons on a trellis for the first time and was hoping for an easy/cheap way to support them, and your method looks perfect. Also, random but your dog looks very similar to mine - it's actually pretty uncanny!! Would you mind sharing what kind he/she is? :) Either way, thanks for the video!!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Hope it all worked out! Mac, is a border collie/Australian shepherd mix. His mom was on a working ranch and could herd the horses herself! Beautiful animals, aren't they? He has such a sweetheart! Sound like yours? Kim
I am growing honey due, cantaloupe, and watermelon again this year. I live in Allentown Pennsylvania I have a problem with field mice and squirrels eating my melons. I am going to try your method. Can you give me other tips on growing my melons? This year I have cucumbers, green peppers, snap peas sweet peas Squash, cherry tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes, and sweet corn. Also, I grew strawberries the bugs are having a field day with them. Any tips you have for me will be greatly appreciated.
So those melons and cantaloupe don't need sun after you support them??
Hi Kin, would you do this to butternut squash growing vertically too?
Hi Maggie, yes you certainly can, anything that hangs from a trellis can be supported this way. However, Butternut has very thick stems and often doesn't need support. Have fun experimenting!
@@CaliKim29 thank y ou! Love your video.
Total garden rookie here. If the fruit is covered how does it continue to grow without sun.
Does the slings cause discoloration (lighter skin) on the fruit. I'm use to seeing the yellow belly on my watermelons. So the sun not touching the melons, won't effect the overall growth?
It just keeps raining in Alabama so a lot of my garden has powdery mildew
Same here in GA
Hi Christopher - PM can be hard to control once you have a lot of it. Have you tried the milk spray? This video, bit.ly/CaliKimPowderyMildewSpray has some tips. Good luck!
Yesss Christopher soooo sick of this rain. Looking sunny and beautiful today in AL. Hope you can save your plants!
Would love to do this. But I have more yard than containers.
Does one seed give one fruit, or does the plant can give many fruits?
I’m growing three sugar baby plants in a smart pots container and I have two other plants that are just coming in an in-ground area. I’ve done the pantyhose slings and they’re working great! Wondering how many melons should one plant produce? I have one melon on each of the three vines in containers, and that’s it. The vines also seemed to just stop growing and stopped putting on flowers. Do you have any advice about this?
For the panty hose can you use dark opaque colors like black and navy or do the panty hose need to be a light transparent color? Thanks for all your tips, I'm in cali too =)
If that's all you have, use it, however, being darker will block some of the light...but again, it's better than nothing. Hope this helps, Harmless - Kim
So Kim can you grow sugar baby melons and Minnesota midget Cantaloupe together will they grow together ok in the 20 lb fabric pot bag with tomatoe cages ?
Can fish fertilizer be used on watermelon and cantaloupe plants?
I did same as you did in the container , they grew beautiful and tied the sling once the watermelon was golf ball size and I don’t know what happened it stopped growing :(
Do the melon need the Sun?
I currently have two Tuscan melons growing in a pot and three in a raised bed. I saved from a melon we had a couple years ago. So good. I also saved some seeds from a melon called Hami and those seeds are germinating in a paper towel moistened with water in a ziplock bag. I do have a question concerning sweet potato vines. The vines of course are all over, so should I cut them back or not. I have seen opinions on both. I would like to contain a bit as in a raised bed, but I do not want to run the risk of size of potatoes.Anyone have a definitive answer? Help!!
Hi Kim! What can I do about cucumber beetles? they are everywhere! I have been spraying with soap and neem and peppermint but they just seem to keep on coming! They are on the Watermelon and Squash and beans and of course on the cucumber plants! Should I just keep on spraying or give up? Is it Ok to eat the fruit of a plant being attacked by those little beggars? Thank you in advance! It's so heartbreaking not to be able to fix a pest problem! :-(
Just curious, does it seem to keep the squirrels from eating the melons?
I’m growing Sugar Baby Watermelon. I have two that’s doing awesome and some of them. the flower isn’t opening. The flower just dries up and shrivel up away. What do I need to do?
Hi Frogger - sorry you’re having trouble. The Flowers tend to drop off its over 90. Try some shade cloth to protect your plants. Enjoy your watermelon!
@@CaliKim29 I wouldn't dare tell my mentor about gardening Kimba, but we do live in the same county and I've been at this heat problem daily. For those still smart enough and fortunate enough to be self-isolating due to Covid-19 (I know CG is back to work), if you have the time, cover up your more heat-sensitive plants before the heat of the day starts pounding on them. I'm referring to the plants in full sun all day of course, my squash. cuc and zucchini garden is shaded by 2:30 but one of my two tomato gardens and my melon patch is in full sun all day. By 2:30 I umbrella or pop-up tent them from 2:30-5:30, they're getting enough light where covering them for just a few hours has worked well. Please correct me if this is counterproductive Kim
Kim. I bought your sugar baby seeds. They’re growing nicely. When should I harvest? At what size?
Does anyone know if my peppers will be ok after having all of the leaves eaten off the plants by a sneaky rabbit, or am I just out of luck on my peppers this year?
what kind of watermelon is that? and what's the exact size of the conrainer you using?
Hi thank you for your video , i like to ask, can grow sugar baby melons in my greenhouse? I’m from England
Great vlog! I have a question off subject of your video, I started red celery inside from seed (late March/northernCA) babied them (they are so tiny, thinned them out ) finally put them in the raised bed. Put Trifecta under them. Did everything right...they are beautiful, but mostly all greens, few thin stalks, but mostly just leaves. It’s way past the 101 days it said to maturity. What did I do wrong to get no stalks? Should I leave them? Let them go & see what happens? I can DM you a picture on Instagram to show you what I mean. Let me know if that’s ok????
Hey Kim! Thanks to you, I have a beautiful yellow watermelon growing vertically in a t shirt hammock. I have a question though, as this watermelon is growing, my plant has not produced anymore blossoms for more fruit production. What could be the cause of that? We have been getting a crazy humid heat wave here in the Chicago land area for a few weeks now!
If it's over 90 degrees your plant will stop producing flowers/melons. Try shading the plant and make sure it doesn't dry out. Also Kim feeds her plants with Vermisterra Worm Tea every week. Plants grow quickly and they can exhaust the soil of vital nutrients. Good Luck!
@@ritagibson225 thank you for the insight!!
I have two sugar baby plants with 7 fruits! There are squirrels, possums, and raccoons in my area. Will these discourage them? They are destroying my pears right now.
Hi thank you for your video,I’m very new at this, can i grow sugar baby in a greenhouse? Greenhouse because I’m in England
I don't think you have mentioned growing pineapple. Something eats mine before I can harvest. I think it might be a mouse or rat. I wonder if I could wrap them in t-shirts to protect them. Any thoughts? Growing in Central Florida.
Here in California I use peppermint and cayenne pepper to discourage rats and mice. I'm told the pantyhose discourages the critters because of the feel. Worth a try?! Good Luck! Fresh pineapple is yummy!
Hello.Did your sling hold up the whole time the melons was growing?
I have a sugar baby and its as big as my palm so should I do a slight support already?
Kim, love your videos ! I tried the t-shirt technique with my sugar baby watermelon (your seeds 😁) however it was very wet (dew) when I checked on it the next morning. Will this harm or rot my watermelon?
Great question. I live in Florida that would be my issue. How'd it work?
Yea, it def rots out melons if you go thicker than pantyhose.
Could I use a stretchy sock?
Sling info starts at 2:20
Thank you again for the trellis idea! I have harnessed my watermelon and they are getting too heavy even for the harness! I’m excited about the growth, but I’m concerned about the weight causing the trellis and/or watermelon collapsing. Should I unharness and untrellis to allow the watermelon to grow on the dirt in the garden bed?
I’m having issues with my sugar baby melons growing in size, I have hand pollinated and still no visible growth in size on none of the my melons, I have hit a wall & need pointers
Hi CaliKim are black ants ok in the garden because they are all over my melon vines. If not what do I do to control the black ant
1st year sugar baby watermelon grower. I have 5 melons on the vines. My leaves are much smaller, then your leaves. But my concern is I am seeing black spots on leaves. ???
Sorry to hear!
Black spots on watermelon leaves can indicate several issues.
Fungal diseases like powdery mildew or downy mildew might be the cause, so removing affected leaves and improving air circulation can help, and fungicides may be necessary if the problem is severe.
Bacterial infections can also cause spots, and if you notice additional symptoms like wilting or yellowing, copper-based sprays might be useful.
Pests such as aphids or spider mites can create spots and damage, so check for these and treat them accordingly.
Sometimes, black spots can signal a nutrient deficiency, so make sure you’re using a balanced fertilizer.
If your leaves are smaller than expected, it might be worth reviewing your watering, soil health, and sunlight exposure. For more specific advice, consider reaching out to local garden centers or extension services.
If you can Aaron, be on my Livestream tomorrow at 12pm. Our guest speaker is the horticulturist for Monterey Lawn & Garden, you can ask him the question, as well, via chat. Something to think about anyways! Hope this helps - Kim