Organic Sugar Baby - An excellent northern, short-season variety that produces reliable yields of 6-12 lb, perfectly round fruits ranging from 7-8.5” in diameter. Fruits have a solid green rind and deep red flesh. Flavor is sweet and juicy. The standard for small watermelons. Our strain has been selected for cool growing conditions and high yields. Shows good resistance to drought. (Citrullus lanatus)

Days to maturity: 75 days

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SKU	Description	Our price
3200A	1/16 OZ	$2.75
3200B	1/4 OZ	$4.50
3200C	1 OZ	$5.30
3200D	4 OZ	$12.00
3200L001	1 LB	$28.50

Unit Size

Quantity

Organic Watermelon Comparison Chart

Item Code	Variety Name	Heirloom	Days to Maturity	Rind Color	Flesh Color	Shape	Weight	Standout Characteristics
3198	Golden Midget		70 days	yellow	salmon	round	4-5 lbs	juicy, sweet, black seeds, harvest promptly, fruits prone to splitting in field, good for home gardeners
3199	Baby Doll F1		75 days	green stripes	yellow	round	10-15 lbs	icebox type, sweet and crisp, great flavor, uniform fruit, heavy yielding, small seeds, harvest promptly, fruits prone to splitting in field, good for shipping
3200	Sugar Baby		75 days	dark green	red	round	6-12 lbs	great for cool and short seasons, reliably high yields, sweet and juicy, good resistance to drought
3196	Blacktail Mountain		76 days	dark green	orange-red	round	6-10 lbs	great for cool and short seasons, heavy yielding, icebox type, crisp and sweet, vines up to 10', harvest just before ripe to finish in storage, will keep 2 months
3230	Triple Crown F1		82 days	green stripes	red	oval	15-18 lbs	seedless (interplant included diploid seeds every 3-5 plants), sweet, fine-grained
3205	Crimson Sweet		85 days	green stripes	pink	oblong	15-25 lbs	classic, good quality, reliable yields
3201	OrangeGlo		90 days	green stripes	orange	oblong	20-30 lbs	very sweet and crisp flesh, flavorful, good yields, thin outer shell
3202	Yellow Moon & Stars	X	90 days	green with yellow	yellow	oblong	10-15 lbs	sweet, white seeds, unique appearance
3195	Moon & Stars	X	95-100 days	green with yellow	red	oblong	10-15 lbs	sweet flavor, unique appearance, spotted foliage, needs hot temperatures to set fruit
3207	Ali Baba	X	100 days	light green	pink	oblong	16-25 lbs	sweet and tasty flavor, fine-grained texture, few seeds, vigorous plants, good for shipping and storage

Organic Watermelons - Growing and Seed Saving Info

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Watermelons

Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are warm season tender annuals in the Cucurbitiacea family, which includes cucumbers, summer squash and winter squash, and gourds

Soil and Nutrient Requirements

Sandy or light textured soils that warm easily in the spring are desirable. Melons are heavy feeders. Give 80-120 lbs of N per acre. Calcium deficiency can lead to blossom end rot, especially when adequate moisture is not available. Use dolomitic limestone.

Position

Full Sun

Seeding Depth

½”

Plant Spacing

Plant spacing: 12-18";

Row Spacing

6’ row centers.

When to Sow

Days to maturity are from transplanting, add 10-14 days if direct seeding.

Other Info

Plastic mulch and floating row cover are used to increase soil and air temperatures as well as ward off insects, especially cucumber beetles.

Frost Tolerant

Drought Tolerant

Heat Tolerant

Yes

Seed Specs

625- 875 seeds/oz (690 avg), 10-14M seeds/lb (11M avg). M=1,000

Seeding Rate

5,000 plants/acre (~.5 lb/acre) transplanting singles, 18” plant spacing, and 6’ center beds.

Harvest

Ripeness is determined by four methods: when the tendril nearest the fruit is dried and brown; when the ground spot has turned from white to yellow; when the blossom end of fruit becomes soft; and the ubiquitous “thump test”— fruit should sound hollow. Cut fruit cleanly from the vine to avoid stem-end rot.

Storage

Store at 45°F and 85% humidity for up to 3 weeks.

Pest Info

Striped cucumber beetles cause feeding damage to the leaves, and often transmit bacterial wilt. Larvae feed on the plant roots. Row covers can provide effective protection, but must be removed during flowering to allow pollination. Practice crop rotation and good sanitation to eliminate overwintering habitat. Frequent application of kaolin clay and/or pyrethrum have shown some effective control.
Squash vine borer will cause plants to look wilted even when moisture is plentiful. Slice open stem and remove and destroy.
Squash bugs can be controlled by handpicking. Bury or compost plant residues at the end of the season.

Disease Info

A relatively new disease called Bacterial Fruit Blotch (BFB) (Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli) particularly affects watermelons. BFB can be spread by seed and by infected transplants, as well as from plant residues and/or alternative hosts. Symptoms on seedlings are “oily” dark lesions that typically parallel the veins. Seedlings of some varieties die rapidly, while others persist into maturity and set fruit that will then become contaminated by the inoculum on the leaves. Fruit symptoms are characterized by a dark green stain on the upper side of the fruit. Infection does not penetrate the rind, but eventually causes it to crack and often emit white foam, caused by gases formed by invading pathogens. There are no resistant varieties as of yet. Other cucurbit crops can also be infected by BFB, but the disease does not typically affect the fruit in these crops. However, other infected crops can serve as a source of inoculum for watermelon crops. Due to the prevalence and severity of BFB, customers wishing to purchase over ¼ ounce of watermelon seed must print, sign and submit the Watermelon Waiver. We cannot ship any amount of watermelon seed to South Carolina.

Seed Saving Instructions

Insect pollinated annual. Unless hand pollinating, isolate different varieties of the same species by 1/4 mile to prevent cross pollination. Tree lines, woods or buildings separating fields can allow for shorter distances. Harvest the melons when ripe for eating. Remove the seeds and pulp and rinse under water until seeds are clean. A light fermentation with a little water can sometimes help in the cleaning process. Simply add 1 cup of water for every cup of seeds and pulp and let sit in a warm place for 2-3 days, stirring daily. Then rinse under water and allow seeds to dry on a plate, cloth or similar clean surface. After rinsed use a 1/2" or 1/4" screen to help with cleaning. Melon seed will remain viable for 4-6 years under cool and dry storage conditions.