The Complete Watermelon Season 101 Guide!

Being one of the most popular and commonly eaten melons on the planet, it stands to reason that there are a plethora of questions to be answered and a wealth of information to be shared when it comes to watermelon!

As a result, we’ve put together our Watermelon Season 101, which will teach you through all of the fundamentals you need to know about this delectable fruit. Along the way, we’ll address some commonly asked questions and shatter a few watermelon myths, the truth of which you may be shocked to find!

Our goal? To ensure that when watermelon season arrives, you are well prepared and equipped with all of the knowledge you want about this iconic summer delight!

Watermelon Season Basics

Let’s start from the beginning: watermelon fundamentals! Before we can travel anyplace, we must first understand what a watermelon is and where it originates from. Continue reading!

What is Watermelon? Is Watermelon a Fruit?

We sure chose a doozy to get things started! The subject of whether watermelon is a fruit or a vegetable is still being debated!

Each entire watermelon is formed by a flower and, as such, is the matured ovary of the plant, replete with seeds and everything. Nevertheless, other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, such as cucumbers and butternut squash, are considered fruits under this classification, despite the fact that most people regard these products to be vegetables. To add to the confusion, the watermelon has been designated as the official vegetable of Oklahoma!

What’s the bottom line? Fresh watermelon is classified as a fruit both botanically and culinarily. Cucumbers, butternut squash, green beans, and bell peppers, on the other hand, may be botanical fruits, but in terms of taste and utility in culinary applications, they are called vegetables.

Where Did Watermelon Originate?

The roots of the sweet watermelon types we know today are thought to be in northern Africa, extending back approximately 4000 years! Although the initial watermelons were probably more bitter and considerably less sweet than today’s, they cleared the way for the juicy-sweet and red-fleshed watermelons to take root in the Mediterranean in later years. Watermelons spread from there, and they may today be found on every continent except Antarctica!

How Does Watermelon Grow?

Watermelon plants are vines, thus they need lots of space to creep and spread! When the plant is about to give fruit, it will produce both male and female blooms. When the male flowers finally die away, the base of the female flowers swells, giving birth to a watermelon.

Watermelons develop at different rates, but in general, watermelons need up to 3 months of heat and light to yield ripe fruit. This might be difficult for places that are prone to experiencing varied weather and temperature variations throughout the summer months. As a result, most watermelon harvests are now grown in China’s Gansu province (a northern desert area bordering the Gobi Desert), Turkey, Iran, and a few Southern states such as Florida, Texas, and Georgia.

The fruit requires a lot of water as it develops, which is not unexpected considering its name: watermelon! This water concentration has an influence on the overall weight and texture of the finished product over time. Watermelon should only be selected when it is at its ripest since, unlike other varieties of melons, it does not continue to ripen after removed off the vine. When tapped softly or pounded on, a whole watermelon should produce a hollow sound rather than a dull one.

Are There Different Types of Watermelon?

Yes! Although the enormous, rectangular, densely green-striped kind is likely the most common, watermelons come in a range of shapes and sizes. In fact, there are up to 1200 distinct types! They may be green with stripes on the exterior, a uniform green, or even a yellowish tone.

Just as the colors of the outer rind may change, so can the colors of the inside meat. Watermelon flesh is often bright red or pink, however there are kinds with orange flesh or flesh that ranges from golden to yellow. There are seeded and seedless variants, as well as bigger and smaller watermelons.

The red-fleshed seeded and seedless types are likely to be found at most grocery shops and marketplaces. Watermelons with different flesh hues or very tiny melons may have to be found at your local farmers market or speciality food shop!

When is Watermelon Season?

The incidence of watermelon season is totally dependent on where you reside. Watermelons may begin to appear at your grocery store or farmers market as early as May, and they may be accessible throughout the summer until September! Of course, if you reside in a northern location with a shorter summer, your watermelon season may be more restricted.

Although watermelons are available all year in most large grocery shops and supermarkets, they are not always the greatest watermelons. They are often carried in from the warm growing areas of South or Central America, and due to the distance they must travel, they are picked before full maturity.

Watermelon Myths

Myths aren’t only for beginnings! Whether we know it or not, we are surrounded by myths in our everyday lives, and many of them revolve around some of our favorite and most common food sources. Let’s take a look at some of the most widely held myths, old wives tales, and sources of uncertainty surrounding watermelons.

Swallowing a Watermelon Seed is Dangerous.

False!

Okay. We recognize that this isn’t exactly the myth bust of the century, since most people knew that the once-omnipresent admonition to never swallow a watermelon seed is really a load of nonsense.

Although it goes without saying that this is untrue, we felt it was worth discussing the feasibility of ingesting watermelon seeds in general. Is this safe to do? And, while we’re here, if seeds like pumpkin and chia seeds are beneficial to our health, are watermelon seeds as well? Let us investigate.

Is it Safe to Eat Watermelon Seeds?

or fiber, you should probably avoid eating the seeds. Yes! Swallowing the black seeds that sprinkle your slice of fresh watermelon poses no risk to your digestive system or general health. The seeds will just flow through your system, causing no harm! Furthermore, if you have inflammatory digestive diseases like diverticulitis or are medically advised to limit your intake of roughage and fiber,

Are Watermelon Seeds Nutritious?

Yes! Watermelon seeds, like the seeds of many other plants, are high in protein and other essential elements. But, merely eating the seeds whole will not enable your body to absorb any of this nourishment since the glossy black seed hull is impermeable to your body’s normal digestive process. The only method to get the nourishment from watermelon seeds into the human body is to sprout them and remove the outer shell.

Seedless Watermelon is Just Watermelon with White Seeds Instead of Black Ones.

False!

When they taste their first seedless watermelon, most people think, “Wait a minute, this isn’t seedless!” What could they possibly blame? A seedless variety looks to have a plethora of lighter colored, softer seeds rather than the dense, black seeds seen in the fruit of a typical watermelon.

The reality is, however, that they are not seeds at all! Rather, they are empty and undeveloped seed coats that contain no viable seed material at all.

Seedless watermelons are created by mating parent watermelons in such a manner that the progeny plant contains three sets of chromosomes. This leads the plant to produce fruit that does not contain true seeds. Contrary to common opinion, this method of plant breeding does not include genetic manipulation, therefore seedless watermelons are not the GMO product that they are frequently confused for.

The Stripes on a Watermelon Will Indicate its Ripeness.

False!

This is a legend! You may have heard that the darker the green stripes running across the surface of a watermelon indicate its ripeness. Not so quickly! Some watermelon cultivars have very faint stripes at all stages of maturity, while others do not have any stripes at all, therefore this cannot be used to predict what is going on within the melon.

The weight and general color of the watermelon are stronger predictors of maturity, since it should feel heavy for its size and have a creamy golden spot on one side of its exposed surface. Check out our whole article on How to Choose a Watermelon for more information on what to look for when choosing the greatest watermelon you can find.

A Cracked Watermelon is Unsafe to Consume.

False!

Once certain rumors circulated in the media that fractures running through the inside flesh of a watermelon indicate that it has been artificially ripened or cultivated with the help of synthetic chemicals, scientists set to work to establish the truth. Happily, they were successful, and we can now put the hazardous broken watermelon myth to rest!

Many watermelons suffer from an ailment known as hollow heart. According to study from the University of Delaware, the hollow heart is caused by a problem with pollination to the plants, rather than any illegal interference during the watermelons development and processing, pests, or illness. Inadequate pollination during development leads in these odd voids and fractures towards the middle of an impacted watermelon.

Despite their rather suspicious look when sliced open, some people swear by hollow heart melons, believing that the flesh of these fruits is even sweeter than that of fully-hearted melons. If you manage to come across one, don’t be afraid to try it; you may be amazed at how excellent the taste is!

Having said that, we’re simply talking about internal cracking here. If the outer skin of a watermelon is fractured or pierced in any manner, it should be avoided. The rind is the first line of defense protecting the delicate flesh within, and once exposed, hazardous germs may readily find their way inside and take advantage of the wet, sugar-rich environment.

Other Watermelon FAQ’s

All of your remaining watermelon season inquiries are answered right here, right now.

Can You Grow Your Own Watermelons?

With all of this talk about the deliciousness of watermelons, it’s only natural to want to try growing your own!

Although it is not difficult, watermelon plants do need certain special conditions. First and foremost, they need warmth and sunlight! Watermelon plants are not frost hardy and may be damaged if planted too early before the chance of a final frost has passed or if not given enough time to mature before the first frost in the autumn season. Some watermelons might take up to 100 days to mature, so be sure you live in a location where you can depend on light and warmth for that long. Certain watermelon kinds grow quicker than others, so if you reside in a colder location, you may want to choose one of them.

Not surprisingly, those huge ol’ watermelons come from big ol’ plants that need a lot of area to thrive. Watermelons, like pumpkins, cover a lot of land as they mature, so plant them where they will have lots of freedom to travel and sufficient of soil nourishment to satisfy the requirement for the plethora of enormous fruits.

Can You Freeze Watermelon?

Yes! This fruit’s high water content makes it a great choice for freezing; nevertheless, the method will undoubtedly change the texture of the fruit once thawed. As a result, frozen watermelon is best utilized frozen or partly frozen, and it tastes best when combined with another meal rather than on its own.

Check out our how-to guide Can You Freeze Watermelon for all you need to know about freezing and preserving watermelon. And Additional Watermelon Storage Concerns Addressed.

Can You Eat Watermelon Rind?

Yes! Watermelons, rind and all, are entirely edible. This is great news since, according to the Watermelon Board, the typical watermelon only yields around 70% of its entire weight in flesh, with the remaining 30% being rind. That’s a lot of food wasted if you don’t consume it!

Fortunately, there are several ways to consume watermelon rind. Many people have heard of or tried pickled watermelon rind, which is made by removing the crisp, white rind from its dark green peel and soaking it in a salty-sweet pickling liquid before packing it into an airtight container. Watermelon rind is also a common element in Indian cuisine, appearing in chutneys and curries. You can also slice the watermelon rind and use it to stir fries, gazpacho, or even smoothies for a fresh taste boost!

What’s the Deal with Square Watermelons?

You’ve probably seen photographs of them or read about them in the news, but what exactly are these cube-shaped melons? Surprisingly, they are not a distinct species or type; rather, they are regular watermelons that are pushed to grow in the distinctive square form. When watermelons are little, a transparent casing (of course, cube-shaped) is put around them. As each melon grows, it is met by the constraints of the box and eventually becomes the form of the container it is surrounded by!

The disadvantage of these amazing-looking fruits is that they are not only very costly, but they are also plucked before they are completely mature in order to prevent the melon from becoming too large for its box. Since watermelon does not continue to mature after harvest, the taste of a square watermelon is often not as pleasurable as that of a round or rectangular shaped one.

Watermelon Season: Are YOU Ready?

We hope that our watermelon season guide has left you more prepared than ever for the next delicious season!

Whether knowing how and where watermelons grow (and where they come from!) has inspired you to try growing your own watermelon, or a few of the watermelon myths you thought were true have now been debunked, we hope this knowledge empowers you to be a wiser consumer and enjoy your summertime treat more thoroughly.

Still curious about watermelons? Check out our entire How to Cut a Watermelon tutorial or learn all there is to know about Watermelon Nutrition, Benefits, and Statistics.