Watermelon Liberation

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In the North, and in higher altitudes, it is advisable to start young seedlings indoors in large pots to insulate sensitive roots from too much movement. Although some modern gardeners plant watermelon in raised beds, most, particularly in the South, still drop five to seven seeds directly into small mounds of soil; the distance between the hills of seed is determined by the space requirements of specific varieties. Bush watermelon varieties—unrelated to President Bush—occupy less space, of course, but they also tend to be less flavorful and less productive.

Most varieties take from 80 to 120 days to reach maturity, although gardeners living in regions with long growing seasons should know that lateseason types usually have a richer taste. It's possible to grow a hybrid watermelon that produces yellow flesh—but what's the point? Real Americans eat red meat (come to think of it, maybe the White House wants to cover up the president's secret yen for the yellow stuff) and open-pollinated watermelons are every bit as good as their hybrid cousins, especially for the home gardener, who probably prefers to have fruits ripen at different times.

Determining ripeness is more of an art than a science. Thumping is useless. A ripe fruit is hard; but its skin will have lost some of its shine, and its underside is likely to show yellowing. A watermelon is usually ripe when the curly, pigtail tendril by the leaf closest to the fruit's stem looks dried up.

The wise gardener should understand that having a watermelon in the patch is a lot like having a teenager in the house. It's a voracious eater and drinker (97% water and a lazy couch potato to boot, accustomed to sucking up large volumes of nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium and to lolling around on thick mattresses of compost and mulch. It's no wonder the watermelon hovers so close to the edge of human consciousness.

Some may see it as a nice garnish for a summer meal.

Thrifty folks know better. Over time they tend to select for value and in watermelon they have found a winner. It's practically fat-free, calorie-free, worry-free. According to a USDA booklet, growers use pesticides less intensively for watermelon than for other crops. And watermelon rates higher in vitamins A and C than apples. It's also cheaper.

It fits perfectly, in other words, into the modern profile of "lite" cuisine. Statistics assembled by the USDA show that domestic watermelon production, following a long decline between 1960 and the early I980s, is rapidly picking up speed. Most experts at the USDA suspect the turnaround is caused by "a modification to the consumption patterns of health-conscious consumers, the introduction of new varieties and the passage of a watermelon research and promotion program."

Yes, friends, there's a specialinterest group for watermelons, possibly even a watermelon-industrial complex in Washington. It is, of course, a collection of producers and handlers that calls itself the National Watermelon Association. According to a USDA publication, this group agreed in February 1989 to donate a portion of its profits in an effort to "bring the industry closer together and improve the image and sales of U.S. watermelons."

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