When Is the Best Time to Plant Watermelon? A Full Analysis of the Best Planting Time

Watermelon is grown over a fairly wide area in China and also brings good economic returns, but because of the growth characteristics of watermelon itself, the planting time differs from region to region, and planting watermelon also places emphasis on the timing of planting, so when is the best time to plant watermelon?

1. The Main Producing Areas of Watermelon in China

China's watermelon producing areas are widely distributed. Places such as Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Liaoning, Hainan and Inner Mongolia are all major watermelon producing areas in China. Guangxi mainly produces seedless watermelon; Hunan and Hubei mainly produce Black Beauty, Dongting No. 1 and Xin Hong Bao; Hainan produces a wide variety of watermelon, including Black Beauty, seedless watermelon, Xin Hong Bao, Qilin watermelon and Te Xiao Feng; while Liaoning and Inner Mongolia mainly produce striped watermelon.

2. The Best Sowing Time for Watermelon

In many regions now, watermelon can be grown in three seasons: spring, summer and autumn. Generally speaking, in most places, the best time to plant watermelon is around mid-March each year. Watermelon planted at this time usually comes to market around June, so it can be considered an early-maturing watermelon, which means it can be sold at a slightly higher price, and since it is right in summer, its sales volume is naturally relatively large. At the same time, watermelon sown in March has its fruit-fattening stage right during the rainy season, when its demand for water is relatively high, which also reduces a certain amount of labour.

3. Open-Field Cultivation Time

For open-field watermelon cultivation, if it is in the Huang-Huai-Hai region, planting is generally carried out from late May to early June. The time it comes to market is right in summer, when demand for watermelon is already high; sometimes sowing is even delayed until early July, and the watermelon planted then comes to market exactly during the national statutory holidays, so it also has a certain market. Watermelon cultivation has a fairly large impact on Hainan, and there are generally two patterns: autumn planting with winter harvest, and winter planting with spring harvest.

4. Protected Cultivation Time for Watermelon

We need to pay very close attention to protected cultivation of watermelon. Although many protected areas now grow it, generally speaking, protected areas can use methods such as greenhouses, plastic film and windbreaks for cultivation. This is also a new type of planting model and is very popular in most parts of China. Generally speaking, open-field cultivation can be carried out when the temperature reaches around 20 degrees; if the temperature has not reached that level, other methods can also be used for insulated cultivation. In spring, planting is generally done in early March; in autumn, sowing is generally done in mid-August; and in winter, planting can be done in early January.

The above is Tuliu.com's introduction to the best time for watermelon planting, briefly analysing the planting time of watermelon from the perspectives of the best planting time, open-field planting and protected planting. The content of the article can be used for reference.