“Ask the Experts” features questions submitted by readers via the Ask the Experts feature in the right hand sidebar. Feel free to ask our panelists anything you’d like about watermelon. All questions will get a personal response and some will be featured here on What About Watermelon!
KEITH FROM THE CARIBBEAN ASKS: I hope you can help out. I live in the Caribbean and I only started growing watermelon this year and got my seeds mixed up, between watermelon and pumpkin. Now I’ve attached a photo of a plant that I’m confused about (copied below). I don’t know if it is watermelon or pumpkin. Can you help with identification? I have North Carolina Giant White Pumpkin trying to grow down here but I have no idea which plant it might be.
Thanks, Keith
Good question, Keith. These two plants are often confused, at least until they start growing a pumpkin or a watermelon. The plant in your photo is a pumpkin plant.
There are a few easy ways to determine this. First, watermelon plants are a vine plant, therefore they grow outwards, not upwards. A pumpkin plant, however, grows more upwards and has bigger leaves (it looks more like a bush).
Speaking of leaves, a pumpkin plant’s leaves will be shaped like a spade on a deck of cards (like the ones in your photo). The leaves on your pumpkin plant are rounder with relatively smooth edges, but some pumpkin leaves might not be as round and can be shaped like a large maple leaf, only with smoother edges. Though it can vary based on the type, most watermelon leaves have a more irregular shape and aren’t as round as pumpkin leaves. Watermelon leaves sort of look like oak leaves without the pointy tips.
Best, Josh
ABOUT JOSH: Josh Bailey comes from a family farming background, and he started his own operation called Premier Melon Company in January 2004. Previously, he worked for his uncle’s company for 10 years, gaining experience in watermelon growing and handling. Josh lives in Schoolcraft, MI, and is a past president of the National Watermelon Promotion Board
View Comments (2)
some of the leaves on my watermelon plant have shriveled up. and im not sure why. Can you help, also I have two watermelon balls growing, how long will they take for maturity?
I’m not 100 percent sure about the shriveling issue. I’ll pass that along to our farmer to see what he has to say. As for maturity, that depends upon the type of watermelon and the growing conditions (i.e. the farmer’s green thumb). Most watermelon take about 60-90 days to reach maturity (from the time the tiny watermelon appear, to the time they’re ready for harvest).