Watermelons galore!

Today we take a close look at a favorite American fruit, the watermelon. It is believed that watermelons originated in Africa, with roots traced to the Kalahari Desert and Sudan region over 5,000 years ago. Initially bitter and pale-fleshed, they were domesticated in Northeastern Africa (Egypt) for their high water content. They spread throughout the Mediterranean, Asia, and Europe before reaching the Americas in the 16th century. 

Evidence of cultivated watermelons appears in Egyptian hieroglyphs and tombs over 4,000 years ago. Ancient plant breeders, possibly in Mediterranean lands, developed sweeter, red-fleshed varieties around 2,000 years ago, moving them from a desert crop to a popular dessert. By the 10th century, they were widespread in Europe and Asia; they were brought to the Americas by European settlers in the 1500s.                                         

If you’ve seen one watermelon, you haven’t seen them all. Not by a long shot. With hundreds of watermelon varieties available worldwide, there are melons in plenty of sizes, colors, and degrees of sweetness to taste and compare.                                                                                                                                      

Watermelons come in three main sizes. At one end of the size chart are the big guys, so-called picnic watermelons. These are watermelons large enough to feed a crowd, and some of the giant picnic melons could probably feed everyone at a church picnic.   

Next in size are icebox watermelons. These are compact melons designed to fit easily into a refrigerator, making them perfect for small families. They usually weigh between 6 and 10 lbs, which is smaller than traditional “picnic” watermelons. Sugar Baby is the most well-known icebox melon.

Most recently, small, personal watermelons, also known as mini melons, are showing up in stores. Personal watermelons are small, 3-to-7-pound, typically seedless melons with thin rinds, designed for easy storage and single-person consumption. Ranging from 4–6 inches, these sweet, high-yield melons are ideal for containers. A popular one is ‘Mini Love’, which is a 3-6 pound, red-fleshed, crack-resistant variety.

Following are a few of the world’s watermelon varieties, many of which have wonderfully delicious, evocative names. 

The world’s largest watermelon variety is the Carolina Cross, which is specifically cultivated for competition and capable of producing fruits weighing over 200 pounds. Nearly all, if not all, world records for heavy watermelons in the past few decades have been set using this variety. The heaviest watermelon ever grown was a 350.5-pound Carolina Cross, grown by Chris Kent in 2013.

Charleston Gray – developed in 1954 by Charles Andrus, a plant breeder with the United States Department of Agriculture in, you guessed it, Charleston, South Carolina. Its rind is a light, slightly dusty-looking green. According to the USDA, Charleston Gray is in the lineage of a whopping 95 percent of the watermelon grown in the world.  

Crimson Sweet – introduced by Kansas State University in 1963, it’s now one of the most popular watermelons in the world.

Densuke – an icebox-size melon grown on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, Densuke watermelons have a very dark green (“black”) rind and are known to be very sweet. Grown in limited numbers, they can sell for extremely high prices (several hundred U.S. dollars) in Japan, with one once selling at auction for more than $6,000 U.S. dollars. The variety has been called both “the black watermelon” and “the world’s most expensive watermelon.”  

Georgia Rattlesnake – thought to have been developed in Georgia in the 1830s, it’s sometimes called “the watermelon that made Georgia famous.” 

Jubilee – developed in 1963 by J.M. Crall in Leesburg, Florida, in the University of Florida’s watermelon breeding program. Not only is it now one of the best-selling varieties in the U.S., it’s one of the most commonly grown watermelon varieties in the world. 

Moon and Stars – the celestial name comes from the unusual speckled small yellow dots (“stars”) and occasional large yellow spot (“moon”) on the dark green rind.  Introduced by Peter Henderson and Company in the 1920s, it eventually was thought to have disappeared.  “Moon and Stars” was rediscovered in 1981 growing on a farm in Missouri and is available commercially once again. 

Sugar Baby – icebox-size, green-black rind. Developed by M. Hardin in Geary, Oklahoma, and first offered for sale in 1959. 

Tom Watson – with a solid green rind, often produces giants over 100 pounds. 
Originated around 1900, when a Florida farmer named it in honor of Georgia’s Thomas (Tom) Edward Watson. Tom Watson (the man) was a trial lawyer, U.S congressman, and U.S. senator who’s called the architect of the Rural Free Delivery mail system, according to The Melon by Amy Goldman. Tom Watson (the melon) has flesh, encased in a thick, hard rind that made it an excellent melon to ship. According to Goldman, it was “the most popular shipping melon during the Great Depression. 

I’ll bet you didn’t know there were so many varieties of watermelons. Grow some of them!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.