"Leelanau Sweetglo" Orange Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus

By far our Favorite watermelon for short season growers (and perhaps even favorite watermelon of all time!) Leelanau Sweetglo is a beautiful orange watermelon bred and developed by Mike Kiessel of Leelanau County, Michigan. It was a crossing between the oblong Orangeglo and round red-fleshed Crimson Sweet. Excellent qualities of both unite in the Leelanau Sweetglo including delicious somewhat tropical flavored orange flesh from the Orangeglo gene pool. Round shape, crispy flesh, sturdy rind with excellent storage capacity coming from the Crimson Sweet lineage. Both varieties lent their quickness to maturity making the Leelanau Sweetglo an Excellent watermelon for growers up north!

Growing Instructions:

Direct seed after last frost or start indoors in trays 3-4 weeks before last frost. Transplant out after last frost when melon plants when roots have developed enough to hold the soil around them when pulled out of the trays.

Put a hearty helping of compost and a sprinkle of wood ash in each planting hole at time of transplant. A fall or spring leguminous cover crops would benefit the crop greatly as well. Plant 18” apart in rows 5-6 feet apart.

Recommended soil pH between 6-6.8

Harvest:

Watermelons are ready to harvest when the tendril dies and the orange hued spot (as shown in the picture above) has developed on the side that touches the ground. We also highly recommend growing under hoops and remay until flowering begins. This is the key to success with melons in northern regions and cooler microclimates.