Last edited on 2 Nov 2026. View history

Souter's watermelon Souter's Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus

A variety of watermelon

How to sow Souter's watermelon: Direct seed into soil or peat pots (and transplant pots directly into soil after hardening off)

Sun requirement for Souter's watermelon: Plant in Full Sun

A round watermelon with light green skin that pales when ripe, light red flesh and very black seeds. Excellent flavour, and best picked and stored for up to three months; it was traditionally stored in pits in the ground. Gifted by Michael Lawn of Havelock North and said to come from a Māori family near Taneatua, possibly the Souters of Tokomaru Bay.

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Souter's watermelon facts

Lifespan

Annual living and reproducing in a single year or less

Growing Souter's watermelons

  1. Sow seeds in pots 4 weeks before planting out
  2. Dig compost into the bed 2 weeks before planting out
  3. Harden off the seedlings 1 week before planting out
  4. Set or refill beer traps for slugs and snails at planting out every week
  5. Water deeply at the base 1 week after planting out every week
  6. Mulch around the plants 3 weeks after planting out
  7. Hand pollinate the female flowers 6 weeks after planting out
  8. Lift fruit onto a tile or board 4 weeks before first harvest
  9. Cut back on watering as fruit ripens 2 weeks before first harvest
  10. Pick when the tendril by the fruit dries at first harvest every week
  11. Pull out finished plants 6 weeks after first harvest

Plant Souter's watermelons with

morning glory

Video

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Ecological requirements

Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsumura & Nakai

Family / Taxonomy Magnoliopsida
Dilleniidae
Violales
Cucurbitaceae
Optimal temperature 20 - 35 °C
Absolute temperature 15 - 40 °C
Optimal rainfall 500 - 700 mm/year
Absolute rainfall 400 - 1800 mm/year
Optimal soil pH 6.0 - 7.0
Absolute soil pH 5.5 - 7.5
Crop cycle 0 - 0 days
Max altitude 1000 m
Life form herb, vine
Life span annual
Habit prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect
Optimal soil depth deep (>>150 cm)
Optimal soil texture medium
Optimal soil fertility high
Optimal soil drainage well (dry spells)
Optimal soil salinity low (<4 dS/m)
Photoperiod long day (>14 hours)
Optimal light clear skies to very bright

Licensed under CC-BY-4.0 .

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) ECOCROP, the crop ecological requirements database. Version 1. https://data.apps.fao.org/catalog/dataset/ecocrop. Accessed through the CGIAR Climate Action Data Hub, https://cgiar-climate-data-hub.github.io/catalog/ecocrop_1/.

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