Mini watermelons are perfect for small gardens because they can be grown vertically on a trellis, wire fence or other vertical structure.
Small watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are just as sweet and juicy as large watermelons and they’re small enough to easily fit in the refrigerator.
Here are 10 compact, small watermelons to plant in your garden.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read the disclosure for more info.
10 SMALL WATERMELON VARIETIES
1. Sugar Baby
Sugar Baby is one of the most popular small watermelon varieties.
The melons are round shaped and 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) in diameter.
Sugar Baby watermelons are ready to harvest 12 to 14 weeks after planting.
2. Mini Yellow
Mini Yellow is another small watermelon variety with sweet, yellow flesh.
They grow to about the same size as a cantaloupe (rockmelon), and they’re ready to harvest in 15 to 20 weeks.
3. Yellow Baby
Another small watermelon with yellow flesh is Yellow Baby.
It has a thin rind, weighs only 8 to 10 pounds (3.6 to 4.5 kg) and is ready to harvest in only 75 days.
4. Mini Love
Mini Love is a compact hybrid variety that produces small round watermelons that are perfect for one person to eat in a single serving.
Each melon weighs between 3 to 6 pounds (1.3 to 2.7 kg), and the plants produce about six fruits per vine.
Mini Love watermelons are ready to harvest around 70 days after planting.
5. Blacktail Mountain
Blacktail Mountain is a small melon with sweet, juicy flesh.
Each fruit weighs about 5 to 6 pounds (2.2 to 2.7 kg) and they’re ready to harvest in only 75 days.
6. Sweet Beauty
Sweet Beauty is a small icebox watermelon variety, with fruits weighing 6 to 7 pounds (2.7 to 3.1 kg).
The melons are rectangle shaped and the flesh is sweet and crisp.
7. Golden Midget
Golden Midget is one of the smallest watermelon varieties, producing melons that weigh only 3 to 5 pounds (1.3 to 2.2 kg).
The sweet flesh is salmon-colored and the melons are the perfect size for one.
8. Yellow Petite
Yellow Petite watermelons are ideal for small gardens and weigh 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kg) each.
The fruits are ready to harvest in just over 2 months so they’re great for areas with a short growing season.
9. Cream of Saskatchewan
Cream of Saskatchewan is an unusual white-fleshed heirloom watermelon that is suited to cooler climates.
The melons are small, round and weigh 4 to 10 pounds (1.8 to 4.5 kg).
10. Little Darling
The last small watermelon variety on this list is Little Darling, a small, fast growing hybrid watermelon variety that has dark green rind and sweet, red flesh.
Each melon weighs 5 to 7 pounds (2.2 to 3.1 kg) so they’re ideal for one person.
GROWING SMALL WATERMELONS
Watermelons can be grown year round in tropical climates, but in temperate and cool climates they can be planted in early to mid spring.
Watermelons grow best in full sun, so choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight during the day.
Watermelon seeds are best sown directly in the garden but in cooler climates you can raise them in pots and transplant them out to the garden after 3 to 4 weeks.
The temperature will need to be at least 64 to 68°F (18 to 20°C) for the seeds to germinate. [1]
Mini watermelons can also be grown in large pots that are placed near a trellis for them to climb up.
Fertilize the plants every two weeks once the plants are established and keep them well watered, but avoid overhead watering to reduce the risk of fungal diseases.
Small watermelons are ready to harvest 70 to 105 days after planting, depending on the variety.
They’re ready to pick when the tendrils have dried out and turned brown. If you tap on the fruit it will produce a hollow sound when it’s ripe.
Cut the watermelon from the vine using a sharp knife and eat it straight away or refrigerate it for a cool, refreshing summer snack.
RELATED ARTICLES
So there are 10 small types of watermelons to plant in your home garden.
Have you tried growing any of these mini watermelons? I’d love to hear which varieties you’ve had the most success growing.
Are you on Pinterest? I have boards dedicated to Growing Fruit and Urban Gardening that you may enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook.
This is so cool! I never knew that mini watermelons existed or that you could grow them in your own garden. I’ll need to look into this for next year. It might be a great project for my terrace.
Confession, I’ve never heard of mini watermelons before reading this but I am IN LOVE with this whole concept. We moved into a new house in December and our yard is considerably smaller than the last house. I have been scaling down my gardening and other concepts so that it can be done in a smaller space and I think mini watermelons are a great addition to that!
how cute and handy are these! i do love watermelons but regular sized are just too much for me. I am always looking into smaller options. I often come across Sugar Baby and it’s pretty nice.
Great information! I never realized there were so many different types of watermelon let alone tiny watermelons. I will have to figure out which would be best to try and grow where I live.
I love watermelon. It’s the only thing I can eat without asking myself why so much. I’ve never seen Cream of Saskatchewan watermelons though.
I need small watermelons in my life! I never knew this was a thing, but I know I definitely need them for my garden. I haven’t attempted to grow watermelon or even buy it in the store, just because of the size. It is too much for me to handle and try to store once I get it home. I’ve always bought pre-cut packages in the store, but wanted to grow my own instead. These mini versions are the prefect way to get just that, instead of buying it in the store.
I came back to the desert 16 weeks later and found this nice little surprise of 6 to 8 sugar baby mini seedless watermelon. I purchased little six pack for $3.25 at local Ace hardware. They are on automatic watering in a hot climate 110 average or hotter.
I’m growing some sugar babies for the first time this year. there are a ton of little watermelons growing. Are they large producers or should I take a few off?
I have grown Sugar Baby watermelons for the first time this year. They are really good! I have a ton of melons and they have been exciting to watch. Be sure to wait until the part that sits on the ground turns a very bright yellow so you will know that they are ripe. An added benefit to this heirloom variety is that you can save the seeds from them and not need to buy seeds ever again!