Crimson Sweet Watermelon Seeds

Citrullus lanatus Crimson Sweet Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus Crimson Sweet Watermelon is a classic, heat-loving vining annual, valued for its crisp, deep red flesh and incredibly high sugar content. Growing to about 1 to 2 feet tall with a vigorous spread of 6 to 8 feet, this All-America Selections winner is the standard for picnic watermelons, producing blocky, oval fruits that weigh between 15 to 25 pounds. Unlike older varieties that are prone to disease, Crimson Sweet offers excellent resistance to Fusarium wilt and Anthracnose, ensuring a reliable harvest of refreshing, sweet melons that define the taste of summer.

Culinary and Practical Uses

• The juicy, fine-textured flesh boasts a sugar content of up to 12%, making it the ultimate choice for slicing into fresh, cooling wedges for summer picnics.
• Its firm texture holds up beautifully in fruit salads, smoothies, or when grilled briefly to caramelize the natural sugars.
• The thick, sturdy rinds are ideal for pickling, a traditional method that transforms the waste into a sweet and tangy condiment.

Characteristics

• Foliage: Deeply lobed, green leaves on sprawling vines that provide canopy cover to protect the developing melons from sunscald.
• Growth Habit: Aggressive, sprawling vine that requires significant space to run; produces heavy, striped fruits with a light green background and dark green bands.
• Flowers: Produces small, lemon-yellow blossoms (separate male and female flowers on the same plant) that require insect pollination to set fruit.
• Seeds: Contains small, dark brown mottled seeds scattered throughout the flesh; as an open-pollinated variety, seeds can be saved for next season's planting.

Growing Requirements

• Sun: Thrives in full sun; requires at least 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight daily and high heat to maximize sugar production.
• Soil: Adapts to most soil types but prefers warm, sandy, well-draining loam enriched with organic matter; heavy clay soils should be amended to improve drainage.
• Water: Requires deep, consistent watering during early growth and fruit set; gradually reduce watering as fruits approach maturity to concentrate sugars and prevent splitting.
• Spacing: Plant seeds in hills spaced 4 to 6 feet apart to allow the vigorous vines ample room to spread without overcrowding.
• Maintenance: Use mulch to suppress weeds and keep fruit clean; lift developing melons off the bare ground using straw or a board to prevent rot and flat spots.

Shipping Info

 Crimson Sweet Watermelon seeds ship as fresh, high-quality, viable seeds that are carefully packaged for stability and protection from damage during transit. Prompt shipping supports reliable germination and seasonally appropriate planting.