Watermelon Varieties - What's the Difference?

There are several watermelon varieties available to the backyard vegetable gardener. Some varieties are seedless. others have orange or yellow flesh, instead of red. Some varieties are small, while others can grow to more than 200 pounds. There's even a variety that has speckled skin that resembles the moon and stars in the night sky.

Here's a list of some more common watermelon varieties, along with fruit and plant descriptions.

• Sugar Baby - matures in 75 days, very sweet melons weighing 9 pounds, red flesh, short vining plants, good for limited space


• Moon and Stars - matures in 95 days, dark green skin with yellow spots resembling moon and stars in the night sky, sweet melons reach 40 pounds, pink to red flesh

• Black Diamond - matures in 90 days, very round melon weighs up to 75 pounds, vibrant red flesh, good all-around watermelon


• Yellow Crimson - matures in 80 days, round melons reach 20 pounds, bright yellow flesh with black seeds, sweet taste


• Orange Tendersweet - matures in 85 days, bright orange flesh with white seeds, sweet and tender, melons reach 25 pounds


• Orangeglo - matures in 90 days, very sweet and crisp, oval-shaped melons average 40 pounds, bright orange flesh with off-white seeds


• Kleckley's Sweet - matures in 85 days, extra crisp and sweet, thin rind, red flesh with white seeds, 40 pound melons, heirloom variety


• Big Crimson - matures in 90 days, this variety of watermelon produces 30 pound melons, sweet, red flesh, dark green skin


• Charleston Gray - matures in 85 days, long vigorous vines, light green skin with sweet red flesh, 30 pounds

Crimson Sweet - matures in 85 days, this watermelon variety produces 25 pound melons with sweet red flesh, high sugar content, thin rinds, very disease resistant

Jubilee - matures in 95 days, 40 pound melons with green stripes and red flesh, very fine texture, grows well in hot weather

Louisiana Sweet - matures in 90 days, oblong melons reach 25 pounds, bright red flesh is crisp and sweet, black seeds

Ruby Hybrid Seedless - matures in 85 days, oval shaped melons reach 8 pounds, crisp and super sweet flesh, seedless

Carolina Cross - matures in 100 days, this watermelon variety produces 200+ pound melons, sweet red flesh, oblong shape

Georgia Rattlesnake - matures in 90 days, pale green stripes resemble a snake skin, bright pink flesh, sweet and crisp, reaches 30 pounds, heirloom variety

Congo - matures in 90 days, round melons reach 35 pounds, green stripes, sweet red flesh and thick rinds

• Snack Pack - matures in 75 days, 3-4 pound round melons, sweet red flesh, seedless, solid dark green skin


• Sugarlee - matures in 85 days, 15 pound melons, very sweet red flesh, green striped rinds, disease resistant

Click here to learn about planting watermelon

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Click here to learn about harvesting watermelon

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