Here’s the first watermelon we’ve successfully grown in our home garden after previous attempts either never fruited or rotted before they were ripe. We planted them directly in the garden in mid-summer and let them snake through the shade of our peppers.

We ended up harvesting two personal-sized watermelons, with the one below being the first that start growing and the smaller of the two at 3 pounds while the other came in at 4 pounds and is waiting in the fridge when this one is gone. Now if only we had better weather to enjoy the watermelon in than the 50-60s and persistent rain we’ve been stuck in for the last week here in piedmont North Carolina.

Before

After

We plan to pickle the rind and toast the seeds as we’re trying to use more parts of the fruits and veggies we’re growing rather than tossing them in the compost pile.