What is a Buttercup Watermelon?
As the name suggests, the flesh of the Yellow Buttercup watermelon is a lemony yellow while the rind is a medium green tone striped with thin green lines. This variety of watermelon produces round fruit that weighs between 14 and 16 pounds (6-7 kg.) each. The flesh is crisp and extremely sweet. Yellow Buttercup watermelon is a seedless melon hybridized by Dr. Warren Barham and introduced in 1999. This warm season melon can be grown in USDA zones 4 and warmer and will need a pollinator, such as Side Kick or Accomplice, both of which flower early and continuously. Plan on one pollinator per each three seedless Yellow Buttercups planted.
How to Grow a Yellow Buttercup Melon
When growing Yellow Buttercup watermelons, plan on sowing seeds in the spring in an area of full sun in fertile, well-draining soil. Sow the seeds to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm.) and spaced about 8 to 10 feet (2-3 m.) apart. Seeds should germinate within 4 to 14 days provided soil temperatures are 65 to 70 degrees F. (18-21 C.).
Yellow Buttercup Watermelon Care
Yellow Buttercup melons need consistent moisture until the fruit is about the size of a tennis ball. Thereafter, reduce watering and only water when the soil feels dry when you push your index finger down into it. A week before the fruit is ripe and ready to harvest, stop watering entirely. This will allow the sugars in the flesh to condense, creating even sweeter melons. Do not water melons overhead, as this can cause foliar disease; only water at the base of the plant around the root system. Buttercup melons are ready to harvest 90 days from sowing. Harvest Yellow Buttercup melons when the rind is a dull green striped with dark green stripes. Give the melon a good thump. You should hear a dull thud which means the melon is ready to harvest. Yellow Buttercup watermelons can be stored for up to three weeks in a cool, dark area.
