Here’s how to save watermelon seeds; it’s very easy! It’s fun and rewarding to save your own seeds, especially when it’s super easy to do. Watermelons are on the easiest seeds to save, and you still get to enjoy eating your watermelon too. (My kids all love cutting watermelons, so they’re a super easy option for me to have around for snacking all summer!)
Why Save Seeds?
When you save your own seeds, you are preserving variety in available seeds, and you become more self-reliant. You do not need to rely on a store or seed company to grow your own food. It’s one small way you can be more self-reliant.
Tomatoes are very easy to save your own seeds from. It’s also very easy to save your own garbanzo beans and other beans.
You also can save seeds from the melons that do very well in your specific growing conditions. Each year, you can save seeds from your best melons. Over time you will create your own variety that is specifically tailored to your growing conditions.
How To Save Your Own Watermelon Seeds
Saving watermelon seeds is so super simple you probably already know how to do it. As you eat your watermelon, rinse off the seeds and set them on a cloth napkin or paper towel to dry. After about a week they should be fully dry. You can put them in an envelope or a jar and store them in a cool dark location until it’s time to plant.
You can save seeds from store bought watermelons, but sometimes they are hybrids. This means that they may be sterile, or they may grow into a different type of melon than they came from. If you start out with an heirloom variety of melon it will grow reliably into the same type each year.
If you are planning to save your own seeds, don’t plant more than one variety as they will cross pollinate and the seeds you save may be hybrid themselves.
Also make sure the melon is fully ripe before you pick it. Most melons take 30 to 45 days to fully ripen. If the underside of the melon has a yellowish spot it will be at it’s peak ripeness both for eating and saving seeds.
And that’s truly it! Watermelons are one of the easiest seeds to save, and they grow well in hot areas like my home in San Antonio. Anything I can get to live through the summer heat is greatly appreciated! Happy gardening!
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