My Square Watermelon

I believe it was in 2003 when I first read about Japanese farmers growing square watermelons commercially.  It was a sensation and the news was all over the place – in newspapers, radio, and the internet.

Over the next two years the thought occasionally entered my mind about how they could take a naturally round watermelon and make it square.  It was not a burning curiosity but, rather, I was amused by the thought of getting a watermelon square.

Then in 2005 after planting tomatoes and watermelon in a small backyard garden, I decided to take the challenge to make my own square watermelon and also to make square tomatoes.  I knew I could also do it, and was convinced that it was going to be a lot of fun.

In the garden (and also in sporting activities) I’m a doer – as Nike’s slogan says… Just do it!  I take action not knowing what the outcome could be.  The process itself is as important as the outcome.

In this home garden I planted a few tomato and watermelon plants.  They were plants that I bought from a local general hardware store (it’s amazing how just about all types of retail outlets get involved with gardening at springtime.)

In my research I found out that the Icebox variety of watermelon was one of a few that fitted the local Canadian climate – we have a short growing season and limited sunlight intensity.  I prepared the soil (elevating beds to give better water drainage) and planted the newly-bought plants.

 As expected, they grew very well and I kept a close eye to keep them healthy.  It was not too long before my attention paid off with flowers, then baby fruits.Growing things and nurturing them have always interested me.  Although I have done it many, many times before, planting, and watching fruits appear and mature is like a miracle happening before my eyes.  I could literally spend hours in a garden observing plants, flowers, the fruits, and even the insects which are all part of the dynamics of nature. 

As the fruits were forming, the creative part of me started kicking in, allowing me to come up with different ideas of how I may be able to make the fruits square.  That is, how I should be able to imitate the Japanese farmers, using a humble home garden budget.

I experimented using different materials – from transparent plexiglass and solid opaque plastic, to corrugated plastic and wood. 

I tried to get info from research centers where I thought they were experimenting on growing square watermelons.  One such place was the agricultural center of Mississippi State University .  The article I saw that led me to them was at http://msucares.com/news/print/agnews/an03/030616.html

Despite my attempt to get specific information – writing to the horticulturalist at the university, the watermelon promotion board searching the world wide web, and many other places, I was not able to learn how it was actually done, expect that a “box” was used to turn the watermelon square.

I was a little frustrated but I also accepted that this was part of the challenge, which I’ll talk about in the next post.

‘til then,
Maurice | Grow Your Own Square Watermelon

This is perhaps the genesis of my square watermelon story.  I did not get out of bed one fine morning and decided to grow a square watermelon.  Subconsciously (and consciously), I think doing things a little differently, looking for new paths, and developing creative solutions are part of my being – for the better or not so good.

I believe looking at life a little differently, in our case gardening, can bring more fun and entertainment to the home garden – whether indoors or outdoors.  Springtime always beckons us to planting and sowing, and too often we tend to get into the routine of planting the same set of vegetables or flowers as we did the last season or two or three seasons ago.

Children especially are fascinated by growing things – how plants grow from the soil, get bigger by the day and ultimately flower, bear seeds and produce fruits and vegetables that we can eat.  I know I did as a kid growing up in the Caribbean tropics. 

Too often, though, they were the same-old, same-old veggies that my mom wanted to plant.  They were pumpkins, tomatoes, Chinese bok choi, papaya, local peas, and the occasional sorel (which makes a cool, refreshing drink to battle the hot sun).  The actual tasks of gardening became too predictable and tended to lose its appeal, becoming chores instead of fun and interest.

It was a pleasant change when I moved Montreal to study and found out that there was a whole new world of plants and planting I could pursue and “experiment” with.  I would share some of my experiences in my next post.

’til then…

Maurice | Grow Your Own Square Watermelon