6 Best Watermelon Seeds For Short Growing Seasons Old Farmers Swear By
A short growing season doesn’t mean no watermelon. Explore 6 fast-maturing, time-tested varieties that seasoned farmers trust for a sweet harvest.
There’s nothing more frustrating than watching your watermelon vines flourish all summer, only to have the first frost arrive before a single melon has ripened. For those of us farming in the north, this is a familiar story. Success isn’t about luck; it’s about choosing the right variety from the very beginning.
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Beating the Frost: Short-Season Watermelons
Choosing a "short-season" watermelon isn’t just about finding the lowest number on the "days to maturity" tag. That number usually assumes ideal conditions and often counts from when you transplant a healthy seedling, not from when you stick a seed in cold ground. The real challenge in cooler climates isn’t just the length of the season, but the lack of consistent, intense heat that watermelons crave.
To get a real jump on the season, you have to create a microclimate. Start your seeds indoors about four weeks before your last frost date, but no earlier—leggy, overgrown transplants struggle. The single most effective trick is to warm your soil. Laying down black plastic mulch a week or two before transplanting can raise the soil temperature by several degrees, which makes a world of difference for heat-loving melon roots.
Think of it as a two-part strategy. First, you select a variety genetically programmed to produce fruit quickly. Second, you use simple techniques to give that plant every advantage possible. Without both, you’re just gambling against the calendar.
Sugar Baby: The Classic Icebox Melon Choice
If you’re looking for a reliable, no-nonsense watermelon, Sugar Baby is your starting point. It’s been a garden staple since the 1950s for a reason. This is the classic "icebox" melon, producing round, 8-10 pound fruits with a dark green rind and sweet, bright red flesh.
Its dependability is its greatest strength. With a maturity of around 75-80 days, it fits comfortably into most northern growing seasons, provided you give it an indoor start. It’s not the absolute fastest, but it’s consistent, productive, and the seeds are widely available and inexpensive.
Don’t underestimate the value of a known quantity. While experimenting with heirlooms is fun, having a patch of Sugar Baby is like an insurance policy for having ripe watermelon at your late summer picnic. It’s the benchmark against which other short-season melons are measured.
Blacktail Mountain: Thrives in Cooler Climates
For gardeners in truly challenging, cool-summer areas, Blacktail Mountain is a game-changer. Developed in the mountains of Idaho, this variety was specifically bred to produce in conditions that would make other watermelons give up. It’s remarkably cold-tolerant, both early in the season and during cool summer nights.
The key feature of Blacktail Mountain is its ability to set fruit in lower temperatures. Many watermelon varieties will grow vines in cool weather but won’t produce flowers or fruit until a real heatwave hits. This one just keeps going, reliably setting 7-12 pound melons with a crisp, super-sweet red flesh.
Clocking in at around 70 days, it’s one of the fastest and most reliable options out there. If you’ve struggled with getting melons to ripen year after year, this is the variety to try first. Its resilience makes it a top performer where others fail.
Golden Midget: A Built-In Ripeness Indicator
The single biggest question for new watermelon growers is, "How do I know when it’s ripe?" Golden Midget solves that problem beautifully. The rind on this tiny, 3-pound personal-sized melon turns a brilliant, unmistakable golden-yellow when it’s perfectly ripe.
This feature alone makes it worth growing, especially for beginners. There’s no thumping, no checking the tendril, no guesswork involved. When it’s gold, it’s ready to eat.
Beyond its clever trick, Golden Midget is also one of the earliest varieties available, maturing in as little as 65-70 days. The flesh is a lovely salmon-pink color and quite sweet. Its small size means the plant can channel its energy into ripening fruit quickly, making it an outstanding choice for gardeners with very short seasons or those growing in containers.
Cream of Saskatchewan: A Sweet, Creamy Heirloom
If you want to grow something with a story, look no further than Cream of Saskatchewan. This heirloom variety was brought to Canada by Russian immigrants and has been passed down through generations of cold-climate gardeners. It produces small, round 8-10 pound melons with a thin, light green rind striped in dark green.
The real surprise is inside. The flesh is creamy white, sometimes with a pale yellow tinge, and has a texture that’s less watery and more dense than a typical red melon. The flavor is exceptionally sweet and refreshing, a truly unique eating experience.
While its maturity is around 80 days, its Russian and Canadian prairie heritage gives it excellent cold tolerance. It handles cool nights better than many other varieties, making it a solid choice for northern plains and high-altitude gardens. It’s a fantastic pick for the gardener who values unique flavor and history.
Sweet Siberian: A Unique Apricot-Fleshed Melon
Sweet Siberian is another heirloom that proves short-season growing doesn’t have to be boring. As the name suggests, its origins speak to its ability to perform in cooler climates. This variety produces small, oblong melons, typically in the 5-8 pound range.
What sets it apart is the flesh: a beautiful, deep apricot-orange color with a flavor to match. It has a distinct, almost fruity taste that is different from any red or yellow melon. It’s incredibly sweet and juicy, a gourmet treat right from the garden.
Maturing in about 80-85 days, it’s on the longer end of this list, but its cold-hardiness makes it a reliable producer. For the hobby farmer looking to offer something unique at a farm stand or simply surprise the family, Sweet Siberian is an excellent and memorable choice.
Early Moonbeam: A Productive Yellow-Fleshed Pick
For those who prefer yellow-fleshed watermelons, Early Moonbeam is a fantastic and dependable option. It’s a productive variety, often setting several uniform, 6-9 pound round melons per plant. The pale green rind has dark green stripes, and the flesh inside is a vibrant, sunny yellow.
This variety is prized for its very low seed count and exceptionally sweet, crisp flavor. It’s a modern cultivar, bred for performance and taste. It consistently delivers on both fronts, making it a reliable workhorse in the garden.
With a maturity of around 80 days, it fits well into most short-season plans. An added bonus is its good disease resistance, which can help ensure a healthy harvest, especially in humid or damp late summers. If you want a productive, sweet, and reliable yellow melon, Early Moonbeam is a top contender.
Maximizing Your Melon Harvest in Cool Climates
Simply planting the right seed isn’t enough; you have to stack the deck in your favor. Success with watermelons in short seasons comes down to a few critical techniques that give your plants the head start they need.
First, warm the soil. As mentioned before, black plastic mulch is your best friend. It absorbs solar radiation, heating the soil and suppressing weeds. This single step can be the difference between a harvest and a tangle of fruitless vines.
Second, protect your transplants. Use a floating row cover or a simple plastic cloche after transplanting to create a mini-greenhouse effect. This traps heat, protects from wind, and keeps the plants cozy during cool spring nights. Just remember to remove it once the female flowers appear so pollinators can do their job.
Protect your plants from frost and extend your growing season with this 7x25ft garden blanket. The breathable, lightweight fabric shields plants from harsh weather while allowing sunlight, air, and moisture to penetrate.
Finally, don’t be greedy. A vine can only support so much fruit in a limited time. Once the plant has set two or three healthy-looking melons, consider pinching off any subsequent flowers. This forces the plant to direct all its energy into ripening the existing fruit before the frost comes.
Ultimately, growing watermelons in a short season is a partnership between a smart farmer and a resilient plant. By choosing a variety bred for speed and giving it the warm, protected environment it needs, you can absolutely beat the clock and enjoy the sweet taste of a homegrown melon, no matter what the calendar says.
