When to harvest watermelons

Harvest a watermelon when its ground-side belly has turned from greenish white to buttery yellow or cream, since it will not get sweeter after picking.

The window: Pick the melon when the underside (belly) has turned from a greenish white to a buttery yellow or cream color; a pale green or white ground spot means it is likely underripe.

The underside or belly of the melon should have turned from a greenish white to a buttery yellow or cream color.
The fruit tends to lose its slick appearance on top and become dull when ripe.
In some varieties the pig's tail (the light green, curly tendril near the melon) browns as a ripeness cue, but it can turn brown 7 to 10 days before the melon is ripe, so it is unreliable in some varieties.
When harvesting, leave 2 inches of the stem on the fruit.

The mistake to avoid: Do not rely on the pig's tail browning alone, because in some varieties it turns brown 7 to 10 days before the melon is ripe.

Timing varies by region and year; your local extension office is the closest authority.

Grounded in: site.extension.uga.edu, yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu. Every timing follows sentences verified verbatim on those pages.

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