I would try to plant a variety that has some manageable vines. Something like Charleston Grey is going to take over the whole area and your house. I had these planted in an area that is 5 feet deep and they still managed to grow way out into the grass. Something like Sugar Baby or Yellow Doll may work. The two Charleston Grey plants I had were literally within an 2 inches of each other. They we're started in a cup and transplanted that way. Even though the plants got pretty big, my yield sucked. Don't know if the spacing was the culprit or not. This year I have two Desert King plants in the same area but spaced 2 feet apart. I expect a lot of vine spill over into the grass again.

'Round here cotton seed hulls are used. In Ga. you should be able to find 'em at a feed and seed store. It would be best to know they are from organically grown cotton but I highly doubt you will ever find such. Cotton has a high pest problem, most native plants will, and thus is sprayed with all sorts of wonderful poisons ;o) I would say those watermelons in the new beds are getting all they need. Its the plants in the older bed they need help. You still have time to grow a nitrogen fixing plant like legumes, southern peas such as black-eyed peas are great, in the bed that you will grow watermelon in next season to help increase the nitrogen. Do not use the same bed as you did this year. Remember to use crop rotation. You could also sow the same legumes in the watermelon patch now. I doubt if you'd get much benifit though as the roots must decompose to release those nutrients. Also you must know that legumes must not be allowed to develope seed or many of the nutriets will be transfered to the bean from the roots. Whack the legume plants before seed form or pick out the developing seed pods. Mike

Checking the plants daily for flowers and hand-pollinating works - I've done it. It does get old after a while. To avoid needing to hand-pollinate in the future, the best thing you can do is keep bee-attracting flowers near the watermelon patch year-round - or as close to year-round as possible. After a while, the local bees will be accustomed to looking for food in your yard. If the bees are visiting your yard regularly, they'll find the watermelon flowers and take care of the pollinating for you. There's a lot of watermelon season left, and bees like melon flowers. So the bees will probably find your watermelon plants eventually even if you don't plant more flowers. But if you get more attractants out there you'll catch the bees' attention sooner. Here is a link that might be useful: Flowers for Bees

Never too late to plant them.......but you won't get any fruit:) They take quite some time, almost 100 days so no chance at all. Just wait and plant them mid march.