Your area has had a dismal season for all warm season crops/plants. Justice would be for you to have a long Indian Summer, but you never know. I heard on another forum that somewhere in MA had frost a couple of weeks ago! My SB's are already almost ripe-the largest are 8" now-and I can't wait! It is a three-month watermelon for me in our heat, so with the summer you are having, setting fruit may even be an issue. My vines did not start growing until daytime temps hit the mid 80s, and the high 80s and low 90s we are having here in NC now have really got them going. In your case, I would lay my money down on plowing them under, but I always come back with less money than I went with on trips to Vegas, so let them grow!!! Steve

I have been told many times that Mississippi is the poorest state in the entire country, but it amazes me what we get for our money in this state when I read about the silly things that northern gardeners do with a trellis. I may not have a lot of money, but I live in a warm state with enough sunshine and land to grow a watermelon on, and if I start early enough, I can grow any kind of watermelon that I want on my land because land is cheap in Mississippi. However, this is my first year to attempt to grow Sugar Babies. I selected that variety because I am planning to sell them at a roadside market and thought that people who have smaller families than they used to would want smaller watermelons. The little ones seem to do well at the grocery store. My first ripe looking watermelon has come in, and I want to know if it is indeed ripe. It has changed its color to dark green. I am told that Sugar Babies do that. It also has a bright yellow spot on the bottom. So far so good. It is soft ball sized, but I am not considering the size as important because I know watermelons better than that. However, the tendril has not changed. Should I consider this to be important? If you ever get tired of being cold, feel free to check us out. We are somewhat due south of Chicago, Ill, but it seems like it's on a different planet.

You have a beautiful, healthy watermelon! I have raised Sugar Baby Watermelons in the past. There are 3 indicators I look for to confirm ripeness. First, look at the small curly tendril on the vine, nearest to the point where the watermelon is attached to the vine. If the tendril is green, leave it to ripen. If the tendril is brown & dried, check underneath the watermelon. The underside of a ripe watermelon will be yellow as shown in farmerdill's photo. Sometimes the yellow underside might not be as bright...more of a creamy pale yellow. And last, the outside of the watermelon will lose it's glossiness. If the tendril is brown and the underside is yellow, the melon is as ripe as it will get. Some people thump watermelons to check ripeness. A deep hollow-sounding thud, instead of high-pitched, indicates ripeness. I have never used that method successfully. For me, judging the sound of the thump would require having a known unripe melon nearby to compare the sounds.

i'm sorry to tell you but I think it is too late....they are already too leggy from lack of light or being too far from the light source. Watermelon seeds are best direct seeded into the garden after the soil temperatures have reached at least 60 degrees (even warmer is better), not started inside under lights. Where are you located? It seems awful early to be thinking about seeding watermelon in most of the US. Watermelon likes heat.