12 Watermelon Varieties You Need to Know
Compare these varieties’ disease resistances, regions, and other features to find the right one for you.
-
-
1 of 12
Captivation from Syngenta and Rispens Seeds, Inc.
Weight: 14 to 17 pounds
Type: Triploid (seedless) Crimson Sweet
Disease Package: Intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt
Regions: Midwest, Northeastern U.S.
Other: Mostly 45-count fruit; uniform, consistent size and shape providing a high-quality product. -
2 of 12
Eclipse from Sakata Seed America
Weight: 10 to 12 pounds
Type: Sugar Baby
Days to Maturity: 80 from transplant
Other: Seedless sugar-baby type; round fruit with a narrow stripe on a black background; early maturing with good red flesh color and excellent flavor. -
3 of 12
Excursion from Syngenta and Stokes Seeds, Inc.
Weight: 18 to 22 pounds
Type: Crimson Seedless
Disease Package: Intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt
Days to Maturity: 83
Regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
Other: This variety has large fruit size potential with 50% or more 36-count fruit. 'Excursion' excels in early to main season plantings where large fruit is desired to meet market demands and has shown stronger Fusarium tolerance. It matures up to seven days earlier than comparable varieties, has a deep-red color, oval shape, crimson stripes, and sweet flesh. -
4 of 12
Joy Ride from Seminis and Rupp Seeds
Weight: 19 to 20 pounds
Type: Triploid
Days to Maturity: 86
Regions: Eastern U.S.
Other: Highly adaptable for growing in different regions; features thick rind, firm fruit, and uniform setting; vigorous plant type with good canopy coverage. -
5 of 12
Mini Bee from Siegers Seed Co.
Weight: 4 to 5 pounds
Type: Hybrid Triploid Mini
Other: A personal 6- to 8-count watermelon with dark stripes, vigorous vines, and strong yields, ‘Mini Bee’ offers super flavor with a dark-red interior. -
6 of 12
Red Amber from Enza Zaden
Weight: 16 to 20 pounds
Type: Crimson
Days to Maturity: 89
Other: ‘Red Amber’ has a strong, vigorous plant that produces a uniform set of high-quality oval fruit. The dark-red interior has a crisp texture and contrasts well with the medium-green background and medium-dark-green stripe. -
7 of 12
Red Opal from Enza Zaden and Seedway, LLC, Exclusive
Weight: 15 to 19 pounds
Type: Triploid Crimson seedless
Days to Maturity: 84
Other: ‘Red Opal’ is a prolific seedless watermelon with a concentrated set of fruit. The light-green background with a medium-dark-green stripe contrasts well with the bright-red internal flesh color. -
8 of 12
Road Trip from Seminis
Weight: 16 to 18 pounds
Disease Package: High resistance to Anthracnose race 1 and intermediate resistance to Fusarium wilt race 1
Days to Maturity: 78 to 80
Regions: Northeast, Southwest
Other: ‘Road Trip’ is a 45-count hybrid watermelon with exceptional external and internal quality and is uniform in shape and size. An adaptable variety with high yield potential, ‘Road Trip’ has a Brix average of 11.5. -
9 of 12
Sweet Dawn from Syngenta and Rupp Seeds
Weight: 16 to 20 pounds
Type: Triploid
Days to Maturity: 76
Regions: Eastern U.S.
Other: ‘Sweet Dawn’ an early variety that produces consistently high yields. It’s firm and sweet flesh makes this variety ideal for retail markets.Syngenta-US.com; RuppSeeds.com
-
10 of 12
Triple Baby from Terra Organics
Weight: 7 to 8 pounds
Type: Black Icebox
Days to Maturity: 65 from transplant
Regions: All U.S.
Other: ‘Triple Baby’ is an early variety. -
11 of 12
Triple Crown from Seeds by Design
Weight: 18 to 20 pounds
Type: Classic Crimson seedless
Days to Maturity: 80
Regions: Entire U.S.
Other: Firm, red flesh -
12 of 12
Yellow Buttercup from Sakata Seed America
Weight: 14 to 16 pounds
Type: Yellow Jubilee
Days to Maturity: 90 from transplant
Other: This variety boasts high yields, bright yellow dense flesh, crisp texture, and great eating qualities.
View all
Captivation from Syngenta and Rispens Seeds, Inc.
Eclipse from Sakata Seed America
Excursion from Syngenta and Stokes Seeds, Inc.
Joy Ride from Seminis and Rupp Seeds
Mini Bee from Siegers Seed Co.
Red Amber from Enza Zaden
Red Opal from Enza Zaden and Seedway, LLC, Exclusive
Road Trip from Seminis
Sweet Dawn from Syngenta and Rupp Seeds
Triple Baby from Terra Organics
Triple Crown from Seeds by Design
Yellow Buttercup from Sakata Seed America
Subscribe Today For
Carol Miller is Editor of American Vegetable Grower. See all author stories here.