18 Watermelon Varieties Perfect for 2020
Compare traits like disease resistance, size, and harvest timing to find the right variety for you.
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Ace Plus from Sakata Seed America
Type: Diploid – Pollenizer
Disease package: IR to Co (1), Fon (1)
Other: ‘Ace Plus’ offers an early flowering date that makes pollen available for the first female flowers produced by the hybrid. Plus, it continues to flower well beyond the hybrid. Small, explosive gray fruit are easy to harvest. -
2 of 18
Captivation from Syngenta
Type: Seedless
Fruit shape: Blocky
Fruit weight: 14 to 17 pounds
Rind pattern: Deep-green skin color with a ‘Crimson Sweet’ type skin
Flesh description: Red, firm flesh
Disease package: IR to Co (1), Fon (1)
Days to maturity: 89
Other: Attractive with small pip size for repeat sales. Mostly 45-count fruit for whole fruit markets. Uniform, consistent fruit size and shape provides a high-quality product. -
3 of 18
Cracker Jack from Enza Zaden
Type: Dark crimson stripe
Weight: 16 to 20 pounds
Sizes: Mostly 45s with some 36s
Flesh color: Deep red
Disease package: IR to Fon (0,1)
Days to maturity: 81-83
Other: A strong plant as a transplant in the greenhouse and continues to provide a strong vine throughout the growing season. The blocky, oval fruit with uniform setting offers a firm flesh with a very deep-red internal color when cut. -
4 of 18
Excursion from Syngenta
Type: Seedless
Rind pattern: Light green with hazy, broad, medium-dark green stripes
Flesh description: Red, firm flesh
Fruit weight range: 18 to 22 pounds
Disease package: IR to Co (1), Fon (1)
Days to maturity: 81
Other: This variety excels in early to main season plantings where large fruit size is desired to meet market demands. ‘Excursion’ has large fruit size potential with 50% or more 36-count fruit. It has an oval shape with a classic, ‘Crimson Stripe’ appearance and has shown stronger Fusarium tolerance, maturing up to seven days earlier than comparable varieties. -
5 of 18
Fascination from Syngenta
Distributor: Rupp Seeds
Type: Triploid
Shape: Blocky
Weight: 17 to 21 pounds
Rind type: Crimson Sweet
Disease package: Co and Foc tolerance
Days to maturity: 85
Regions: Eastern U.S.
Other: A variety with very firm, high-quality flesh with small pips, ‘Fascination’ also has great flavor. -
6 of 18
GVS 53128 F1 from Golden Valley Seed
Type: Tiger Stripe
Size: 12 inches by 10 inches
Rind: Thick, tough, medium green with small, dark-green stripes
Interior: Crimson
Seeds: Small, dark brown with darker mottling
Flesh: Very sweet with high sugar content
Vine: Large and spreading
Disease package: Co (1,3), Foc (1,2)
Days to maturity: Approximately 88
Regions: Anywhere watermelon can be grown -
7 of 18
Joy Ride from Seminis and Stokes Seeds
Type: Triploid
Weight: 18 pounds
Shape: Oblong
Rind: Mottled stripe and thick
Size: 36 count
Disease package: Resistant to Foc
Days to maturity: 85 -
8 of 18
Ocelot from Hazera and Johnny's Selected Seeds
Type: Seedless Mini
Weight: 3 to 5 pounds
Physical characteristics: Tiger stripe rind pattern; red flesh; round; strong rind; excellent field holding
Days to maturity: 80
Other: A sweet, well adapted variety to the Northern U.S., Ocelot is a triploid, so it requires a pollinizer, which is included with purchase from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. -
9 of 18
Red Amber from Sakata and Siegers Seed Company
Type: Hybrid Triploid Crimson Sweet
Size: 16 to 20 pounds
Shape: Oval
Flesh Color: Very dark red
Days to maturity: 89
Regions: Northeast and Southeast
Other: A strong, vigorous plant produces a uniform set of high-quality fruit. The interior has a crisp texture and contrasts well with the medium-green background and medium dark-green stripe. -
10 of 18
Shoreline from Seminis Vegetable Seeds and Bayer Crop Science
Type: Mottle stripe
Physical characteristics: Fruit are oblong and uniform with an attractive mottled stripe rind pattern, firm flesh, and strong vigor.
Disease package: Co (1), Fon (1)
Days to maturity: 70
Other: ‘Shoreline’ is a 45-count mottle stripe that has shown to perform for both the cut and traditional watermelon market, making this a great dual-purpose watermelon. Holding an average Brix of 11, this sweet-tasting watermelon has excellent internal characteristics including red flesh, great rind and flesh definition. Shoreline holds up longer in the field than other traditional triploid varieties in our portfolio. -
11 of 18
Sirius from Syngenta, Rupp Seeds, and Stokes Seeds
Type: Triploid
Size: Personal size (6.5 pounds)
Shape: Globe
Rind: Medium-thick, Crimson Sweet
Flesh: Deep red flesh
Disease package: IR to Foc (1)
Days to maturity: 74
Other: A high-quality, early maturing ‘Crimson Sweet’ striped personal-size seedless, ‘Sirius’ features a medium-thick rind with red flesh and small-medium pip size. -
12 of 18
Sweet Gem from Syngenta and Harris Seeds
Type: Seedless
Shape: Globe
Weight: 13 to 16 pounds
Days to maturity: 79
Other: An attractive, round seedless variety with a rich glossy dark-green rind. The 13- to 16-pound fruit have crisp, firm-red flesh with small pips and sweet, mouth-watering flavor. Good fruit set and early maturity make ‘Sweet Gem’ an ideal choice for roadside and local markets. -
13 of 18
Sweet Polly from Siegers Seed Company
Type: Hybrid triploid crimson
Size: 15 to 18 pounds
Shape: Oval, blocky
Flesh color: Vivid Red
Disease package: IR to Co (1) and Fon (0,1)
Days to maturity: 88
Regions: Northeast, Southeast
Other: A medium-large triploid with strong vines and exceptional rind appearance. High-quality, dark-red flesh is firm with small pips. Mostly 45 count. -
14 of 18
Tom from Genesis Seeds, Ltd.
Type: Tiger, Medium
Fruit size: 9 to 11 pounds
Fruit shape: Round
Days to maturity: 65 to 70
Regions: Hot to temperate -
15 of 18
Traveler from HM.Clause and Harris Seeds
Type: Seedless
Weight: 15 to 20 pounds
Shape: Blocky
Disease package: Co
Days to maturity: 87
Other: A high-yielding, seedless variety with a vigorous plant, ‘Traveler’ has high resistance to Anthracnose and a strong ability to set fruit under high heat conditions. Its uniform size and fruit shape have a classic ‘Crimson Sweet’ rind pattern with medium-green and dark-green stripes. The firm, crisp deep-red flesh has excellent sweetness. -
16 of 18
Triple Gold F1 from Seeds by Design
Type: Golden yellow triploid with tiger stripes
Days to maturity: 80 -
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Triple Crown F1 from Terra Organics
Type: Organic version of the classic red triploid
Weight: 18 to 20 pounds
Days to maturity: 90
Other: Dark striped fruits -
18 of 18
Wild Card Plus from Sakata Seed America
Type: Diploid – pollenizer
Shape: Round oval
Interior color: Yellow
Disease package: IR to Co (1) and Fon (1)
Other: This variety with a tiger-striped rind pattern has an early and extended flowering period, ensuring early pollen availability when the hybrid starts flowering. Long, thin internodes radially extend pollen to wherever a female flower is located. Small, explosive fruits allow for easy triploid harvest. Excellent pollen quality provides for maximum yield.
View all
Ace Plus from Sakata Seed America
Captivation from Syngenta
Cracker Jack from Enza Zaden
Excursion from Syngenta
Fascination from Syngenta
GVS 53128 F1 from Golden Valley Seed
Joy Ride from Seminis and Stokes Seeds
Ocelot from Hazera and Johnny's Selected Seeds
Red Amber from Sakata and Siegers Seed Company
Shoreline from Seminis Vegetable Seeds and Bayer Crop Science
Sirius from Syngenta, Rupp Seeds, and Stokes Seeds
Sweet Gem from Syngenta and Harris Seeds
Sweet Polly from Siegers Seed Company
Tom from Genesis Seeds, Ltd.
Traveler from HM.Clause and Harris Seeds
Triple Gold F1 from Seeds by Design
Triple Crown F1 from Terra Organics
Wild Card Plus from Sakata Seed America
Disease Key:
Co: Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare
Fon: Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Niveum
IR: Intermediate resistance
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Carol Miller is Editor of American Vegetable Grower. See all author stories here.
