23 Top-Notch Watermelon Varieties
Check out this slideshow for more details on 22 watermelon varieties you need to know about from the nation’s leading seed breeders and distributors.
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Allsweet Seeded 800F1
Boasting deep-red flesh and grown on a strong plant, this diploid watermelon weighs between 24 and 28 pounds. A midseason variety for the open field, the rind pattern on this melon is dark-green with thin, lighter green strips. It has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt. Available from Nunhems.
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Declaration F1
Weighing between 15 and 18 pounds, Declaration boasts red flesh with good firmness. This triploid is early to mid maturing. Its rind pattern features a light-green background with wide, indistinct, medium-green stripes. Available from Nunhems.
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Embasy
This triploid watermelon weighs between 16 and 18 pounds. A uniform fruit with an attractive, slightly darker green rind pattern, Embasy grows on a strong plant with midseason maturity. This variety has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt. Available from Nunhems.
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Ladybelle
Featuring attractive dark skin and very firm flesh, Ladybelle has high Brix, deep-red flesh and good texture. This triploid weighs between 4.5 and 7.5 pounds. Grown on a strong plant, it is very early maturing. It has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt. Available from Nunhems.
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Premium
Premium is a diploid watermelon weighing 5.5 to 7.5 pounds. It has an attractive Jubilee rind and is oval in shape. For open-field or low tunnel production, it has intermediate resistance to Fusarium wilt. Available from Nunhems.
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Revolution
This triploid weighs between 18 and 24 pounds. Its deep-red flesh is crisp with high sugar content. Revolution's rind pattern features a medium-green background with wide, indistinct, dark-green stripes. This variety is has intermediate resistance to Fusarium wilt. Available from Nunhems.
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SuperSeedless 7178
For open-field production, this triploid boasts red flesh that is tasty and crunchy. Weighing between 16 and 20 pounds, its rind pattern is light green with wide, indistinct, dark-green stripes. It grows on a very strong plant and is late to mature. SuperSeedless 7187 has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose. Available from Nunhems.
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Warrior
This triploid weighs between 16 and 18 pounds and is a nice, oval, Crimson Sweet Seedless. Grown on a strong plant, this watermelon matures early. For open-field production, Warrior has intermediate resistance to Fusarium wilt. Its rind pattern is light green with wide, indistinct, medium-green stripes. Available from Nunhems.
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Ana
This personal-size seedless watermelon has an average weight of 6 to 7 pounds. Ana has an attractive dark rind that displays well and a dark-red interior that is sweet and firm. The rind thickness is nicely proportional to the fruit size. Ana matures early at 80 days. Available from Seedway.
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Neptune
Neptune is a medium-green crimson seedless watermelon for early main season production. Neptune yields 36/45 count fruit with an average weight of 16 to 20 pounds. The rind is medium green in color and fruit is firm with good shelf life. This variety matures in 83 days. Available from Seedway.
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Poseidon
Poseidon matures early and can be slotted to jumpstart the season. This seedless watermelon variety yields 36/45-count fruit with an average weight of 16 to 20 pounds. The rind is medium green in color and fruit is uniformly sized. Poseidon sets well in cool weather and matures in 77 days. Available from Seedway.
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Talca
Talca is a full-season oval-crimson seedless watermelon with an eye-catching dark-crimson rind. Talca yields 36-count fruit with an average weight of 19 to 22 pounds. Fruit is firm with a dark-red interior and long shelf life. Talca sets freely on a strong vine for excellent yield potential. This variety matures in 90 days. Available from Seedway.
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Sugar Fresh
A seedless watermelon, Sugar Fresh is uniform in size and features red flesh with small pips that produce mostly 36- and 45-bin counts. It also features a strong, vigorous vine for less than ideal growing conditions. Available from Siegers Seed Co.
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Sweet Polly
Sweet Polly is a medium-large triploid with strong vines and exceptional rind appearance. High-quality, dark-red flesh is firm with small pips. This watermelon has resistance to Fusarium wilt and Anthracnose race 1. Mostly 45 count. Available from Siegers Seed Co.
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Sorbet
A round watermelon with dark-green stripes, Sorbet weighs between 6 and 8 pounds. This variety has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose races 1 and 3, and Fusarium wilt races 0 and 1. Maturing in 80 days, Sorbet, is widely adapted and suitable for northern climates. Available from Johnny's Selected Seeds and Hollar Seeds.
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Triple Treat
Triple Treat weighs between 8 and 10 pounds and matures in 90 days. This variety is suite for production across the U.S. It is a triploid seedless variety with firm flesh, a tiger-striped rind pattern with crisp texture, and high sugar levels. Available from Seeds By Design.
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Cut Above
This exclusive variety has it all — high Brix, small seed pips, excellent shipping capabilities and good shelf life. The 15- to 17-pound, round-to-oval seedless watermelon has a standard triploid rind pattern and bright red, crisp flesh. Cut Above has shown wide adaptability and has performed very well in trials in Georgia and Florida. Available from Clifton Seed Co.
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Joy Ride
Joy Ride is an oblong, dark red watermelon weighing between 19 and 20 pounds. Maturing in 85 days, it is suited for production in the Midwest and Northeast. This triploid seedless has a large percentage of 36 count and grows on a vigorous plant with a good canopy. Available from Seminis, Rupp Seeds, and Siegers Seed Co.
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Road Trip
This oblong watermelon has high resistance to Anthracnose and intermediate resistance to Fusarium wilt. It is adaptable across the Eastern U.S. and weighs between 16 and 18 pounds. Road Trip has exceptional internal and external quality and grows on a vigorous vine that provides good coverage through harvest. Available from Seminis.
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Belmont
Belmont is a round oval watermelon with a medium green background and dark-green stripes. It weighs between 6 and 10 pounds and has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium. Maturing 90 days from transplant, it is best suited for production on the East Coast, other parts of the U.S. and Brazil. Available from Sakata Seed America.
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Bijou
A round personal seedless watermelon weighing between 3.5 to 4 pounds, Bijou is resistant to Fusarium and Anthracnose, gummy stem blight and downy mildew. It matures between 80 and 90 days and is suited for production in the Southern Mountain and Pacific time zones. Available from Golden Valley Seed.
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Captivation
A blocky watermelon weighing between 14 and 17 pounds, Captivation has intermediate resistance to Anthracnose and Fusarium wilt. This variety matures in 89 days and is suited for production in all major production regions. Available from Syngenta.
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Wayfarer
This new seedless Sugar Baby type has increased size potential for its class with mid-season maturity. The fruit are very dark green with occasional faint strips and have outstanding tolerance to hollow heart in adverse conditions. Available from Rispens Seeds.
View all
Allsweet Seeded 800F1
Declaration F1
Embasy
Ladybelle
Premium
Revolution
SuperSeedless 7178
Warrior
Ana
Neptune
Poseidon
Talca
Sugar Fresh
Sweet Polly
Sorbet
Triple Treat
Cut Above
Joy Ride
Road Trip
Belmont
Bijou
Captivation
Wayfarer
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Rosemary Gordon is editor of American Vegetable Grower, a Meister Media Worldwide publication. See all author stories here.