A gardener's hard-fought watermelon success is winning support online after she finally got the tough crop across the finish line.
The fruit also came with a bonus surprise: it was a yellow variety that the grower said was even sweeter than the standard red kind.
What happened?
Posting a harvest photo to Reddit's r/VegetableGardening forum, the original poster celebrated that she "finally successfully grew a watermelon."
The post sparked a supportive conversation among fellow gardeners, many of whom noted that watermelons can be one of the trickier backyard crops to grow.
The gardener described their setup on Reddit, saying they put four vines into a 4-foot round raised bed, used tomato tone at transplanting, and fertilized with farmer's secret liquid about once a month. But even with a relatively casual approach, they said, "I have probably 5 melons that made it."
One commenter applauded her work, writing: "Congrats, watermelons are one of gardening's real challenges." Others shared their successes and failures trying to grow watermelons in their home gardens.
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Responding to another Redditor's question about how the yellow melon compared with red ones, OP wrote, "It's really good - a little sweeter. Leelanau sweetglo is the variety."
Why does it matter?
Gardening can pay off in more ways than one. Growing produce at home can help households save money on groceries, especially with crops that can be expensive or disappointing when bought at the store.
It also gives people access to fresher food that often tastes better because it can ripen longer on the vine. Here, that payoff included a yellow watermelon that was "a little sweeter" than the red kind.
Gardening can also provide light to moderate physical activity, get people outside, and offer a mental reset that many growers describe as calming and rewarding. Plus, growing food at home can also open the door to varieties that may never appear in a typical supermarket.
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