Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Part 2 of checking watermelon ripeness – this time I harvest and eat one, grown with my no dig method.
On this plant the leaves are dying, and the fruit has not increased in size for a month. That’s a sign of ripeness, along with a hollow sound when tapped. The tendril was decayed too.
I cut open the fruit and the result was superb – a cracking sound, rich flavour, sweet juice, and pink flesh almost to the edge. The Brix (sugar) reading was 11, but it tastes sweeter than that, because there’s little acidity or dry matter – mostly sweet juice.
This watermelon weighed around 5kg, grown in my greenhouse, planted mid-May from a sowing of late March. No feed or fertiliser was added – just no dig soil health.
The summer of 2025 has been warmer and sunnier than usual, which has helped with ripening.
Filmed 12th August by Nicola Smith.
🍉 Watch Part 1 here: youtube.com/shorts/b4eDrR8GbiE
👉 Subscribe for more no dig growing, seasonal harvests, and gardening tips.
You can join this channel by paying a monthly fee, to support our work with helping gardeners grow better, and to receive monthly videos made only for members:
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#nodig #watermelon #charlesdowding #harvest #homegrown #greenhousegrowing #fruitharvest #gardentotable #summerharvest
Part 2 of checking watermelon ripeness – this time I harvest and eat one, grown with my no dig method.
On this plant the leaves are dying, and the fruit has not increased in size for a month. That’s a sign of ripeness, along with a hollow sound when tapped. The tendril was decayed too.
I cut open the fruit and the result was superb – a cracking sound, rich flavour, sweet juice, and pink flesh almost to the edge. The Brix (sugar) reading was 11, but it tastes sweeter than that, because there’s little acidity or dry matter – mostly sweet juice.
This watermelon weighed around 5kg, grown in my greenhouse, planted mid-May from a sowing of late March. No feed or fertiliser was added – just no dig soil health.
The summer of 2025 has been warmer and sunnier than usual, which has helped with ripening.
Filmed 12th August by Nicola Smith.
🍉 Watch Part 1 here: youtube.com/shorts/b4eDrR8GbiE
👉 Subscribe for more no dig growing, seasonal harvests, and gardening tips.
You can join this channel by paying a monthly fee, to support our work with helping gardeners grow better, and to receive monthly videos made only for members:
youtube.com/channel/UCB1J6siDdmhwah7q0O2WJBg/join
#nodig #watermelon #charlesdowding #harvest #homegrown #greenhousegrowing #fruitharvest #gardentotable #summerharvest
