What is it that makes you love eating watermelons? Probably it is due to its juicy and sweet taste. The truth is that there is more to juiciness and sweetness that watermelons can offer. Watermelons are an integral part of the diet since they are rich in water and other essential elements. That’s why we need to include them in our daily diet plans to boost our immunity, among many other benefits. However, as a grower or consumer, do you think watermelons ripen after picking them off the vine?
Watermelons do not ripen after picking them from their vines. Therefore, the time at which they are harvested determines their ripeness. Ripe watermelons should be harvested when they feel heavy, have shiny surfaces, show browning stems, and produce a hollow sound when tapped.
This article has detailed answers on this question. The article also highlights how long it takes for watermelon to ripen, what happens when you pick watermelons too early and how you can tell when your watermelons are ripe. So keep reading.
What is the watermelon ripening period after picking?
- Ripening after Picking
Do watermelons ripen after picking them off the vine? This is probably one of the most asked questions about watermelons. The truth is that watermelons belong to a category of fruits that do not continue becoming sweeter or ripening once they are detached from the vine? Other fruits in this category include grapes, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, and some citrus fruits. That is why picking watermelons off the vine is done at the right time when they have already undergone ripening.
Here is the interesting thing about watermelons. As the name suggests, watermelons have a very high percentage of water. According to scientists, the percentage of water in watermelons is approximately 95%, with other elements constituting the rest 5%. For this reason, watermelons demand adequate and consistent irrigation for effective growth and development of enough sugars. However, when watermelons have approximately seven or fourteen days to harvest, you should significantly cut down on the irrigation to facilitate the ripening process before picking them from the vines. This is how the ripening process works. With a limited supply of water, the sugars in the watermelons become concentrated, thus improving their sweetness.
In some instances, some species of watermelons might take longer to attain the mature ripening stage than others. This means that each watermelon should undergo an independent examination to determine the ripening level before picking them off the vine during harvesting. Weather condition is an additional factor that either reduces or increases the watermelon sugar concentrating period. This means that the watermelons might take seven days to concentrate the fruits’ sweetness adequately when the weather conditions are constantly warm and dry. However, the period can extend to fourteen or even twenty-one days when the weather conditions are constantly cold and humid.
- Ripening after Storage
As earlier mentioned, after picking watermelons off the vine, they stop ripening. However, when you pick watermelons when they are overripe to some extent and store them in the refrigerator, they can become soft and pulpy. That is why you need to store watermelons in a conducive environment of warm temperatures and dry humidity for approximately two weeks after picking. However, it is important to note that throughout this storage period after picking, the watermelons do not ripen any further or become any sweeter.
After picking, this storage period facilitates safe conditions that will prevent the spread of diseases that can lead to the spoilage of watermelons due to dampness. Since you halt the process of watermelon sweetening the moment you pick them from the vine, it is advisable that, as a watermelon farmer, you select the best watermelons with concentrated sweetness before picking for storage.
What happens if you pick watermelon too early?
When you pick your watermelons off the vine when it is too early, you are significantly risking, particularly if you are a large-scale farmer. Also, if you are a beginner, it gets too challenging to determine when a watermelon has attained the right ripening level. As mentioned earlier, watermelons do not continue ripening after picking them off the vine. This means that if you pick the watermelons too early before reaching the right levels of ripening, they will maintain their current state even after storing them in warm and dry conditions. The opposite is also true when you decide to pick the watermelons too late. Late picking of watermelons means they are already overripe, and the chances of turning mushy are significantly high.
How do I know when my watermelon fruits are ripe?
Watermelons vary from other types of summer fruits in various aspects, the main one being the fact that it can be challenging to determine whether they have attained ripening maturity or not. With other summer fruits, you can easily perform a sniff test and determine their level of ripeness. However, with watermelons, you cannot execute a sniff test. So, how can you tell when your watermelons are ripe? Here is the thing. With watermelons, you have to use your sight and hearing senses. Therefore, whether you are a watermelon farmer or a regular consumer of watermelons, below are some of the things that you have to look out for to tell whether your watermelons are ripe or not.
- Look out for the ground spot.
Ideally, the ground spot on a watermelon is a white or yellow patch or rind that mostly appears on the lower side of the watermelon once it begins ripening. The other name for this spot is the belly spot. The idea behind naming this spot is that it is the part that comes into contact with the ground during the entire growth of the fruit. Also, during the entire growth of the watermelon plant, this part receives limited sunlight than other parts of the watermelon fruit. That said, to determine when your watermelons are ripe, you need first to check if the ground spot has fully developed. Therefore, if you happen to locate the ground spot on your watermelon, it is highly likely they are ripe. However, if you cannot locate the ground spot on the underside of the watermelon, it has not ripened and is thus not ready for picking off the vine.
- Weight and appearance
Assessing the appearance and weight of the watermelon is the simplest and most common method that people use to determine the level of ripeness. The procedure is simple. Lift the fruit from the ground and start by feeling its heaviness on the palms of your hands. Normally, ripe watermelons should feel weighty in your hands. Additionally, when assessing for the appearance of the watermelon, it should look nice, attractive, and shiny.
- Pay close attention to the sound.
You might, at one point or another, knowingly or unknowingly found yourself tapping a watermelon at a grocery store near you. Well, tapping watermelons to determine whether they are ripe or not is one of the oldest, simplest, and common methods of accessing whether watermelons are ripe. Tap the watermelon, and if a hollow sound pops up, it is ripe and ready for picking. However, if you tap the watermelon and what you hear is a solid sound, it means it is not ripe yet, and therefore you should not harvest it or cut it. Give it some more time before picking so that it can reach the optimum level of ripening.
- Access the texture of the watermelon
The texture is also another critical parameter to look for when determining when to harvest or cut watermelons for consumption. When assessing the texture of the watermelon fruit, use your hands to feel the roughness or smoothness of the watermelon surface. If you feel that the surface is too smooth, that is an indication that the watermelon is still undergoing the ripening process. Therefore you need to give it more time to ripen fully. On the other hand, if you feel that the watermelon has some form of rough texture with some proportion of weathering and seasoning, it is an indication that it has completed the ripening process. Also, it is important to look out for shades variances with lighter or darker areas than others. If you identify these features, your watermelon is already ripe.
- Assess the condition of the stem
Usually, when watermelons are undergoing the ripening process, they are on a limited water supply. The purpose of cutting down on water is to concentrate the sweetness of the fruit, thus increasing the speed of the ripening process. that said, when assessing whether your watermelons are ripe, find out if the stem is green or brown. If the stem is turgid and still green, it is an indication that it is not yet ripe. However, if the stem is brown and lacks turgidity, the watermelon might have completed the ripening process; thus, it is ready for consumption.
Final Word
Suppose you are a business person who makes a profit by selling watermelons. In that case, it is only fair to make sure your customers do not waste their money on underripe or overripe watermelons. How do you do that? You do that by being perfect on the accurate timing of watermelon ripening and the signs that show when your watermelon is ripe. Also, if you are a consumer, you need to see the value of your money exchanged for the best ripe watermelon. Therefore, you also need to be on the lookout when purchasing them to be on the safe side.
