Does Watermelon Grow on Trees? 6 Amazing Discoveries!

Are you curious about how watermelon grows, like whether the large fruit grows out of the ground? If you have asked yourself, does watermelon grow on trees, you are not alone. This age-old question has confused people for a long time.

Though it may be tempting to believe that watermelons grow on trees, the truth is that they actually grow from vines on the ground.

Watermelons do not grow on trees. They grow from vines out of the ground. Several other melons, called tree melons, grow on trees, but watermelons are too heavy.

The large melons require ample growing space to flourish since these large fruits take up a lot of space as they grow, making it essential to plant them several feet apart.

Explore this article to learn how watermelon grows, including where these large fruits grow and why they cannot grow on trees.

Does watermelon grow on trees?

Watermelon does not grow on trees. The average tree fruit, including most tree melons, is smaller than the large watermelon, which becomes too heavy to grow on trees. Unless the tree were low to the ground and had massive vines, it would be incapable of supporting the watermelon’s weight.

Watermelon is a dense melon that becomes large and heavy after only a few weeks of growth, making it impossible to support in trees. The inside of the watermelon is compact, unlike some tree melons, which are hollow and have seeds in the center.

Why can’t watermelon grow on trees?

Watermelons cannot grow on trees because they become too heavy. Unlike some other melons, watermelon is highly dense. The center is compact, making it impossible for the melons to remain in the trees because they are too heavy. 

In hindsight, a watermelon could temporarily stay on the tree for a few days before gaining too much weight to stay on the branches. If it fell to the ground after this, the thin outer layer would crack, and you would destroy the watermelon.

Where does watermelon grow? 

Watermelon grows out of the ground on vines in large fields. The large melon requires a lot of space to grow, roughly 20 square feet per plant. The best watermelon grows in rows on raised hills about 2 to 3 feet apart.

Although watermelons are grown in organized rows, they will need room as they grow, so they do not become overcrowded. Keep them spaced out in sections at least 20 square feet apart, and do not plant them too close together. 

Additionally, you will often find watermelons growing in open spaces like dedicated melon fields. Growing watermelons in spaces like fields are essential because of how wide these melons spread out.

Watermelons cannot grow in compact environments, or else they will become overcrowded. Finding a watermelon near other crops in the wild is uncommon, or one will overcrowd the other and not survive the initial growth stages. 

What type of fruit grows on trees? 

Smaller, seeded fruits like oranges, apples, and peaches grow on trees. These tree fruits have less “meat” than watermelons, making them much lighter and able to support themselves on vines. Furthermore, tree melons are smaller in mass so that the tree can support its weight. If they overgrow, they will fall from their branches.

Some melon fruits also grow on trees. These are lighter melons that are hollow. They do not become as dense or heavy as watermelons, meaning they can stay on trees without falling off.

What kind of melon grows on trees?

Melons like Carica papaya (papaya) or Solanum muricatum (pepino) are melons that grow on trees. These melons have fruit meat with a mostly-seed center. The fruit is attached to the tree by a thick vine that you must cut for harvest. 

Technically, neither of these melon tree fruits is classified as “true” melons like watermelon is. However, since they are larger than the average tree fruit, people like to classify them as melons.

The only time that these melons fall off the tree is when they become unhealthy. If they fall from the tree, the fruit will bruise and become damaged.

How do watermelons grow on the ground?

Watermelons grow in natural clusters on the ground, usually depending on whether the watermelons are being professionally grown by watermelon farmers, casually grown at home, or grown in the wild. In any case, you will always find watermelons growing on a vine out of the ground. 

Typically, watermelon grows in the middle of fields on vines. They start small, hovering a few feet from the ground on vines that hang on and eventually fall to the bottom as they gain weight. Like other melons and gourds, watermelons typically grow in mass quantities.

Since watermelons naturally grow in vine clusters, growing these giant melons in rows is often the best for their health. There can be several melons on one vine as long as that one remains healthy.

Since they cluster together, you should remain conscious of where you plant your watermelons, giving them enough space to sprawl out while they mature.

How do farmers grow watermelons?

Farmers typically grow watermelons on the sides of hills at least 20 square feet apart. Growing your watermelons on hills is the best option possible because of the excellent drainage hillside planting offers. In gardening, growing on hills is more commonly known as raised rows.

These raised rows are organized into plots. It is common to find watermelons growing in rows on the ground because it offers organization and consistency in your farming practice. Sectioning them into areas at least 20 square feet apart, growing in raised rows on the hillside, gives them enough space to fully mature. 

Organizing your watermelons in rows is a good way to keep them spaced out and avoid overcrowding. It is best to give each plant at least 20 square feet per plant so its vines and leaves can sprawl out while growing. 

Furthermore, it is important when plotting watermelons to keep them separate from other plants. Otherwise, they can overtake the area and destroy other plants. In most cases, the watermelon will survive, whereas the other plant nearby your watermelon will die. 

Also see: Watermelon Peperomia Leaves Curling

Conclusion

Watermelon does not grow on trees. It grows out of the ground on vines. These vines spread rapidly across large areas, meaning one reason watermelons could not grow on trees is that they require too much space to grow.

It is important to plant watermelons with enough space to grow, somewhere like an open field or on a small hill, or else they will overcrowd other crops.

The fruit becomes large and dense very quickly, making it impossible for it to grow in trees. Similarly, the vines watermelon grow on are not very strong, so they cannot support the heavy weight of the watermelon. Therefore, the watermelon will lay on the ground after surpassing the size of roughly an orange.

There are some melons, like papaya, that grow on trees. However, these tree fruits, called tree melons, are technically not melons. They are hollow on the inside and contain mainly seeds, making them lighter and able to support their weight.

Tree melons are different from watermelons because of their hollow centers. Watermelons are dense fruits that have more “meat” on the inside than seeds, making it impossible for them to support their own weight in trees.