Crimson Sweet is the watermelon that defined summer for generations of American gardeners. An All-America Selections winner from 1964, this open-pollinated variety produces classic dark green striped melons averaging 20-30 pounds, with brilliant red flesh that's simultaneously crisp and deeply sweet. Ready to harvest in about 85 days from transplants, it thrives across hardiness zones 3-13 and handles the heat with impressive vigor, making it reliable even in challenging growing seasons. The vining growth habit and straightforward care requirements have kept it a gardener's favorite for decades.
36
Full Sun
High
3-13
18in H x ?in W
—
Moderate
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A genuine heirloom that hasn't needed improvement in six decades, Crimson Sweet delivers the iconic picnic watermelon experience: oblong melons with thin, striped rinds that crack open to reveal that perfect red interior studded with small seeds. The flesh stays crisp and sweet without becoming mealy, even in hot summers. Vines grow 6-10 feet long, rewarding patient gardeners with reliable yields and a fruit that genuinely tastes like summer should.
Crimson Sweet is a picnic and fresh-eating watermelon through and through. The medium-red flesh with smaller seeds and high sugar content means it's at its best sliced cold and eaten out of hand or cut into chunks for summer gatherings. The thin rind makes it less suitable for long-distance shipping but ideal for home gardeners who can eat it at peak ripeness. The small seeds mean fewer seeds to navigate around, a practical advantage many modern varieties abandoned in pursuit of seedless types.
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Start seeds indoors 3-4 weeks before your last frost date in biodegradable peat pots or 50-cell plug trays, sowing 2 seeds per cell at a depth of 1/2 to 1 inch. Maintain soil temperature at 80-90°F until germination (expect sprouts in 5-10 days), then reduce to 75°F for seedling growth. Handle young plants carefully; never let soil dry out. One week before transplanting, reduce both water and temperature to harden seedlings for outdoor conditions.
Transplant 2-3 weeks before or after your average last frost date, only after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures reach at least 60°F. Space transplants 2-3 feet apart in rows 6-8 feet apart (or thin direct-sown seedlings to 1 plant per mound when they reach 3 leaves). Plant in a southern exposure with light, well-drained soil. Handle transplants gently to avoid root disturbance.
Direct sow 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches 70°F or higher. Plant seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep, spacing them approximately 36 inches apart in rows spaced 120 inches apart. Thin seedlings to 1 plant per mound when they develop 3 true leaves.
Crimson Sweet melons are ready to harvest 85 days after transplanting. Look for a creamy yellow spot on the underside where the melon rested on soil (indicating full ripeness), a hollow sound when thumped, and a melon that feels heavy for its size. The tendrils nearest the fruit stem may dry and brown when ripe. Cut melons from the vine with a sharp knife rather than pulling them off. Harvest in the morning for the best flavor and texture.
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“Crimson Sweet's pedigree reaches back to 1964, when it earned an All-America Selections award and immediately became one of the most popular watermelon varieties in home gardens across North America. Its continued dominance in seed catalogs more than six decades later speaks to both its genetic quality and the way gardeners kept returning to save seed, ensuring its survival and refinement through countless growing seasons. The variety represents a rare case where a mid-twentieth-century commercial release became cherished enough by home growers to acquire the status and cultural staying power typically reserved for true heirlooms.”