use your knuckles to rap on the middle of the watermelon. Train your ear to hear the difference in ripeness by performing the thump test on unripe melons throughout the growing season. Tendrils ...

Drying of the Tendril: Some watermelon varieties, including Densuke, have tendrils (curly vines) near where the fruit attaches to the stem. When the tendril closest to the fruit has dried up and ...

"Depending on the variety, 80 to 90 days is a good growing season for a watermelon," Egel said. Gardeners can tell when a watermelon is ready by checking the tendril, or curl, that connects the melon ...