WATERMELON Seeds, Sugar Baby

Sugar Baby (Citrullus lanatus) is a compact heirloom watermelon producing small, round, dark-green fruit with sweet, fine-textured red flesh. An early-maturing icebox melon ideal for short seasons and small gardens.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Citrullus lanatus 'Sugar Baby'
• Type: Heirloom, open-pollinated watermelon
• Days to maturity: about 70 to 80 days
• Fruit size: about 8 to 10 pounds
• Sun: Full sun
• Spacing: hills 4 to 6 feet apart
• Planting depth: 1 inch

Best for

• Fresh snacking and single servings
• Short-season and northern gardens
• Container and small-space growing
• Fruit salads and smoothies
• Refrigerator-sized icebox melons

How to grow

Direct sow 1 inch deep in warm soil after all danger of frost, in hills with room for the shorter vines. Grow in full sun in rich, well-drained soil and water deeply and consistently, reducing water near ripeness for sweeter fruit. Its early maturity and compact vines make it well suited to cooler climates and tighter spaces. Harvest when the ground spot turns yellow and the nearest tendril dries.

Flavor profile

Very sweet and tender with fine-grained, juicy flesh.

About 99Heirlooms

99Heirlooms specializes in non-GMO, open-pollinated heirloom seeds chosen for flavor and reliability, so you can grow proven varieties and save seed season after season.

Sold by 99Heirlooms.com, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota.