Days to Maturity: 80 from direct sow; 70 from transplant
All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2017
Growing watermelons on the deck may sound like a joke, but with Mini Love, it is possible. This award-winning hybrid is super compact, so instead of the usual sprawling vines, you get a compact 3-foot by 3-foot spread, healthy foliage and flowers, and up to half a dozen delicious fruit on every plant.
The secret is terrific disease resistance. Mini Love stands up to anthracnose, a scourge of many other watermelon varieties, and the fruit has a thin rind that is strong enough to resist cracking and splitting. Within, the flesh is juicy sweet, dark red, aromatic, and simply mouthwatering.
Mini Love sets about 4 to 6 striped green-on-green melons per plant. Each weighs between 7 and 9 pounds, with a shape that varies from oval to round. Just right for two people, this is a melon you can actually finish without having to refrigerate. And believe us, you will want to devour every bite.
Awarded a national All-America Selection, Mini Love is certain to delight. Give it a try this season, and we predict you will be amazed by how much space you save in the garden (or on the patio) and how much you love having smaller, more manageable fruit. Mini Love is out to win you over.
Sow direct when the soil is warm and all danger of frost is past. If planting in the garden, sow the seeds in raised hills or rows 3 inches high. Thin to 3 plants per hill 3 feet apart, or 1 plant per foot in rows. If planting in containers, sow several seeds in a raised hill at the center of the plant, thinning to one plant per pot. For earlier fruit, seeds may be started indoors.
