Growing Watermelon in Your Tower Garden: Yes, You Can!

Growing Watermelon in Your Tower Garden: Yes, You Can!

Nothing screams summer quite like a sweet, juicy watermelon—and yes, you can grow this warm-weather favorite in a Tower Garden! While it might seem like a sprawling vine like watermelon wouldn't be a fit for vertical growing, with the right variety, pruning, and support, you can enjoy homegrown melons without sacrificing space.

  1. Can You Really Grow Watermelon in a Tower Garden?
  2. Why You Should Grow Watermelon in the FLEX (Not the Home)
  3. Choosing the Right Variety
  4. Tips for Growing Watermelon in the Tower Garden

Can You Really Grow Watermelon in a Tower Garden?

Absolutely! While traditional watermelon plants take over the ground like a vine with something to prove, compact or dwarf varieties do surprisingly well in vertical systems like the Tower Garden. The key is choosing the right type and giving it room to breathe (and sprawl a bit).

If you’re new to fruiting crops in your Tower Garden, start with 1–2 watermelon plants per Tower. These babies grow fast and need A LOT of nutrients, sun, and airflow.

Why You Should Grow Watermelon in the FLEX (Not the HOME)

While both Tower Garden models are amazing for growing food, watermelon is not ideal for the Tower Garden HOME—and here’s why:

💧 The FLEX has a 20-gallon reservoir, while the HOME holds only 13 gallons.

🍉 Watermelons are water guzzlers—especially once fruit starts forming. They need consistent moisture, and the smaller HOME reservoir will require refilling far more often, which increases your chances of stress, nutrient lock, or root issues.

🌞 The FLEX is better suited for outdoor growing, due to it's larger reservoir, which is where watermelons thrive best. They love full sun, warm temps, and plenty of airflow—conditions not always easy to achieve indoors where the HOME typically lives.

📏 Indoor growing is possible, but it’s a challenge. Watermelon vines need significant light and space. Unless you're working with very strong grow lights and have ample room to train vines and support fruit, you may struggle with fruit set and growth indoors.

🧃 Bottom line: More water, more sun, and more space = healthier melons. Choose the FLEX growing outside for a smoother, more successful watermelon-growing experience.

 

Choosing the Right Variety: Sugar Baby for the Win 🍉

When it comes to watermelons and Tower Gardening, Sugar Baby is a superstar.

Why Sugar Baby?

Compact vines: Sugar Baby vines are shorter than traditional watermelon varieties, making them better suited for container and vertical growing.

Small but sweet: These melons typically weigh around 6–10 pounds, which is perfect for the Tower Garden—no massive 30-pound fruit to worry about!

Quick to mature: You’ll see ripe fruit in about 75–80 days, compared to 90+ for larger types.

Rich, red flesh: These melons are famous for their deep red color and deliciously sweet flavor.

Tips for Growing Sugar Baby Watermelon in the Tower Garden

Here’s how to get the best results:

  1. Location, Location, Location Place your Tower Garden in full sun—at least 8–10 hours of unfiltered, direct sun daily. Watermelons are sun-loving, heat-hungry crops.

  2. Use a Support Cage or Trellis Watermelon vines need room to spread. Use a Tower Garden support cage, and consider adding soft garden ties to gently guide vines upward or outward. For fruit-bearing vines, create slings or hammocks using old T-shirts, pantyhose, or soft cloth to support the growing melons.

  1. Pollination Matters Watermelon plants produce male and female flowers. If you're growing indoors or in a low-bee area, you'll need to hand-pollinate. Use a small brush or cotton swab to transfer pollen from male flowers (thin stem) to female ones (tiny melon behind the blossom).

  2. Pruning Is Your Friend Watermelon vines will try to take over. Prune excessive runners to concentrate the plant's energy on fruit production. Focus on 1–2 main vines and remove side shoots.

  3. Minerals and Maintenance Watermelons are heavy feeders! Make sure you are adding Tower Garden minerals at the right dose and emptying the reservoir every 1-2 months to prevent Nutrient Lock. Learn more about adding minerals year-round here.

  4. Harvesting Sugar Baby You’ll know it’s time to harvest when:

    • The tendrils closest to the fruit turn brown and dry

    • The underside of the melon (where it rests) turns a creamy yellow

    • It sounds hollow when tapped

    • You can’t resist the temptation anymore 😋


Space-Saving Watermelon? You Bet!

Watermelon may not be the first crop that comes to mind when you think “vertical garden,” but with the Sugar Baby variety, it absolutely belongs in your Tower Garden rotation. It’s a fun experiment, and the payoff—biting into a melon you grew yourself—is as sweet as it gets.

Ready to Try?

We offer Sugar Baby Watermelon seedlings for your Tower Garden, but you can also start your own from seed. Be sure to check out our How to Grow the Perfect Seedling blog post if you’re planting your own.

Got questions about growing vining fruit crops or need help troubleshooting your Tower Garden? Reach out—we’re here to help! 💚

 

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.