LOL. watermelons have accidently sprouted in my mulch!

I was checking my onions today and noticed some seedlings, they are watermelon pips that have been sprouted by accident ( i threw some pips in the other day, didn't think they would sprout!!

can you grow them from commercial melons? becasue i bought the melon from a supermarket. I live in the UK and it has been very warm this last few weeks,

anyhow, I have potted the baby seedlings in little pots containing worm castings...but how much space do they need to grow please, fellow permies ?, i will try giving them a go this year if i can as the weather is great, and my front south facing garden is covered in mulch and worm castings.

I find melons and squash do really well in my compost piles. This year I have 4 varieties of winter squash growing in my compost pile (all volunteers). Volunteers in my garden are always welcome and encouraged. I would think that if you have seedlings, then they will more than likely produce. My watermelons usually spread out to around to a 6-10ft diameter. This year I planted my watermelons with my corn and beans (watermelons - understory, beans - vine, corn - upperstory). The watermelon seems to being doing good in the understory. I plant my corn in 6' x 4' blocks so there seems to be plenty of sunlight coming in from the margins. Good luck with melons.

Buttt... might it be too late to start watermelons in mid-July? Will they have time to ripen and grow before winter?

Rebecca Norman wrote:Buttt... might it be too late to start watermelons in mid-July? Will they have time to ripen and grow before winter?

*sad face*..well will they be ok under some clear plastic sheeting? I dont want to trash them, poor little things...