Watermelon is a cool fruit.

Watermelon, is the cucurbit family watermelon genus annual trailing vine plants, the form is generally nearly spherical or oval, the color of dark green, light green, or with black and green stripes or mottled; melon seeds are mostly black, elliptic, pointed head; stem and branches are stout, with a light yellowish-brown pilose; leaf blade such as paper, triangular ovate, the edge of the undulate. Flowering and fruiting period in May-June, because the 9th century from the western region into China, so the name watermelon.

Watermelon likes warm, dry climate, not cold, the optimal temperature for growth and development of 24-30 degrees, the optimal temperature for root growth and development of 30-32 degrees, the minimum temperature of 14 degrees root hairs occur. Watermelon needs a large temperature difference between day and night in the process of growth and development. Watermelon is drought-resistant, not humidity-resistant, and is susceptible to disease when there are many rainy and cloudy days and too much humidity.

Watermelon likes light, watermelon fertility period is long, so it needs a lot of nutrients. Watermelon with the growth of the plant, fertilizer requirements gradually increase, to the fruit vigorous growth, to reach the maximum value. Watermelon adaptability, to loose soil, deep soil, well-drained sandy soil is the best. Prefer weak acidity, pH 5-7.

Source of watermelon

Historical records: watermelon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was listed as the first temple fruit, people call watermelon "tribute melon". Qing Dynasty South Garden has a melon garden, Cixi, Emperor Jiajing love to eat watermelon, the emperor for this special people to open up a small melon garden for him.

China is the world's largest producer of watermelon, but about the origin of watermelon, said different. One theory is that the watermelon does not originate in China, but from Africa, in the Western region, so the name watermelon. Another theory originates from the legend of Shennong tasted a hundred herbs, it is said that the watermelon in the Shennong tasted a hundred herbs was found, the original name is called diluted melon, meaning that the water is more meat diluted melon, but later passed on to become a watermelon.

The more popular view that the native place of the watermelon in Africa, it was originally a wild plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, and then artificially cultivated into edible watermelon. As early as four thousand years ago, the Egyptians planted watermelon, and then gradually moved north, initially by the Mediterranean coast to northern Europe, and then south into the Middle East, India and other places.