Do Watermelon Grow On Trees?

How does watermelon grow? Do they grow on trees as apples and pears do? Let’s have a look and find out how watermelons grow.

Do Watermelon Grow On Trees?

No, watermelon grows on a vine, like cucumbers and squashes. These vines grow really long and spread out over many meters and then the melons form on these vines.

I am currently experimenting with growing watermelons in my polytunnel here in the UK so I actually have some of my own photos to show you how watermelons grow.

This is a watermelon vine, these usually spread along the floor but I am growing this watermelon vertically to save space. Because of this, it is tied into a support structure (the rope).

This is a young watermelon which hasn’t sent out a long vine yet. The leaves on the watermelon are very distinct.

And here we can see a baby watermelon fruit that has not developed yet. That tiny little ball will turn into a huge watermelon if everything goes right.

On the end of the watermelon is a flower, this will soon open and if pollinated the watermelon will begin to swell and grow and turn into a huge watermelon.

Due to the weight of the fruit, it is very unlikely to see a watermelon climbing, they are normally ground-dwelling plants.

With the way I am growing mine I will have to support the fruit with a net to stop them from falling off the plant. So you can see why in nature watermelons normally grow along the ground.