Blacktail Mountain Watermelon, Organic

The story of Blacktail Mountain is a testament to perseverance and ingenious homestead breeding.

• Conquering Short Summers: Frustrated by commercial watermelons that required endless frost-free days to ripen in Idaho's harsh mountain climate, gardener and seed saver Glenn Drowns set out to breed a superior icebox melon. By crossing various strains over many years, he created an ultra-hardy, early-maturing masterpiece.
• A Homestead Icon: Introduced to seed catalogs in the late 1980s, Blacktail Mountain quickly became the gold standard for short-season growers, northern homesteaders, and gardeners with limited space who refuse to compromise on flavor.

Blacktail Mountain is an absolute powerhouse of flavor packed into a convenient, garden-friendly size.

• The Fruit: Round to slightly oval fruits averaging 8 to 12 pounds. The rind is a deep, dark greenish-black (hence its fitting name) with faint, dark striping.
• The Flesh & Flavor: Inside, you’ll find a crisp, brilliantly bright red interior packed with dark seeds. The flavor is exceptionally sweet, rich, and juicy—rivalling any massive southern melon in pure, sugary refreshment.
• Culinary Uses: Perfectly sized to chill easily in a standard kitchen refrigerator! Slice it open for backyard barbecues, pack it for summer camping trips, or enjoy cool, dripping wedges on the porch after a long day in the garden.

Blacktail Mountain is an early-maturing, space-saving vining crop tailored for cooler climates and northern regions.

"Blacktail Mountain is a miracle for northern gardeners. We love it because you get that quintessential, sugary-sweet heirloom watermelon flavor in just 75 days, on a compact vine that doesn't take over the entire yard. It proves you don't need a southern summer to grow world-class watermelons."

• Early Start for Cool Climates: Start seeds indoors in peat pots about 3 to 4 weeks before your last spring frost. Watermelons have sensitive roots, so transplanting them gently helps avoid shock.
• Warmth & Sun: Plant in full sun in rich, well-draining soil. Black dark-green rinds absorb sunlight efficiently, helping the fruits warm up and ripen quickly even in cooler summer regions.
• The Harvest Cue: Look for the tendril nearest the fruit stem to turn brown and dry, and watch for the underside "ground spot" to shift from white to a creamy, buttery yellow.