Moon & Stars Yellow Fleshed Watermelon, Heirloom

While the red-fleshed Moon and Stars captured national headlines when it was rescued from near extinction, the yellow-fleshed strain is treasured by melon connoisseurs for its uniquely sweet, tropical flavor profile.

• Breathtaking Celestial Markings: Both the rind and the lush green foliage are splashed with creamy-to-golden spots. Even young leaves show off these starry speckles, creating an ornamental show in the patch weeks before the first fruit begins to swell.
• Honey-Sweet Golden Flesh: Unlike standard pink watermelons, the dense, glistening yellow flesh offers a refined sweetness with delicate notes of honey and summer apricot. Crisp, refreshing, and deeply hydrating, it is a culinary favorite for fresh summer melon platters.
• Impressive Heirloom Stature: Vines yield large, oblong-to-oval fruits that routinely tip the scales between 15 and 25 pounds, encased in a thick, protective rind that helps preserve freshness after harvest.
• Pure Nostalgia & Conversation Piece: Slicing a Moon and Stars watermelon at a backyard barbecue or summer picnic is an event in itself—delighting guests with its starry rind and surprising golden-yellow interior.

"Growing Moon and Stars feels like cultivating your own private patch of the night sky. The speckled leaves are gorgeous from the moment they sprout, but nothing beats the magic of parting the vines in late summer to find a massive, dark-green watermelon glowing with bright yellow moons and stars. When you cut through that thick rind to reveal crisp, sunny-yellow flesh that tastes like pure honey, it's pure summer perfection."

• Sowing: Direct sow outdoors 1 inch deep in warm, fertile, well-draining garden soil once all danger of frost has passed and the ground is thoroughly warm (at least 70–75°F). In cooler northern zones, start indoors in biodegradable peat pots 3–4 weeks before your last frost date, taking great care not to disturb the sensitive roots during transplanting.
• Spacing: Watermelons are vigorous, sun-loving viners. Plant in mounds or hills spaced 6 to 8 feet apart, thinning to the 2 or 3 strongest plants per hill to give the long vines plenty of room to roam.
• Judging Ripeness: Watermelons can be tricky to gauge, but Moon and Stars provides classic clues: look for the curling tendril closest to the fruit stem to turn completely brown and dry, check for a buttery-yellow ground spot on the underside of the melon, and listen for a deep, hollow thump when tapped.