There are a handful of orange watermelons in the world, but the most popular is by far the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon. People rave about this melon far and wide, and even those who aren’t the biggest fans of watermelon can’t resist this glimmering, gorgeous fruit!
Curious about the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon? Are you hoping to grow these beauties in your own garden? Read on to discover everything you need to know about these watermelons!
Characteristics of the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon
First, let’s go over the appearance, taste, and traits of this fruit!
The appearance of the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon
On the outside, the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon will likely look extremely familiar to most people; you’ll recognize it as a watermelon by its dark green rind striped with pale green stripes. Its oval shape will be familiar, as well; it’s the inside that sets this watermelon apart from its cousins!
When you cut open the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon, you’ll discover exactly what you’d expect from something with “orange” in its name: vibrant sunset-colored fruit! The orange tendersweet has brilliantly colored flesh that catches the eye immediately upon slicing into it.
This is a good-sized watermelon; you can expect the fruit to reach weights of 35 pounds or so, though they can grow even larger!
Taste of the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon
Accurately named, the Orange Tendersweet is exactly that—tender and sweet inside! While some say this watermelon has a pinch less flavor than others—or at least a lower intensity of flavor—it’s still a delicious fruit to snack on. It’s described often as having a flavor reminiscent of honey.
It’s a mild but sugary flavor that makes it perfect for pickier eaters who might not love a stronger taste. The fruit itself has a nice crunch to it with plenty of delicious juice hiding inside.
Orange Tendersweet Watermelon Plant Traits
As I said, this fruit is fairly sizable, growing anywhere from 30 pounds and up. You’ll generally find them averaging out around the 35-pound mark, but they can be bigger or smaller depending on certain facets of their growing environment.
Like most watermelons, you can expect a 90-day period to maturity for these fruits, so your harvest time will vary based on when you plant. You can start watermelons inside if you like to get a jumpstart on this, but you want to avoid moving them outdoors until you’re sure that the final frost of the season has passed.
Watermelons aren’t just associated with summer because of their tropical flavor; they thrive best in warm weather and won’t do well if they get caught in an unexpected frost.
These plants are not particularly disease resistant; in fact, watermelons are known to be vulnerable to some diseases, including powdery mildew. You can take a look at the watermelon pests and watermelon diseases to make sure you’re aware of what to watch out for—and how to prevent them.
Uses for the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon
Watermelons are an incredibly versatile fruit, and the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon is no exception. Let’s take a look at all the different ways you can enjoy this watermelon variety!
Snacking
Of course, the most popular and simple way to enjoy the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon is to cut it up, dump it in a bowl, and enjoy!
Forget popcorn—at your next summertime movie night, you can pass out bowls of honey-sweet orange watermelon cubes to your guests for a fresh, less greasy movie snack. You can even mix orange watermelon with the classic red watermelon to add a bit of variety.
This is also a great choice to augment a picky eater’s lunch. If your kids don’t care much for fruit, the natural sugar-like taste of the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon is a good one to try.
Desserts
Watermelon may not be the best choice as an ingredient for dishes that require cooking or baking, but that doesn’t mean you need to avoid them entirely in your dessert-making endeavors!
Watermelons make for amazing sorbets, smoothies, gelato…even candy if you’re prepared to attempt a bit of a project! (And hey, if you thought the idea of watermelon as a movie snack wasn’t working for you…the candy can be a good middle ground, right?)
Drinks
Hold up—the night’s not complete without a tasty cocktail or mocktail in your glass! You can use watermelon in all kinds of drinks, particularly frozen ones, and you can sub them into many of your favorite fruity cocktails to add a watermelon splash to your usual drink of choice.
My personal favorite way to indulge in this area is a frozen watermelon daiquiri.
When is the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon in season?
As I mentioned earlier, the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon requires 90 days to reach maturity, so when they come into season depends a bit on when they’re planted. Most of the time, you’ll find these watermelons appearing sometime in the middle of summer or edging toward fall, and you won’t often see them earlier or later.
If you’re growing them yourself, you get a bit of your own say in when these watermelons are ready to be harvested and enjoyed.
Where is the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon grown?
Watermelons will thrive just about anywhere, so long as you live in an area that experiences a proper summer season. If your climate doesn’t get warm enough to allow these plants to flourish, then you’ll probably want to pick something different to try and grow, unless you have a greenhouse or something similar available to you.
Still, most places where you can have an outdoor garden should be watermelon-friendly!
Where to Buy Orange Tendersweet Watermelon Seeds
Personally, I recommend Hoss Tools or True Leaf Market to pick up your Orange Tendersweet Watermelon seeds. These are trusted retailers that are sure to give you well-producing seeds, and you can even add some additional gardening supplies to your order while you’re at it and get them delivered straight to your door!
Final Thoughts on the Orange Tendersweet Watermelon
The Orange Tendersweet Watermelon is wildly popular for a reason, and if you’re looking for a new variety to grow, I can’t recommend this one enough!
If you’re looking for advice on growing watermelons or want to find even more watermelon varieties to fill up your gardening space, take a peek at our watermelon plant page now!
- About the Author
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Cassidy Eubanks is a proud Michigander, an avid reader, a lover of colorful gardens, and a writer for Minneopa Orchards.
After earning her bachelor’s in Creative Writing (partially through virtual learning, thanks to the pandemic), gardening gave her an excuse to get outside and get away from all the screens. With a particular love for decorating with colorful flowers, using herbs grown in her own garden, and finding creative ways to build big gardens in small spaces, Cassidy enjoys helping others learn about growing their own food, flowers, and trees through Minneopa Orchards!