One of my first attempts at growing watermelons was a huge success. I was working full time at a garden center and much like all of my co-workers I had a large garden. My garden extended the width of the lawn running along a horse pasture separated by three strands of barbed wire fencing. Three horses would frequently hang out in front of our home and if they could reach, nibble a few of the vegetable plants. At the end of the season, I had way too many ‘Sugar Baby’ watermelons so I began tossing them over the fence for the horses. I felt it was a reciprocal relationship as they provided me with fertilizer for the garden. To my surprise, they consumed them quickly. Sometimes late at night with our windows open, you would hear their flatulence fill the calm night air. My wife suggested to me maybe I should back off on the quantity I was pitching over the fence. Good idea. It was keeping us awake. This ‘Sugar Baby’ experience led me down the road to the power of a annual vine crop and its possibilities in agroforestry. It could feed people and animals all at once merging the power and longevity of tree crops into animal health via annual crop plants.

As time went on, I had to refine my ideas of cultivation of the ‘wild’. It was refined and defined in a way that would allow the crop to grow to its fullest. Like groundnuts and Jerusalem artichokes, I had to expand it to undeveloped species level crops that are currently used and highly bred by modern agriculture. I wanted to see what the species offered in terms of edibility and growing characteristics. Michigan is not the epicenter of watermelon production and the climate favors only certian varieties. I was searching for the abandoned or feral watermelons. Better yet, I wanted the species watermelon before it became the giant sweet red basketball sized fruit sitting on pallets in the grocery store. The watermelon still has wild versions represented in South Africa. There are also many satellite populations scattered around the world carried by humans as a means for survival in harsh desert climates. Australia has a few. Botanists are confused. How did that get here? There is even some information that watermelon was also found in North America as a desert plant used by people to survive long treks across unforbidding landscapes. I was fortunate to get seeds from a seed company that had access to the original wild watermelons in their native ranges. I began by growing only a few plants at first. When the vines extended up to 100 feet in length and grew up and over my American plum hedge, I knew I was home free. Here you have the potential for using the watermelon for both its edible seeds and its fruits for humans and animals alike. Now that’s a watermelon. There was one hiccup. The fruit was like a juicy piece of cardboard barely sweet. It was heavy in fiber difficult to chew. The fruit itself could be dropped at Dave Lettermen like high altitudes and it would not even crack. We tried climbing up the tallest ladder and dropping it on the driveway. Nothing happened. Some forms were bitter and had compounds within them that I found were considered poisonous in large amounts. When the intern working for me helped me taste test the melons it became a trial of nerves who could last the longest. Finally we broke down laughing after a few dozen fruit. Processing watermelons for seed was exceedingly slow. I did not have a Dybig Seed Processor and that time which meant we had to smash watermelons via the Gallagher method. This involves a sledge hammer and soil tamper. (If you are in the front row, wear plastic over your clothes.)

I no longer maintain my collection of watermelons. I still dream about them. Every now and then late at night I hear the sound of horses in front of my home. Once in a while, I walk by the plum trees at my farm where they made their first giant leap into the trees. There they hung like green volleyballs smiling at me with their rich seeds and fiber. Who would eat this I would ask myself? Did I find something of value? I may never know. But I do know this: I found another plant that could do it all. Will we accept its offer?

Enjoy. Kenneth Asmus

The seeds are reaching out to you.