A well-known dark-skinned watermelon that produces medium size, round fruit of 4-6kg on a vigorous vine. A seeded variety, but the red flesh is crisp and very sweet with a good thick rind. Good fruit set and uniform melons, Sugar Baby has been a long time favourite for home gardeners.

There are several key indicators that will give you a pretty good idea of ripeness.

1. Ground Spot The underside of the watermelon where the fruits rests on the ground is known as the ground spot. This spot should turn from a creamy/white colour to a nice buttery yellow when the melon is mature. The colour should be a deep yellow not a creamy yellow.

2. Tendril the tendril on the vine directly opposite where the fruit stem joins the vine is a good indicator of ripeness. If the tendril is green the melon is not ripe. If the tendril is withered, dried and brown the melon is mature.

Patches of webbing on fruit and a hollow sound when tapping fruit are thought by some to be other indicators of fruit ripeness.

Bred in 1956 and much loved because of it\’s compact size and early ripening, \’Sugar Baby\’ also has a Brix level of 10.2, making it one of the sweetest watermelons available.