Watermelon does not ripen once picked, but if it is slightly overripe when picked, even before you slice it, watermelon will turn to mildew in your fridge. Once you cut the watermelon, you can keep it in the fridge for two or three days.
Whether or not you keep the cut watermelon in the fridge, it is not healthy to consume it overnight after you leave it cut after two days. No, you can freeze your watermelon in its whole form or cut form, if you like eating cubes of watermelon, but doing so with watermelon in its raw form destroys its flavor, color, and texture.
It is best to save the larger, cut pieces because the watermelon will get soggy. After being cut into slices, the chunks of watermelon may get damaged by fungus, mold, or certain microorganisms, making it unusable. When watermelon gets too ripe for its own good, the juicy, crunchy flesh texture may become spongy and dry.
A watermelon that is overripe will offer very little resistance and is more than likely to have mealy flesh within. A green watermelon remains firm, rubbery, and, frankly, unappetizing, which is why it is essential to harvest after ripeness. If it is another color, such as pale yellow, white, or green, then that watermelon needs a little longer time on the vine.
A good watermelon will have pale yellow spots on its skin, which indicates it was left to ripen on the ground under sunlight. Once the rind turns yellow, pull the entire fruit out of its paper bag and store in the fridge. To ripen watermelons that have been cut, place the entire fruit in a paper bag and leave in a warm place, like by a window, until the rind turns a yellowish-green.
When you decide that the time has come to harvest and enjoy your homemade watermelon, cut it off from the vine, leaving a few inches of stalk attached to the fruit. To test whether your watermelon is ready to harvest, just crush on the end of the melon stalk. If the watermelon is ripe, a spot in the field should appear as a big, yellow spot on the side of the melon.
Armed with the tips from the person who told you how to tell the watermelon is ripe, give a given melon a good shake. You could also give the ripe prospect a good thunk to hear if it sounds ripe, but unless you are really familiar with the way ripe watermelons sound, that is likely to tell you nothing.
If it is brown or yellow, then your watermelon is likely ready for picking. Once harvested, you can store the watermelon whole for 3 weeks, or you can eat it right away. How long it will last will also depend on when you harvest it: If it is just been picked, it will last a lot longer than a piece that is been sitting on the store shelf for a week or two. Watermelon does not keep ripening once picked, unlike many other fruits, so it is no good to simply purchase one and try to allow it to ripen on your counter.
Unlike many fruits, watermelons do not keep getting sweeter after being harvested, so the timing needs to be just right. Unfortunately, melons do not get any riper after harvest. So, what you buy is what you get. Yes, Watermelon, just like other types of melons, continues to ripen after harvest.
If vines themselves and their leaves are turning brown, the watermelons are likely to be no more ripe, and picking before they are rotten may be best. Your watermelons will not be sweeter if you leave them on the vine — in fact, leaving them harvested too late could mean bland fruit.
Watermelons do not keep ripening after they are picked, so be sure to use all of the tricks we mentioned below: poke them with your taser to hear them, check the spots where they are on the field in your melons skin, and search for that brown thorn. You need to plan to use your watermelon in just a couple days, and pick a ripe one, that way you will get the best watermelon you can, and you can ensure that they will not spoil.
Many standard commercial varieties of watermelons grown in home gardens will resemble the descriptions on their seed packets, as long as everything else is the same (good soil, proper watering, no pest problems), so it is good practice to track the time these melons are supposed to ripen before trying to pick one.
Weight is a clue that there is plenty of water within, and that the fruit will be juicy, so look for melons that are heavy for their size. You can juice the watermelons to remove watermelon juice, but you need to choose heavy ones if you want to remove seeds.
The plant will stop the supply of water and nutrients to your watermelon once it is ripe, the fruit will begin to lose flavor and sweetness, eventually starting to decay under heat. If, once you cut up your watermelon, you discover that it is not quite as sweet as you would like, sprinkle it with some salt to boost its natural sweetness. Sometimes watermelon is not quite as sweet as you want, but that is ok.
It is important to keep in mind that the more ripe a watermelon is, the greater the chance that it will spoil. A little salt rub does more than offer up a salty-sweet punch, it brings out the sweetness of watermelon, making this a perfect hack to pull off when you are digging through an otherwise bland slice.