Watermelon Seeds – Bradford Family

Citrullus lanatus

In the 1850s, Nathaniel Bradford developed a unique watermelon breed that was known as the sweetest and most flavorful, right down to its dark green skin. By the early 1900s, however, watermelons had been developed with hard, thick skins and tough rinds at the sacrifice of flavor, which were ultimately more profitable because they were able to be shipped with very little breakage. And so the Bradford watermelon, fell out of cultivation and became lost to the annals of history. However, although the commercial line disappeared, the Bradford family never stopped growing the original watermelon.

Recently “rediscovered,” the Bradford Family Watermelon and its unique products are being introduced to chefs, gardeners and food enthusiasts around the world. The Bradford Family Watermelon is passing germination tests at USDA’s Seed Lab in Columbia, SC, with greater than 90% success. However, this heirloom has been grown and saved on the same farm for over 100 years, so specific environmental conditions could affect germination. This is a rare seed being reintroduced to the home gardener and we encourage you to grow and save your own stock for regional adaptation. The Bradford Watermelon is now being successfully grown all over the USA, we welcome and encourage you feedback!

***This is a late summer melon, and requires very warm soil between 80 and 85 degrees, and to be kept damp, but not wet. Feedback from our customers suggests that planting too early and/or over-watering accounts for most failures in germination. Please call anytime if you have questions about growing these delicious watermelons, we are happy to help!***

These Bradford Watermelon seeds are rare, hand-selected, hand-sorted seeds direct from the Bradford family. The majority of the seed price goes to support the Bradford family as they continue to work hard to preserve this plant and reintroduce its unique, historic products.

For additional information, please see the Bradford Family website: Planting Instructions: http://bradfordwatermelons.com/2015/04/planting-instructions/ FAQs: http://bradfordwatermelons.com/frequently-asked-questions/ The challenge: http://bradfordwatermelons.com/2016/06/challenge-bradford-watermelons/