Do watermelons ripen at home?

"Hello! I'm in the following situation: I planted a watermelon for the first time this year. It's already late August, and there's still no warm weather, so I suspect it won't have time to ripen in the garden. My husband and I decided to pick a couple and let them ripen indoors. Could you tell me if watermelons ripen like other vegetables when left on the windowsill? (Marina)"

Many people make the mistake of picking unripe fruit in the hopes that it will ripen at home. Unfortunately, this method works for other fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, melon). If you've already picked unripe fruit, rest assured that it won't ripen at home. This berry ripens only when left in the garden under direct sunlight. There are certain varieties of watermelon that are grown for long-term storage, but even these are picked ripe.

A picked watermelon can be eaten within two weeks; after that, it will simply begin to sour, and the flesh will become mush. The only advice I can give for preserving a picked watermelon for longer is to keep it cool, approximately 1 to 3 degrees Celsius, and with 80-85% humidity. Otherwise, the berry will spoil immediately.

Another option: after you've picked the remaining berries, try pickling them—the unripe fruit is perfect for this purpose. If you don't like this kind of preservation, feed them to your livestock—they love this delicacy.

Video: How to Choose a Watermelon

In this video, a specialist will tell you how to choose a ripe watermelon.