Is Seedless Watermelon Genetically Modified?
Overthinking a Piece of Fruit
I have two watermelons on the counter. They were grown here at our home, in the front yard, in my small planter bed that I have been reclaiming to use as more garden space. It still has three rose bushes, but the rest of the ground is unused, so it seemed natural for me to use the area for something productive.
This year, I asked my son what he wanted to grow, he suggested watermelons, and it seemed like a sensible thing to try. But it ended up being more complicated than I imagined.
I started with the idea that I would grow a seedless watermelon. That is the type that we would buy at the store. Nowadays, it is even difficult to find a seeded watermelon at a regular supermarket.
From my background, I knew that growing a seedless watermelon necessitates a pollinator watermelon plant from a seeded variety.
What I didn’t know was why or how this worked.
In the farming business, when they grow watermelons, for a set number of seedless watermelon plants, they plant one that is a different variety. The bees will come and transfer the pollen to the different flowers, fertilizing the flower that grows into the seedless watermelon.
