Plant Varieties

• Personal watermelons typically grow on vines that sprawl over a large swath of garden bed, similar to how standard-size melons grow. Some personal melons are hybridized to grow on bushy, more-upright plants. These varieties don't grow melons on the bushy part of the plant, but instead produce fruit on 2- to 3-foot-long vines. Growing one of these varieties in conjunction with a space-saving planting method uses the least amount of space possible. Bush Baby, Stone Mountain and Sugar Baby are three bush varieties.
  
  

Trellis

• A simple trellis system is capable of supporting a small watermelon. Plant the watermelons along a fence or trellis. For short-vined personal watermelon varieties, use a trellis that's at least 3 feet and preferably 5 feet tall. Insert at least 1 foot of the trellis bottom into the garden bed so the trellis doesn't fall over under the weight of the plants and melons. The vines won't climb the trellis on their own; you must tie them in place every 6 to 8 inches along their length as they grow. The heavy melons also require support. Fashion a sling from cloth or old pantyhose to hold each melon, and tie the slings to the trellis for support.
  
  

Container Garden

• Growing in containers allows you to enjoy fresh watermelon without installing a garden bed. Use a 5-gallon or larger container for each plant. The plants will require trellising unless you have an area to set the container where the plants' sprawl won't pose an issue. Trellises inserted into the pot tend to make the pot top-heavy, so instead set the pot near a wall-mounted trellis, or construct the trellis on a frame that sits behind the pot. Tie the plants and support the melons on the trellis as you would in a garden bed.
  
  

Intensive Garden

• If you have a small garden but not enough space to grow watermelons along with other fruits or vegetables, consider an intensive gardening method. For example, plant the personal-size melons as you would normally in early summer, but overseed the area with some other, faster-growing plants, such as beans, radishes and most greens, such as lettuce or spinach. The quicker-growing plants reach maturity and can be harvested before the watermelons begin to sprawl and require more space.