watermellons. When to pick?

[daywane]

I am new to watermelons.
I have about 15 now. I picked one today. Chilled it. was all mouth watering with excitement, grabbed a large knife .... Cut it .... DAMN!
it was pure white 
I had to taste it any way. not bad.
I did goggle it just a few minutes ago. I guess I will wait for the stem to turn brown.

[daywane]

canalope I have them growing out the YING YANG
I know when there ready.

Next year I will also try Honey dews for the first time

[SavannahLion]

I knew someone used to knock on them with his knuckles. Told me that he could "hear" the watermelon be ripe. With that, he always picked out the ripest, sweetest, juiciest ones every single time. He spent quite a bit of trying to teach me, but I could never figure it out.

Thing was, he was deaf. Even though "hearing" watermelons was an impossibility, he swore up and down that it can be and is done that way. 

Good luck on your crop. I missed my planting this year. 

[shardian]

I knew someone used to knock on them with his knuckles. Told me that he could "hear" the watermelon be ripe. With that, he always picked out the ripest, sweetest, juiciest ones every single time. He spent quite a bit of trying to teach me, but I could never figure it out.

Thing was, he was deaf. Even though "hearing" watermelons was an impossibility, he swore up and down that it can be and is done that way. 

Good luck on your crop. I missed my planting this year. 

Ripe watermelons develop a hollow at the very center. They also have a higher water content. So knocking on it really can tell you if the melon is ripe - if you know what you are listening/feeling for.

I got decent at it when I worked the produce section at Kroger. Every day I had to pick a few out to quarter and wrap.

[Mauzy]

Ripe watermelons develop a hollow at the very center. They also have a higher water content. So knocking on it really can tell you if the melon is ripe - if you know what you are listening/feeling for.

.

All these years I thought my grandfather was nuts for claiming he could tell how ripe a watermelon was by flicking it with his middle finger and thumb...

[shardian]

http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Pick_a_Good_Watermelon