{"product_id":"watermelon-art-combe-s-ancient","title":"Watermelon Seeds, Art Combe's Ancient","description":"\u003cp\u003e(\u003cem\u003eCitrullus lanatus\u003c\/em\u003e). This melon has a green rind and succulent red flesh with excellent flavor and sweetness. It is a beautiful melon and a favorite on our farm, easy to grow and producing fruit up to 20 lbs. One of the most fascinating seed discoveries in modern history! In the early 1920s, Art Combe, a Southwestern plant expert and amateur prospector, found a small woven pot filled with bright red watermelon seeds in an abandoned sandstone cave in Arizona’s Mogollon Rim. Art planted the seeds and just a few germinated. The fruit was small and crooknecked, unlike any other watermelon he had ever seen before, and the flavor was incredible! Art grew this watermelon for several decades, selecting the largest and most round specimens. The result of decades of selecting is a superb extra-large watermelon with bright red, very sweet flesh. (Some fruit may still have necks.) Art used a dry farming technique that allowed him to grow extra-sweet watermelons with almost no irrigation in the searing hot desert; these watermelons are extremely heat and drought tolerant!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing Tips:\u003c\/strong\u003e This variety is well adapted to heat and drought, making it a perfect choice for desert or arid-zone gardens. Choose a site with full sun and fast-draining soil. Deep, infrequent watering mimics the plant’s native environment and promotes strong root systems. Avoid overwatering, especially once fruit sets, to enhance sweetness and reduce cracking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59511186063646,"sku":"WM187","price":4.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0999\/2280\/5022\/files\/watermelon_art_combe_s_ancient.jpg?v=1782398186","url":"https:\/\/www.rareseeds.com\/products\/watermelon-art-combe-s-ancient","provider":"RareSeeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}