Growing watermelons in pots

[phkc070408]

What’s a good size pot to grow a watermelon plant in?

2 seasons ago, I tried them in 10 gallon pots on the driveway. The pots were pretty close to full of soil. I got a lot of melons, but they were very small melons.
Last year I dedicated half of my vegetable garden to 4 watermelon plants, spaced at least 6 feet apart. They barely grew,

I suspect the plants enjoyed the heat from the driveway, but from what I was told on this forum, the roots were most likely constrained. I’m in Zone 7A, northern Delaware.

Can someone tell me if a 15 or 20 gallon pot would do the trick? Also, would something oval/rectangle work, or would circular/square be better?

Thanks

 

[Meadowlark]

I've successfully grown them in 25-gallon container...two plants. The container shape should support a root system that can exceed 2 ft. in depth. It is critical that they receive full sun and ample water, especially in a container. In my experience, watermelon plants do not do well transplanted. Direct seed in your container and thin to appropriate number of strongest plants.

 

[Ruderunner]

Kiddie pools?

Not the best time to buy them but Walmart often has them on clearance in the fall for a couple bucks.

 

[phkc070408]

Well, I just bought two brand new outside trash cans for getting rid of yard waste, since my old cans were too tall to fit inside our SUV. I can probably take a few feet off of the top of each of the old cans and plant them in there.

And regarding what Meadowlark said about needing two feet in depth, my old pots were only 15-15 inches tall, so yes, that might have been the problem. Getting two plants in one of these cans would be ideal, but I don't want to press my luck.

Our driveway gets 100% full sun and has a hose bib right next to it, so I can easily water the plants.

Finally, I'm all about direct sew when possible. If I do pre-seed indoors, I use Peat-pots.