Using a food thermometer. Checking the temperature of your cooked meat, poultry, and seafood with a food thermometer is the only reliable way to make sure your food has reached a safe internal cooking temperature.
Planting Watermelons. The ideal date to plant watermelons varies according to the climate of the region. To produce the sugar necessary for sweet fruit, the melons need hot weather. Seedlings should not be transplanted until three to four weeks after the last average frost date in the spring. Starting seed indoors about six weeks before planting gives you a head start when the soil is warm enough.
In areas where a chill lingers, start the seeds indoors three to four weeks before transplanting them outdoors. Use individual peat containers to avoid disturbing the roots. Plant melon seeds in six-to 12-inch mounds of soil. Sow three to five seeds two inches apart and about one inch deep.Space the mounds two feet apart in rows that are five feet apart. When the seedlings sprout leaves, thin them to 18- to 24-inches apart. Melon vines take up a lot of space and the distance allows air to circulate freely.Apply an all-purpose fertilizer every two to three weeks. Cantaloupes and honeydews benefit from slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5.hen the seedlings sprout leaves, thin them to 18- to 24-inches apart. Melon vines take up a lot of space and the distance allows air to circulate freely. Apply an all-purpose fertilizer every two to three weeks. Cantaloupes and honeydews benefit from slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5.