Crimson Sweet vs Sugar Baby Watermelon: A Complete Growing Guide!

When planting a watermelon seed in your nursery, you may need guidance regarding which one to grow. Also, buying a watermelon from the market may need to be clarified because there are multiple variations and types.

To help you with your confusion, I’ll give you a full picture regarding Crimson Sweet vs Sugar Baby.

Crimson Sweet is resistant to a few fungal diseases, unlike Sugar baby. The growing procedure is the same for both but differs in days to maturity, vine length, Brix value, and additional care. Crimson Sweet is deep green colored with light green stripes and a thicker rind. Whereas, Sugar Baby is dark green with a thinner and softer rind. The size of Crimson Sweet is oval, and Sugar Baby is round.

That’s not the end, the article describes more differences and similarities along with the planting guidelines for Crimson Sweet and Sugar Baby.  

Crimson Sweet Vs Sugar Baby Watermelon: Comparison of Growing Factors & Common Features

Sugar Baby and Crimson Sweet are two varieties of watermelon that are both popular for their small size and sweet taste. These two popular watermelons possess some differences in their growth factors and characteristics.

Feature	Crimson Sweet Watermelon	Sugar Baby Watermelon
Disease Resistance	Anthracnose, Fusarium Wilt	None
Days to maturity	85 days after planting	Minimum 75 days after planting
Additional Care	Water roots but avoid moisture on leaves	Constant irrigation & crop rotation
Brix Value	9.9	10.2
Vine Length	2 meter	4 meter
Shape	Oval	Round
Size	Larger & weigh up to 20 pounds	Smaller & weigh up to 8-10 pounds
Rind	Deep green colored body with light green strips & Thicker and harder rough texture	Solid dark green colored, sometimes stripes of slightly darker shade & Softer, smooth and shiny texture
Seeded or seedless variety	Seeded-Black small seed, sometimes seedless	Seeded

Crimson Sweet Vs Sugar Baby Watermelon: Detailed Comparison of Growing Factors 

Let’s take a closer look at the details of Crimson Sweet and Sugar Baby to help you make an informed decision.  

Disease Resistance:

Crimson Sweet watermelons have disease resistance to Anthracnose, Fusarium Wilt. Anthracnose is a fungal disease that causes dark spots on leaves, while Fusarium Wilt causes the green to turn golden yellow.

On the other hand, in comparison to Crimson Sweet, Sugar baby watermelons have no particular resistance to any disease. So they are more susceptible to generic fungal attacks.

Vine Length:

The vines of crimson sweet watermelons are about 2 meters in length, covering and spreading over anything in their path. Comparatively, The vines of sugar baby watermelons are longer and can stretch up to 4 meters.

Days to Maturity:

Sugar baby needs at least 75 days to be mature. But Crimson sweet needs 10 more days to be matured. So, make sure to harvest the watermelon when they are ripe.

Apart from these differences, the procedures for growing both varieties are the same.  So, let’s shed light on the growing method of Crimson Sweet and Sugar Baby.

Growing methods of Crimson Sweet vs Sugar Baby Watermelon Plant:

To grow crimson sweet and sugar baby is not a tricky kind of job. And you can do it easily by following the steps below.

Step One: Crimson sweet and sugar baby both watermelons need 6-8 hours of sunlight to grow properly. So, first, you must choose a location where the sun shines at least eight hours a day.

Step Two: Then, it’s time to prepare the soil. You can add compost on top of the surface to improve drainage and fertility. Since watermelons require a lot of nutrients, you need to make sure the soil is rich in organic matter. Moreover, the pH level of the soil must be 6.5-7.5 to grow both the watermelon perfectly.

Step Three: Now, plant the seeds 1-2 weeks after the average last frost when the soil is 70 F or warmer.  Plant the seeds at least 1 inch deep, 6 seeds per hill, and hills must be 4 to 6 feet apart. Remember to water your plants regularly, and make sure the soil soaks thoroughly to prevent rot.

For Crimson sweet watermelons, use soaker hoses around the mounds to water roots and keep the plants moist on a regular basis. But avoid moisture on the leaves that can lead to fungal attacks.

On the other hand, Sugar baby watermelon requires constant irrigation. Drip irrigation and crop rotation are recommended to reduce the attack of harmful diseases

Step Four: Finally, keep an eye on feeding the seeds quite often. So, make sure that you fertilize the plants every two to four weeks with a balanced fertilizer, for example, you can use 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. This is also ideal for any household plant like ZZ supernova and raven.

Therefore, you can easily grow Crimson Sweet and Sugar Baby through this method. Though the planting method is the same for both of the watermelons, however, they possess some common differences. Let’s have a closer look at them.

Crimson Sweet Vs Sugar Baby Watermelon: Detailed Comparison of Characteristics 

Brix Value:

“Brix Value” is the measurement of sugar content in an aqueous solution. Crimson Sweet has a Brix value of 9.9 while Sugar baby scores a little bit higher at 10.2.

Both of them are amazing testers, although Sugar Baby is sweeter than Crimson Sweet. So, before going to the market, you should know a few tips to choose the best one.

Shape:

Crimson sweet has a more oblong or oval shape, whereas sugar baby comes with a more round and spherical shape.

Size and Weight:

As compared to sugar baby watermelons, crimson sweet watermelons are typically larger. This variant can grow up to 20 pounds. On the other hand, sugar baby watermelons are usually smaller, weighing about 8 to 10 pounds.

Rind:

The rind of crimson sweet is usually harder and thicker. The texture of the rind is rough and full of bumps very often. On the other hand, a Sugar baby’s rind is softer, smoother, and shinier than a crimson sweet’s rind.

The exterior of the crimson sweet and sugar baby displays a significant difference. The body of Crimson sweet is dark green colored with light green strips.

Meanwhile, the body color of a sugar baby is sometimes solid green, sometimes not. It often comes with stripes of a darker shade or with stripes of a lighter shade. The overall shade of sugar baby is greener than the shade of crimson sweet.

Seed Status:

It is possible to find seeded or seedless Crimson Sweet watermelons, depending on the variety. Crimson Sweet watermelons have seeds in some varieties, but seedless varieties have also been developed.

Typically, Sugar Baby watermelons contain small, black seeds throughout their flesh. Also, Sugar Baby watermelons do come in seedless varieties, though they are less common.

Which One to Pick-Crimson Sweet Vs Sugar Baby?

Now that we have covered all the important factors about Crimson Sweet and Sugar Baby, it’s time to decide on one.

Crimson sweet has better resistance to diseases than Sugar baby making it the superior variety. Also, larger sizes of these fruits yield a better quantity-to-area ratio. So, you can choose Crimson Sweet if these are your main priorities.

But they take more time to mature and are less sweet than sugar-baby ones. So, if you want quicker production and more sweetness, go for Sugar Baby.

You may look forward to planting Crimson Sweet and Sugar Baby in your beautiful nursery. If you’re wondering if seeds should be planted in toilet paper, then the next section is going to be a holy grail for you.

Let’s move towards it.

How to Care for Crimson Sweet And Sugar Baby Watermelon Plant

Without maintaining proper care, the plant won’t give you the desired result. You need to care for both of the plants in the same manner. 

1. When fruits begin to ripen, reduce watering. Also, make sure to keep the leaves dry to prevent fungal diseases from developing. Mulch can help retain moisture and inhibit weed growth around the plants’ roots.
2. During winter you need to take extra care of the plants. So you should know some valuable tips to keep plants alive in winter.
3. Take steps to control pests, such as squash bugs and aphids. However, allow pyrethrin-based insecticides because it protects the plant from flying insects. 

The perfect time for harvesting is when watermelon bottoms turn yellow. This time the stem connecting the fruit to the vine turns brown. If you tap the watermelon, it should sound hollow and feel heavy for its size.

Is crimson sweet a good watermelon?

Crimson Sweet is not only a good watermelon but also has an excellent test. Among all the large watermelons, crimson has the best test ever. Also, Crimson Sweet watermelons are resistant to many common watermelon diseases, such as fusarium wilt and anthracnose.

Are Crimson Sweet watermelons self-pollinating?

The seeded type of Crimson Sweet watermelons is capable of pollinating themselves and producing fruit without the help of another plant. However, seedless watermelons cannot pollinate themselves since they are self-sterile.

Do Sugar baby watermelons need a trellis?

Sugar baby watermelons can be grown using a trellis if you don’t have much space. But, trellising Sugar Baby watermelons is not strictly necessary. Hence as a useful technique for maximizing space and producing high-quality fruit, you can do it.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you get to know each detail regarding crimson sweet vs sugar baby. Both watermelons are very popular, because of their extraordinary features.

You can keep both varieties for two to three weeks without refrigeration. Also, if they are stored in a cool place, such as the basement, they’ll last longer.

Happy planting!