(Citrullus lanatus) Sugar Baby is the original “icebox” watermelon — the small, dark, perfectly round melon that made it possible for refrigerator-era families to enjoy a real home-grown watermelon without needing a wagon to haul it. Introduced in 1956, it’s still the gold-standard for small-fruited, super-sweet, open-pollinated watermelons.
 
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Fruit: 6–10 inches in diameter, 6–12 pounds (average 8–10 lbs), nearly perfectly round. Rind is tough, dark green with a faint black-green stripe pattern that disappears as it ripens.
Flesh: Deep red to red-pink, very sweet (10–12% sugars), fine-grained, almost no seeds in well-grown fruits (occasional white seed coat).
Days to maturity: 75–85 days from transplant — one of the fastest true watermelons, perfect for short seasons or early markets.
Vine habit: Medium vines (6–12 ft spread). Easy to trellis or grow on raised beds.
Yield: 2–4 melons per plant (sometimes 5–6 when pampered).
Flavor: Classic old-fashioned watermelon sweetness — the taste people mean when they say “this is what watermelon used to taste like.”
 
Growing Tips for Maximum Sweetness & Yield
Give it heat, sun, and room to run. Transplant seedlings when soil is 75 °F+. Plant in your hottest, sunniest spot with well-drained, sandy soil enriched with compost. Water deeply and consistently until fruits are softball size, then back off slightly to concentrate sugars (never let it wilt). Limit to 2–3 fruits per vine for the biggest, sweetest melons. Harvest when the tendril nearest the melon turns brown and dry, the ground spot turns creamy yellow, and the rind loses its shine — thump test optional (Sugar Baby often sounds dull even when ripe). One or two healthy vines will give you 20–30 pounds of pure summer joy.
 
Sold in 4" pot containing 3 vines.