As wide as your 1st 2 fingers.

I hope that helps.

I have opposite prob with cantalope. All green & they never ripen when picked green.

At least the dog still loves the over-ripe ones.

You never know until you open it up if it's ripe enough and if it isn't, it's too late. Once it's opened, it won't ripen up and you're stuck.

Years ago, I bought a cantaloupe and as I was driving home, the smell of it was overpowering. I thought it was rotten. I put it in the refrigerator with the rest of my groceries. A couple of days later I thought why am I saving this rotten cantaloupe so I cut it open to throw it out and it looked good so I tasted it. It was the sweetest, juiciest cantaloupe I ever had. I've never been that lucky with picking out a cantaloupe in my life.

For cantaloupes, I smell the stem end. If you can detect a fruity smell, it's ready. Don't know if that helps.

But thanks!

I’ve been struggling for nearly 60 years trying to find a GOOD
WATERMELON.

I finally gave up.
It’s really hit or miss on a good watermelon.

But I will say, where a watermelon is grown,,,, water and soil
make a difference.

I tend to like watermelons grown in red dirt.
East Texas watermelons 😍❤️

And LARGE watermelons too.
Even though those large watermelons may not all be eaten,
Those are more tasty sweet, and watermelon w/ the seeds
seem to me to taste better too.

The old thump method was what he did. That is what all of us old Texans did. With the way things are grown now, I am not sure it would work.

the riper the melon because of longer contact on the vine sitting on the ground. Try looking for a paler and smaller yellow spot. With cantaloupe, the same person told me to smell the stem end. Ripe if you can smell it and under ripe if you can’t. The stronger the smell, the riper.

I've been buying those popular "seedless personal watermelons" and I don't think they're as good as the regular seeded ones. I think I'm going to give up on the small ones.

Watermelon: look for a rather large yellow spot. Means it sat on ground for a while and is ripe.
Cantaloupe: smell the top part that was attached to stem. It must smell like a cantaloupe, but not too much or its going bad. You'll know the difference.

He, or it, said pick ones that have a shiny skin, a large yellow field spot, and are heavier than the other ones relatively speaking; it seems to work.

Somehow I got a reputation as being a great watermelon picker!

Cantaloupes? I agree with the smell test.

… and it’s pretty accurate.



Argh. Edited to add a link because this graphic cut off the bottom text.

https://www.healthy-juice.co/how-to-pick-a-perfect-watermelon-a-complete-guide-to-choosing-the-juiciest-and-sweetest-fruit-%f0%9f%8d%89/

American watermelons have no taste.
Had delicious watermelon for breakfast this morning.

...of my watermelon purchases for at least a couple of years. We usually buy the cut up chunks because there are just the 2 of us at home now and a whole big watermelon would be a lot, and I choose the redder ones chunks, but oftener than not, there is no flavor. They don't taste bad, they just don't "taste" at all.


.

I never eat watermelon in the US. I get mine from St Elizabeth Parish in Jamaica - the best on the island.