Choosing a watermelon: grower explains how sound and looks reveal the sweetest fruit

When picking a watermelon at a shop or market, many people use a familiar trick — tapping the rind and hoping the sound will reveal whether the fruit is ripe and sweet. Telling the "right", sweet-sounding knock apart from an ordinary tap, however, takes some experience, and not every shopper can do it confidently.

A watermelon grower has now weighed in on the topic, sharing personal experience and tested methods for recognizing a good, sweet, juicy watermelon. According to the grower, what matters is not only the sound produced when tapping the fruit, but also its outward appearance.

Ugly on the outside doesn't mean bad inside

Notably, the grower says the ugliest-looking watermelons can sometimes turn out to be especially good — visible flaws on the outside don't necessarily point to poor taste or quality inside. This suggests buyers shouldn't choose a watermelon based solely on a smooth, flawless-looking rind.

The grower's advice is meant to help shoppers bring home a large, sweet watermelon with more confidence, rather than a watery, bland one that often turns out to be a disappointment once cut open. This kind of practical know-how can be useful to anyone choosing watermelons from store shelves or market stalls in the middle of summer or early autumn.

While the exact cues for telling a sweet sound apart from the knock of an unripe watermelon are best understood through hands-on demonstration, the grower's experience confirms that carefully assessing a watermelon before buying can help avoid a disappointing choice.