Wandering Watermelon

As many of you know, my father and mother are the ultimate gardeners.  They LOVE planting stuff and ran a greenhouse for many years while I was growing up.  My dad planted nearly everything from seed.  I remember spending many hours transplanting itty-bitty plants to bigger pots every spring and watering thousands of flower and vegetable plants each spring and summer until they were all sold.  My parents' yard has always been a showplace.  They seem to be able to grow just about anything.

I didn't inherit that Green Thumb gene.  All of my houseplants die, sometimes overnight.  Everything I plant in my yard dies, too.  I joke that my parents have a Green Thumb but I have a Black Thumb (the thumb of death?).  My daughter Heather, on the other hand, inherited the Green Thumb gene.  She loves to watch things grow.  My mom says Heather needs to marry a farmer so she can grow plants and raise animals....Heather's two loves.

Anyway, in June I bought a watermelon at the grocery store that was in a bin labeled "Seedless Watermelons".  However, when we cut it open it had tons of black seeds in it.  We ate it anyway and I didn't think anything of it again until I noticed a plant growing rapidly in our front flowerbed a few weeks later.  Because it was growing so quickly I thought it was a weed, but when I reached down to pull it out Heather grabbed my arm.  She informed me that she had planted some of the watermelon seeds in the front flowerbed.

Naturally, MY bush is dying but HEATHER's watermelon plant is growing.  Where is the justice?  And the watermelon is not just growing, it is taking over a good portion of the front yard and driveway!

 My poor Morning Glory is being choked by the watermelon.

The watermelon plant has spread well beyond the concrete border of the flowerbed.  The recent rains have been good for the watermelon plant.  I swear that thing grows a foot a day!

We have been looking for evidence of fruit but haven't seen any until today.

Heather is pointing out the ONE watermelon we have found amid all the growth.

Close up of THE watermelon.  It is still a little smaller than a football.

Heather and the wandering watermelon plant. 

By the way, did I mention that she planted THIRTY (30) watermelon seeds in that one spot??