Et Sari Tohum Al Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Seeds – Turkish Heirloom, Rare Yellow Flesh with Red Seeds, Crisp, Sweet & Juicy, Up to 5 lbs
Minimum: 10+ Seeds
Yellow Flesh, Red Seeds, and a Name That Says So
Some varieties are named for a place or a person. This one is named for exactly what you'll find inside. In Turkish, et sarı tohum al means "yellow flesh, red seed," and that's the rare, striking combination this heirloom delivers, golden, crisp, juicy flesh dotted with bright red seeds. The fruit stays compact, reaching up to about 5 pounds, making it an easy, sweet, personal-sized melon for gardeners who'd rather eat watermelon than wrestle with it.
Who Grows Et Sarı Tohum Al Watermelon?
The heirloom gardener wanting a rare, authentic Turkish variety with real character.
The home gardener wanting a compact watermelon that fits a small fridge.
The curious eater wanting crisp, sweet yellow flesh instead of the usual red.
The seed saver interested in preserving a rare Turkish heirloom.
What This Rare Turkish Heirloom Actually Is
Citrullus lanatus 'Et Sarı Tohum Al' is a rare Turkish heirloom watermelon with yellow flesh and bright red seeds, a combination that gives the variety its name. Vines produce compact fruit of up to about 5 pounds, with crisp, sweet, juicy flesh and a refreshing eating quality prized by growers who prefer yellow watermelon. Its small size makes it easy to grow, harvest, and serve, and it ripens earlier than large-fruited types. As an open-pollinated heirloom, it breeds true from saved seed, though watermelons cross-pollinate with other watermelons, so isolate or hand-pollinate to keep the line pure. Grown as a warm-season annual, not frost-hardy.
In the Garden & Kitchen
- Fresh eating: Slice chilled fruit for crisp, sweet, juicy golden watermelon.
- Fridge-friendly size: Serve one small melon without a giant leftover half.
- Fruit salads and platters: Pair golden flesh with red watermelon for a colorful display.
- Heirloom growing project: Grow to experience a rare Turkish variety with a literal name.
- Market sales: Offer a distinctive yellow melon with a story that draws customers.
- Seed saving: Save red seeds from open-pollinated fruit to keep this heirloom going.
Growing Et Sarı Tohum Al Watermelon Seeds
- Start method: Start indoors 3 to 4 weeks before last frost, or direct sow after soil has warmed.
- Germination: Sprouts in 7 to 10 days in warm soil.
- Soil temperature: Germinates best between 70 and 95°F.
- Transplanting: Move outdoors after all frost danger has passed and soil is consistently warm.
- Spacing: Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart, allowing room for sprawling vines.
- Sunlight: Full sun.
- Soil: Rich, well-drained soil with good fertility supports the strongest fruit production.
- Watering: Consistent, deep watering; reduce as fruit nears ripeness for the best flavor and crispness.
- Days to maturity: Typically ready for harvest in roughly 75 to 90 days from seeding.
- Harvest: Pick once the tendril nearest the fruit dries and the underside turns creamy yellow.
- Seed saving: Isolate from other watermelons or hand-pollinate to keep the variety true.
- Hardiness: Grown as a warm-season annual; killed by frost.
Before You Close This Page
This is a watermelon that tells you what's inside before you cut it, yellow flesh and red seeds from a rare Turkish heirloom, crisp, sweet, and sized to finish in one sitting. Et Sarı Tohum Al is open-pollinated and worth saving, a small melon with a big personality. Start it warm, water it steadily, and pick it when the tendril dries. Grow the melon whose name is its own description.
