The Giant Watermelon is a Traditional Agricultural Product (PAT) on the national list approved by the Ministry of Agriculture And Forestry, whose requirements are regulated by the production discipline of the Tuscany Region.

Features

This fruit is a large peponid (often reaches and exceeds 15 kg).
It has a slightly elongated spherical shape with a thick skin, about 2 cm, very dark green with very light medium/dark green streaks.

There are two subtypes of Fontarronco Giant watermelon based on the surface of the skin.
The first, more widespread, has 10-15 furs per fruit, very evident that, as they say, “mark the slice”.
The second variety, on the other hand, has an almost smooth skin, or with less noticeable grooves, especially to the touch.

The flesh of the fruit is deep red, the grain is coarse and filamentous.
The seeds present in the fruit are numerous, even 1000-1500 per fruit, very large and elliptical in shape.
Their coloration varies depending on the degree of maturation: they are intense blacks when the fruit is very mature, white in the early stages of their formation and browns of different intensity in the intermediate stages of their formation-maturation.

Cultivation

The sowing takes place towards the end of May.
Generally, direct seeding is used in postarelles with 2-3 seeds per hole and less frequently to transplant.
The sowing distances are about 2.0 – 2.5 m between the rows and 1.5 – 2.0 m between the plants on the row, obtaining investments of about 2000-3500 plants/ha.
Flowering lasts for a long time: from about mid-June until the end of the physiological cycle of the plant.

The plant as a whole is rustic, vigorous, with considerable expansion of the root system; it needs fresh, well-drained soils and is not particularly demanding of nutrients but decidedly demanding of water availability.
The harvest, being an ortiva production of fruit (cucurbitacea) late cycle takes place from after August until the middle of September.
The production is about 4 watermelons per plant.

The “Giant of Fontarronco” watermelon variety is a typical local production of Valdichiana Aretina.
However, historical information on the origin and beginning of its cultivation is very scarce.
Identification documents of this type of product dated 1933, 1948, 1951, 1953 were found, but probably the introduction in Valdichiana took place in the second half of the last century.

It is due only to the patience of some elderly farmers-ortolani of the area, deeply attached to peasant traditions, if it has so far remained, in small quantities, the “healthy seed” jealously guarded and handed down from father to son.
At present, in fact, this variety is cultivated only in the interior of vegetable gardens on very small areas and is intended exclusively for self-consumption, never for sale, and for the multiplication and preservation of the seed.