If your climate tends to feel like an icebox at night, even in midsummer, ‘Blacktail Mountain’ may be your answer if you want to grow watermelons.

Developed in Northern Idaho, this is a short season open-pollinated cultivar that will tolerate cool nighttime temperatures.

‘Blacktail Mountain’ produces fruit that weigh six to 15 pounds, just the right size for storing in your fridge. Fruits are round with a dark green rind and sweet scarlet-hued flesh.

And if your first frost comes early, fruits can be picked a little before full ripeness and ripened in storage, where they can keep for up to two months.

Wonderful for northern areas with cool nights and short growing seasons, this variety comes to maturity in just 70-75 days.