Turkish Watermelons
Browse and shop for Turkish watermelons. Some of these traditional watermelon seeds have been stewarded by small communities in specific regions in Turkey. Others have been grown in home gardens and homesteads widely across the country, generation upon generation. These Turkish watermelons reflect the significance of seed stewardship in Turkey. They also manifest the incredible diversity and richness of kitchen traditions, flavors, texture, and colors of food crops, among other traits, in the country.
Watermelon is native to Africa, and it is a crop widely celebrated for so long in Turkey. Turkish watermelons come in various shapes, textures and flavors. They are a staple food crop across Turkey.
Watermelons are mainly used for fresh eating in Turkey.
In our catalog, we may also offer Turkish watermelons which were bred as part of commercial plant breeding efforts in the 20th century in Turkey. These seeds can be more commonly found at farmers’ markets across the country. It is still possible to find these seeds in Turkish commercial seed catalogs. However, many of them are also disappearing from these catalogs due to unacceptable seed laws and regulations that force farmers to become dependent on hybrid and patented seeds. Hence, it is also one of our goals to offer these now commercially rare Turkish watermelons to pass on their genetically powerful traits that also acknowledge and intersect traditions.
In addition, you will also find here the watermelon seeds from our culturally appropriate plant breeding and seed selection efforts.
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Watermelon Seeds, Adana Black
$3.50 Add to cartVery sweet, mid-size, round watermelon. Flesh is crunchy, very sweet and never grainy. Traditional variety in Adana, Turkey. Our introduction.
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Watermelon Seeds, Çekirdeği Oyalı (Orange Flesh)
Price range: $3.50 through $6.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageOrange-flesh strain of our signature watermelon variety, Çekirdeği Oyalı. Mid-size fruits are larger than those of the red-flesh strain. Crisp texture, sweet flavor, and of course breathtaking seeds.
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Watermelon Seeds, Çekirdeği Oyalı (Red Flesh)
Price range: $3.00 through $5.50 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagePerhaps the most unique watermelon we know, thanks to its seeds’ coating that looks like hand-carved when the seeds are dry. Plants produce small and sweet fruits with red flesh. Our commercial introduction.
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Watermelon Seeds, Çekirdeği Oyalı (White Flesh)
$4.00 Add to cartWhite-flesh strain of our signature watermelon variety, Çekirdeği Oyalı. Firm, white and sweet flesh with great storage capacity post-harvest. Breath-taking seeds that look like carved by hand. Our introduction.
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Watermelon Seeds, Turkey Dark Rind Red Seeded
$3.50 Add to cartSmall watermelon with dark rind and sunset-colored seeds. This variety turned out to be one of the reliable watermelons during the extreme drought of Southeast Ohio in 2024. Very good flavor. Our introduction!
