Regular shaped watermelons
growing in a field.

When the Japanese were eating watermelon, they thought, "Wouldn't it be easier to keep the watermelon in the refrigerator is it was square?"

Even Japanese mothers thought "Watermelons always taste better when they are served cold. If only they were smaller and square so they'd fit into my refrigerator."

The idea took hold and Japanese scientist actually grew square watermelons in their labs and then grown commercially on a watermelon farm. The water melons are not genetically engineered to grow in to squares.

When the melon flower turns into fruit, a square glass box is placed over it. While the melon is growing, it will fill up the space in the glass. So instead of growing in all directions, it will be bound by the size of the glass box, therefore shaping itself into a square.

Meitetsu Department Store, Nagoya, Japan
square watermelons sell for more than $200 (Australian). We wonder; do they have gold seeds!

Using other containers to create
more unusual watermelon shapes.