When I was young, I knew a fellow named Elmer Hite. He was born in the 1880's and had a haystack of silver hair.  He still grew a vegetable garden at the age of 82.

   Elmer told me once, when you plant watermelon you should take a cow paddy and build a  hill of soil over it.  Poke the seeds into the top of the hill, then flatten the top of the hill to plant the seeds.  "No bugs will touch it", he claimed.