Secrets of planting watermelons in open ground. How to care for watermelons - growing technology

The best watermelons they are brought from the southern regions, but you can get a good harvest of this huge striped berry in the conditions of the Moscow region; plant watermelons even in Leningrad region. It turns out that this is not difficult to do, you just need to know the basics of melon growing and make a little work. The basic operations are familiar to every gardener, and only a too cold summer can be an obstacle.

plant description

Watermelon belongs to the gourd family and is an annual plant. Most varieties have a long creeping stem that extends up to two meters. The leaves are dark green in color, large, with a strong dissection. The fruit according to the biological classification is a berry, very large, usually spherical in shape. In some varieties, it is not a ball, but an elongated torpedo-shaped berry. The mass of the fetus is significant: it can range from 500 g to 20 kg. Watermelon bark has various shades of green; most often it is covered with dark or light stripes, but it can also be monophonic. The flesh is juicy, in most cases red or dark pink, but there are varieties with an orange or yellow core. There are usually a lot of seeds, they are large, 1–2 cm long, flat, hard, black or brown.

How watermelon grows

The main part of the watermelon crop is obtained in the subtropical zone, much less - in temperate climate. In Russia, watermelon is grown mainly in the Lower Volga region and the North Caucasus, but amateur gardeners are promoting the culture much further north. Watermelon comes from the African continent. This culture endures heat and drought, it needs warmth and bright sunlight. However, watermelon normally tolerates short cold snaps, is undemanding to the composition of the soil. The roots are able to suck water from considerable depths, so watermelon is able to grow even in conditions of moisture deficiency. At the same time, it responds well to artificial irrigation, which, in combination with planting on light sandy loamy soils, produces fruits of very high quality. Watermelon should be in the sun, and adult plants get water for themselves

Application

Watermelon is good for people of all ages. Its juice is dominated by simple easily digestible sugars - glucose and fructose, and in terms of the content of the latter, it is one of the champions among cultivated plants. Watermelon contains various organic acids, including folic acid, which is of great importance for the human body. Watermelon contributes to the regulation of fat metabolism, which determines its use in medicine and nutrition, contains iron salts and other trace elements. There is even the concept of a watermelon diet.

Watermelon is consumed mostly fresh, being a wonderful summer dessert. It can be eaten in an almost unlimited amount, although doctors warn against excesses in the presence of certain diseases. At the same time, during the mass harvest, watermelons are also used for various preparations. You can make juice from them, and when the latter is slowly evaporated, you can get honey-nardek. Very tasty candied watermelon is known. There are many lovers of salted and canned watermelons: small fruits, including those that are not quite ripe, are used for such preparations.

Varieties

All known varieties of watermelon are conditionally divided into early, mid-ripening and late. If we talk about our country, then late varieties (for example, Spring, Icarus, Kholodok) make sense to plant only in the southernmost regions; in Central Russia, only early varieties, such as Victoria, Skorik, Ogonyok, have time to fully ripen. Varieties of medium maturity (Lezheboka, Ataman, etc.) occupy an intermediate position. Among the "classic" varieties of watermelon, the most popular are the following.

Ogonyok is an extremely popular early ripe variety, known since the times of the USSR. The fruits are small (about 2 kg), the seeds in them are very small, and the pulp has an excellent delicate taste. The bark is thin, its color is black-green with a blurred pattern. The variety is able to fully mature in the Central Black Earth, East Siberian and Far Eastern regions.
Kholodok is one of the most famous varieties of late-ripening watermelons. The fruits are stored for more than 3 months, the variety is very productive, has an excellent taste. Kholodok appeared in the early 1990s, intended for planting in the North Caucasus and Lower Volga regions. The bush is very powerful, with long (up to 5 meters) lashes, moderately resistant to diseases. The fruit is somewhat elongated, weighing about 4 kg, dark green with almost black stripes. Watermelon cannot be called thin-skinned, but it is well transported and stored. The flesh of the watermelon is bright red, very sweet, tender.
Shuga baby - a variety included in the State Register not so long ago, is intended for the Central Black Earth region, but can be grown further north, as it easily tolerates cold weather, including in the spring. Variety of ultra-early ripening. The bush and leaves are medium in size, the fruit is round and rather small: the bulk of the specimens reach a mass of 1 kg, and only a few grow up to 4 kg. The fruit is thin-skinned, striped, the outside of the usual dark green color. The pulp is dark red in color, with very small seeds. Taste qualities are characterized as excellent. Since "Suga baby" is translated as "Sugar Baby", you can find a description of the variety under both names on the network, which can cause some confusion. So, describing the "Sugar Baby", they indicate that it is recommended for severe weather conditions, including for cultivation in Siberia, as it is extremely resistant to low temperatures. However, there is no variety under such (Russian) name in the State Register, but at the same time, the main part of the description corresponds to both Russian and English names. Variety of universal purpose: good not only fresh, but also in salting. Easily transfers transportation.
Crimson Sweet is one of the trendy varieties grown in most European countries, of French origin. Watermelon of ultra-early ripening, but in its segment - one of the most large-fruited. Spherical fruits weigh an average of 10 kg, and can grow even larger. Coloring - classic watermelon, striped (lighter stripes on a dark green background), the flesh is dark red, without veins, very sweet and tasty, crispy. The fruits are transportable, well stored, and the plants themselves are drought and disease resistant.

Photo gallery: popular varieties of watermelons

Ogonyok is a well-deserved early variety that grows in almost all regions. Kholodok enters the shelves in September and can delight with its taste for several months. Sugar baby ripens very quickly, so it is planted in almost all regions.

In addition to those listed in this list, last years various popular exotic varieties, which do not fit into the usual image of a striped berry with a red inside, filled with numerous seeds. So, for example, there is a very expensive and scarce black watermelon. The Densuke variety is grown in Japan. Outside, it is completely black, glossy, without stripes, weighs 5–7 kg, and inside contains the usual-looking bright red flesh. True, gourmets who have tried it describe the taste not just as sweet, but as magnificent. At the same time, in Russia there are also domestic, very inexpensive, varieties that look like Densuke. Such, for example, are the Black Prince or the Black Excellent. They may not be as tasty, but they are not so expensive on the market either.
Densuke black watermelon is very expensive, but is it legal - gourmets decide

In recent years, yellow-fleshed watermelons have come into fashion. These are hybrid plants; Outwardly, they are no different from traditional watermelons, but inside they are yellow. There are almost no seeds in them (and sometimes not at all), the taste is very different from the usual. The pulp may contain flavors of mango, lemon, pineapple and other southern fruits. So, for example, about 10 years ago, Lunny watermelon was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation. Like all other yellow watermelons, it is characterized by early ripening. The bush is of medium size, elliptical in shape, the fruit is small: its weight is from 2 to 3 kg. Outside striped, but the flesh is light yellow, tender, excellent taste. Capable of short-term storage (about a month).
Lunar on the outside is an ordinary watermelon, but inside it looks very unusual

Already in the middle of the last century, varieties of watermelons with a complete absence of seeds were bred. As a rule, such watermelons are sweeter, the shape of most varieties is oblong, and the mass is relatively small (about 4 kg).

A reasonable question: how to plant seedless watermelons? To do this, seeds are obtained by special crossing with other varieties, but this procedure leads to the fact that growing a seedless watermelon is somewhat more difficult than a regular one.

Seedless hybrids are, for example, Imbar F1, Regus F1, Boston F1. Thus, watermelon Boston F1 is included in the State Register of the Russian Federation and recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus region. Refers to early ripe hybrids, forms a long-branched bush. The fruit is spherical, light green, with narrow inconspicuous stripes. The usual weight is up to 4 kg, some representatives grow up to 10 kg, thin-skinned. The pulp is tasty, pink-red color. The fruits are well transported, but are stored for no more than two weeks after harvest.

Reviews of some varieties

Last year I decided to try to grow a watermelon in KALININGRAD for the sake of "pampering"! I chose the early variety "Spark" of the company "Siberian Gardener". Germination was 100%. Left only 2 pieces, the most active. Monthly sprouts landed in a greenhouse. They fit well with the tomatoes in the neighborhood))) Not climbing, I didn’t even have to remove the excess))) Soon 2 Watermelons appeared on each plant. He went on to crawl and bloom, but I pinched the whole thing, they would not have had time to ripen. By the end of August 3 watermelons were ripe. The fourth has not yet matured. Small in size but heavy. The flesh is orange-yellow. Juicy. Few bones! In general, I am completely delighted!!!

"Julia773"
https://otzovik.com/review_5744757.html

I never became friends with Kholodok in two seasons. He waved his hand at it, although, if it worked out, you can save it until the New Year. Even if there is no good cellar-basement, then on the glazed loggia it lies until slight frosts. And what a taste Kholodok has - watermelon for all watermelons.

"German"
http://dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=47904&st=1280

And I like Suga Baby or sugar baby, watermelons are not very large, but very sweet and tasty.

Ninyurev
http://forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=1991&start=945

Crimson suite is an early ripening variety, for Siberia it’s the very thing !!!, consistently producing even if not such large watermelons (at the moment the largest is 4 kg), but in past years, it seems to me, there were up to 6–7 kg , - I didn’t weigh it, because I bought the scales only last fall for the daily weighing of my “champion”. It seems that the weight of watermelons could be increased by a small normalization.

Ukolova
http://vinforum.ru/index.php?topic=349.0

Growing watermelon seedlings

In the south and in most regions of the Lower Volga region, watermelons can be grown by direct sowing of seeds in open ground, but in regions that are not warm enough for this crop, preliminary seedling preparation is necessary. Sometimes seedlings have to be grown in the south, if there is a desire to get the fruits of the latest varieties.

Planting seeds for seedlings

If the seeds are purchased in a specialized store and the manufacturer is not in doubt, pre-treatment of the seeds is not required. But if the seeds are taken from a watermelon bought for food, one must be careful. Firstly, it may turn out to be a hybrid, and then nothing good will come of it. Secondly, the seeds can carry hidden signs of diseases, so they must at least be disinfected. There is no need to check the seeds for germination: they are good for at least 6 years in a watermelon, but it is worth choosing the largest ones.

For disinfection, the seeds are soaked for 20–30 minutes in a dark solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed with water. When growing watermelon in the central region and in the north, it is advisable to harden the seeds (hold for about 12 hours in a damp cloth in the refrigerator). This stage will help in the prevention against most diseases. If you do nothing, you can just soak the seeds before planting, but soaking will only give a two-day advantage in seedling speed, can be sown dry.
Watermelon seeds are easy to handle: they are quite large

Based on the possible timing of planting 35-day seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, it turns out that it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings in the middle or end of April (depending on the region). Since watermelons are painful to transplant, it is better to immediately sow the seeds in separate cups with a capacity of at least 250 ml and a depth of about 10 cm (it is best to use peat pots). AT last resort, it is possible to pre-sow in a common box, followed by careful seating in pots. Soil - a mixture of equal parts garden soil, sand, humus and peat, or a store-bought mixture.

Before sowing, the soil is slightly moistened and the seeds are buried to a depth of about 3 cm, pouring a layer of clean sand of 0.5–1 cm on top. cm.

seedling care

Seedlings are easy to care for. Immediately after germination, the "garden" should be placed in the bright sun and lower the temperature to about 18 ° C, and after a few days return it to 22 ° C during the day and 18 ° C at night. In the future, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil and lighting: daylight hours should last at least 12 hours, so the seedlings may have to be slightly highlighted. It is necessary to water under the root, but lightly: the soil should be slightly moist.

After 5-7 days after the seedlings have hatched, they must be thinned out: if the sowing was in pots, leave one at a time, if in a box, remove obviously superfluous ones. The next day after thinning, you can give top dressing: a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer(according to instructions) or infusion of ash.
Watermelon seedlings manage to grow into a rather big bush in a month

A week before planting in the ground, watermelon seedlings are accustomed to fresh air, periodically taking them out to the balcony. By the time of planting in the garden, it should be strong bushes with 4-5 true leaves.

Is it possible to pick watermelon seedlings

In the classical sense, picking a watermelon is unacceptable: the slightest damage to the central root leads to the fact that further work will be meaningless: even if the seedlings do not die, there is no need to wait for a normal harvest. But if the sowing was done in a common box, when the first true leaf appears, you can plant watermelons in pots, taking out each seedling from good ball land and without disturbing the root system. This can be done only if you have a lot of experience in gardening and in case of emergency: so that the seedlings do not even feel that they were being manipulated.

Care of watermelons in the open field

Watermelon is a heat- and light-loving plant, therefore it is planted when real heat sets in and on a sunny bed. Despite the fact that an adult bush does not seem very large, a watermelon needs a lot of space, plantings should not be thickened: this culture loves space.

Planting watermelons in open ground

Watermelon is placed in a place protected from the north winds; if possible - on a small hill, so that water does not stagnate, from which the roots can rot. The best soils- light loams or sandy loams with an environment close to neutral. It is better to plant them in the place where garlic, onions, peas or cabbage grew last year. Do not plant watermelon after nightshade vegetables. As for any garden inhabitants, the garden bed must be prepared in the fall, digging up the soil with any fertilizer, except for fresh manure. Shortly before planting seedlings, the soil must be loosened by adding liter jar ash on square meter. He loves watermelon and magnesium, so it is advisable to apply magnesium-containing fertilizers in a small dose (about 5 g per 1 m 2).

Watermelons are planted when daytime temperatures reach about 15–20 ° C, and at night - not lower than 8 ° C. The distance between plants in a large field is maintained from 1.5 to 3 meters, but in the country, of course, there is not so much space. However, the holes cannot be closer than half a meter from each other, but it is better to use a 100 x 70 cm pattern.

Watermelon seedlings are moved to the garden in the usual way:

In selected places, holes are made with a scoop somewhat larger than pots with seedlings.
Half a cup of ash is added to the dug holes, mixed well with the soil and lightly watered.
Carefully taking out well-watered seedlings (in no case damaging the roots), they plant it, slightly deepening it.
Water each bush with warm water under the root, then pour clean sand into the bed with a layer of about 1 cm, placing it at least around each plant.

Watering

Watermelon tolerates drought well and does not require heavy watering. It is watered only before the formation of fruits, moisture is especially needed during the period of rapid growth of the leaf apparatus. Until the end of flowering, the soil should be constantly slightly moist, but not waterlogged. It is necessary to water under the root, preferably in the evening, by this time the water is warming in the sun. After watering, shallow loosening is necessary. It is accompanied by weeding, but as the bush grows, the watermelon itself suppresses weeds, and weeding will soon be forgotten.

During the pouring and ripening of watermelon berries, the soil, on the contrary, is dried a little: by this time, powerful roots form at the watermelon, penetrating to a meter depth and extracting a sufficient amount of moisture from there. Intense rains that occur in the second half of summer, rather, harm the quality of the crop, making the fruits less sweet.

top dressing

Watermelons are fed moderately; special care must be taken in the use of nitrogen fertilizers, it is better not to use them unless absolutely necessary: the nitrogen contained in complex fertilizer. The first time top dressing is applied a week and a half after transplanting watermelons into the garden, the second time - a month later. It is better to take mullein infusions, adding wood ash to them, and if they are not available, ammophoska or azofoska (according to the instructions for the preparation). As soon as the fruits are tied, feeding should be stopped: the watermelon will find its own food.
Feeding is convenient and special formulations for gourds

Formation of a bush (pinching shoots, trimming extra lashes and breaking out stepchildren)

In the process of growing a bush, watermelon lashes must be periodically shifted so that they do not intertwine with each other. But this is far from the most difficult: it is important to form a bush correctly, removing extra shoots from time to time. When forming a watermelon plant, the main task is that it does not waste its strength on the growth of unnecessary green mass, but directs the maximum nutrients on the formation and maturation of the crop. In addition, some of the fruits have to be removed, since all those that are tied up, the bush will not be able to provide food even on the most fertile lands. All pruning operations should be carried out on a fine sunny day so that the cut or pinching places dry quickly.

The formation procedure depends on the area in which the watermelon is grown. This work is most important in the northern regions, where the summer is short, and every warm day is important in the issue of crop maturation. In addition, the course of the procedure also depends on the variety of watermelon: the formation of a bush is most important for large-fruited varieties. All work on the rationing of the crop should be carried out when the berries grow from a chicken egg. There are several approaches to creating a properly fruiting watermelon plant.

According to the first option, three to six fruits are left on the main stem (depending on their estimated size), and all ovaries are removed from the side shoots. At the same time, the side shoots are not allowed to grow and are pinched over the fourth leaf. The point of leaving short shoots is that they provide nutrition to the main stem. But as the fruits grow, they are gradually removed side shoots, starting with those closest to the roots.
In the opposite variant, on the contrary, fruits are grown on lateral shoots, leaving one berry on each (for powerful bushes - a maximum of two), and in total - from 4 to 6 copies per bush. Three leaves are left above the fruits, the rest of the side shoots are pinched. The fruits formed on the main stem are removed.
The toughest option is not to leave side shoots at all. Up to five fruits are left on the main stem, but so that there are 4-5 leaves between them. It is believed that the nutrition from these leaves should be enough for the formation of fruits, especially if the variety does not imply the possibility of obtaining very large berries.

How to figure out which option to choose? It seems that there is no point in thinking about this for an ordinary summer resident, but you just need to remember a few rules:

do not leave more than six fruits on the bush;
on each shoot, leave only one berry in the case of large-fruited varieties and a maximum of two in the case of small-fruited ones;
after the watermelon grows to the size of a fist, leave a maximum of 4–5 leaves above it.

Even when the formation of the bush seems complete and the active growth of the fruits and the increase in their mass begin, stepchildren will periodically appear from the axils of the left leaves - additional side shoots. It is worth making it a rule to inspect the lashes weekly and break out stepchildren, preventing them from increasing in size. True, at this time it is already undesirable to turn the whips over, so this should be done very carefully. As the fruits grow, plywood or boards should be placed under them so that in a rainy summer they do not rot, lying on damp ground.
All available schemes for the formation of watermelon plants provide for pinching most of the stems and leaving only a few fruits on the bush

How to grow a square watermelon ("Japanese" technology)

A square (more precisely, cubic) watermelon is good only because it will occupy less space. This “miracle” has no other advantages, and there is not much point in trying to grow it on purpose. But lovers of such exotic can get square striped berries from any variety they like. To do this, you need to somehow make cubic containers of transparent plastic of the appropriate size.

What does appropriate mean? The diagonal of the face of the cube should be slightly larger than the diameter of the proposed watermelon, which will grow in this container. In a too cramped dwelling, a watermelon will not really ripen, and in a too spacious one it will not be completely “square”: only 6 flattened sides will turn out. In order for the cube to be reusable, it must, of course, be collapsible, and in one of the faces you need to make a hole with a diameter of 3-4 cm to escape with the fetus. In addition, numerous smaller holes are needed for ventilation, otherwise the berry in this cube will simply rot.
The future square watermelon spends almost all its life inside a transparent cube.

Further, everything is very simple. As soon as the watermelon grows to the size of an apple, it is placed in a mold and continue routine care watching how he feels. You may have to water a little more, turn the cube over, push the fruit in it while it is small. But as soon as he grows up and starts to rest against the edges, he will begin to take the form of a cube. Obviously, in a similar way, you can grow not only cubic watermelons, but also, for example, pyramidal ones.

Treatment for diseases and pests

Watermelon is a heat-loving plant, but otherwise it is completely unpretentious. At proper care it rarely gets sick or is attacked by pests. Most often, in amateur melon growing, even no spraying is required; in large farms, of course, preventive treatments are carried out. To prevent possible diseases (rot, spotting, powdery mildew, anthracnose) use, for example, such well-known drugs as Fundazol or Decis, as well as traditional Bordeaux liquid. Each of them is capable of destroying certain pathogens, and if necessary, you should carefully study the instructions.

Watermelon has few pests. The most common are melon aphids, wireworms, and various mites. To scare away most of them, it is enough to spray watermelons with products based on garden plants or simple household preparations. So, against aphids, infusions of tobacco dust or wood ash (with small additives) help well. laundry soap). Wireworms and leaf-eating caterpillars are collected by attracting them to sweet baits placed in small holes: sweetened infusions of garlic, mustard, wormwood, hot pepper, tomato tops.

Harvest and storage

When the crop approaches the ripening stage, the question arises: when should the watermelons be cut? After all, the fact is that fully ripe berries are very poorly stored, and if you want to eat delicious watermelon straight from the garden, you have to wait until it becomes as tasty as the variety allows. Those watermelons that have not yet reached the so-called first stage of maturity are also poorly stored.

Of course, until you cut a watermelon, you will not know exactly what it is inside: it happens that even the most experienced melon growers make mistakes. On the cut, everything is simple: if the color of the pulp and seeds corresponds to the varietal characteristics, the watermelon is ready. A slightly unripe specimen (the flesh is lighter than normal) could reach full ripeness and gain sugar during storage. But you will not cut berries in the garden!

There are several signs of ripeness:

when watermelon ripens matte coating peel turns into shiny;
the crust should be firm and not pierced by light pressure with a fingernail;
in a fully ripened watermelon, the stalk becomes dry;
a good sign is a yellow spot where the watermelon was in contact with the ground or bedding;
if you knock on a watermelon, then ripening specimens emit ringing sound. Muted tones - in fully ripe and, conversely, green (well, it's not so difficult to distinguish them from each other).

The lightest are late-ripening watermelons, but they must also be removed correctly. The berry is cut with a pruner or a sharp knife along with a stalk about 5 cm long. When transporting to the storage, watermelons should lie on a soft bedding, and in the storage itself - also on a bedding, preferably straw, and only in one layer. During storage, they must be periodically inspected, discarding specimens that begin to deteriorate. best temperature in storage - from 6 to 8 °C, air humidity is not higher than 85%. But even the lightest varieties can rarely last more than three months.

Growing watermelon at home (in a bucket)

If the house has a sunny window sill or balcony, you can grow watermelon on them. True, it requires a lot of free space, and it is almost impossible to get a berry weighing more than 1 kg. The whole process consists of the same stages as usual, only from small seedling pots plants with a clod of earth are transferred to a large pot, with a volume of at least a bucket, and preferably from 15 liters. Of course, you can immediately sow the seeds in a bucket (not forgetting to make drainage holes in the bottom).

On one plant at home, you can leave no more than two fruits, but after they successfully tie. And they will tie only under the condition of artificial pollination.

The owner must know how the female flowers differ from the male ones, and pollen from the male flower (on a thin stalk) must independently pollinate the female one (with a thick stalk).

Otherwise, you need to monitor the temperature, soil moisture and give the watermelon more light.

Greenhouse watermelons, the use of nets

In the cold climate zone, watermelons can only be grown in a greenhouse. There, beds are prepared in advance, introducing humus and mineral fertilizers into them. Watermelon seedlings are planted when night temperatures in the greenhouse do not fall below 6 ° C, which happens in the center of Russia around the end of April. Although, of course, in the greenhouse you can sow watermelons and seeds, immediately in the garden.

Since space in the greenhouse has to be saved, watermelons are planted somewhat thicker, and trellises are arranged to guide the lashes. Plants are usually planted according to the scheme of 50 x 70 cm, and early varieties are planted at all, two plants per hole, directing the shoots in different directions. If windows and doors are almost always kept closed in the greenhouse, at the right time there may not be flying insects in it, there is no wind there, so artificial pollination has to be carried out.

If a watermelon is grown on a trellis, the fruits do not lie on the ground, but are at a certain height, so they may fall as they grow. In this regard, when a berry grows to the size of an apple, it is often placed in spacious nets of any material that are firmly tied to the trellis. At the same time, the fruits do not lie on the ground and, therefore, do not rot. In addition, when in a grid, they are evenly lit from all sides, resulting in a more early ripening.
Nets fixed on the trellis allow watermelons not to fall and ripen better

Barrel growing, film application

Our summer residents are well-known experimenters, and in the pursuit of saving space, they have invented many unique ways to grow vegetables. So, many vegetables, flowers and even strawberries are often grown in old unusable barrels with a volume of about 200 liters. You can do the same with watermelons. Various garbage is placed at the bottom of the barrel, which acts as drainage, and as it rots, fertilizer. Grass is sprinkled on top good humus and then fertile soil. Insofar as metal barrel warms up well in the sun, this substrate always remains warm.

You can immediately sow seeds in the barrel or plant seedlings (depending on the climate), but in any case, at first the watermelon must be covered with non-woven material. There is enough space in the barrel for two plants. A trellis is not needed here, and the growing lashes will hang down, where flowers will appear near the surface of the earth, and then fruits. Watermelon care is normal, only more abundant watering may be required.

Some gardeners instead nonwoven fabric cover the planted seedlings with plastic wrap. As a temporary measure, this approach can be used, but prolonged exposure of watermelons under the film can lead to root rot. The film can be used both in an ordinary garden bed and in a greenhouse, but only for a short time. Its only true use is to cover crops in order to create a greenhouse effect for the emergence of rapid shoots. In the future, you can make holes for seedlings and hold the film for some more time so that the earth does not cool down. But long-term maintenance under polyethylene for watermelons is detrimental.

Features of growing watermelons in different regions

Trouble-free cultivation of watermelons is possible only in the south, in other regions there are rules, but all of them are mainly aimed only at creating warm conditions for this berry.

Watermelons in the south of Russia

In the southern regions (starting with Volgograd), only amateurs who want to get very early harvests. AT industrial production watermelons are sown immediately in open ground, starting in mid-spring. They are watered only at first, before flowering, and then the melon, in fact, grows by itself.

Already starting from the Central Black Earth region, options are possible. Here, cultivation is used both through seedlings and without it, and sowing in a garden bed is possible already in early May. Greenhouses are usually not needed.

For the first time, many summer residents cover crops with a film. Some sow watermelons immediately after planting potatoes, in a free place. Since the second half of June, they have not been watered at all; precipitation is usually sufficient.

Central regions of Russia, Ural region

In the central regions of the country, and even more so in the Urals, it is possible to get a crop in the open field only by seedlings. Seedlings (better - in peat pots) are planted in the garden at the end of spring, but greenhouse cultivation is often used, planting seedlings immediately after the May holidays. Only early varieties are used: Ogonyok, Skorik, Sibiryak, and in the event of an unsuccessful summer in the open field, even they may not ripen and be used only for salting.

When planting in greenhouses, many alternate watermelons with cucumbers, although this can hardly be considered reasonable: watermelon is a resident of arid regions, and cucumbers need moist air. But with timely ventilation and proper temperature control, both crops can bring good yields.

Video: growing watermelons in greenhouse conditions

Northwestern region, Leningrad region

Until recently, it was believed that it was unrealistic to grow watermelons in the open field in the north-west of the country, but in recent years there have been more and more reports that enthusiasts manage to do this even in Karelia and the Murmansk region. True, luck is variable and depends on how the summer turned out, and the fruits are not very tasty. But in greenhouses, watermelons in the Leningrad region have been grown for a long time and quite successfully. But even greenhouse cultivation involves the use of only early varieties and requires considerable effort. Among agronomists, it is believed that the unspoken border of growing watermelons, even in greenhouses, runs along the line St. Petersburg - Kirov: in the more northern regions, "the game is not worth the candle."

Watermelons in the Far East

The heat in the Far East region is quite enough for growing watermelons in the open field, there are even zoned varieties, for example, Ogonyok, Early Kuban, Skorik, although it is possible to ripen any other varieties, except for the very late ones. Sowing seeds directly into the garden is, of course, risky, so they practice the seedling method.

The only difference between the Far Eastern technology and the traditional one is that in the second half of summer there are often long and heavy rains, as a result of which watermelons can rot. They cope with this simply: they are planted on high ridges, from which excess water drains. The size of the ridges is any, convenient for use. In suburban areas, they are made about a meter wide, raising them above the furrows to a height of 20–25 cm.

Ukraine

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, so the climate is very dependent on the region. And if in the north of the country it is similar to the one near Moscow, then in the south it is ideal for cultivating gourds. In the south of Ukraine, they do not know the concept of "seedlings", they sow watermelons right in the field or garden in late April - early May, and care for them is minimal. In the north, it is also possible to sow seeds in a garden bed (at the end of spring), and to pre-cultivate seedlings.

Growing watermelons is not always a lottery: with some experience and luck, normal fruits can also be obtained in central Russia. And already at latitudes south of Kursk or Saratov, this striped berry is a traditional resident in the beds of garden enthusiasts. You can enjoy delicious sweet fruits directly from the garden with some effort, but they are not great: the technology for growing gourds is available to every summer resident.

" Watermelon

Many summer residents probably had to be upset more than once about the unsuccessful cultivation of watermelons on their plots. You can enjoy the taste of ripe juicy berries if you take into account the advice of experts and experienced gardeners. In this article, we will consider the question of whether it is possible to plant watermelons at home, how difficult it is to care for them, and how often you need to fertilize and feed them to get an excellent harvest.

Growing a watermelon in your own garden is not as difficult as it might seem. In the open ground in the country, landing occurs in several ways:

seed;
seedlings.

The technology of sowing directly on the bed is used mainly in the warm regions of the country. As soon as the soil warms up to + 12 ° C, the preparation of seeds for planting begins. In more severe climate conditions, pre-growing seedlings is indispensable. Otherwise, the berries tied on the stem will not have time to ripen before the end of summer.

Watermelons in the garden

The key to successful cultivation of watermelons in open ground is considered right choice varieties, the growing conditions of which correspond to the climatic features of the region.

Before planting, you need to sort the seed by size, removing damaged and affected seeds. Calibration (sorting) provides for a breakdown into groups according to size characteristics in order to ensure uniform growth of shoots. Otherwise, stronger sprouts will not allow small ones to develop.

There is another preparatory procedure used by gardeners in the middle lane. This is scarification, the essence of which is the deliberate damage to the surface of the seed to stimulate growth. Just rub your nose sandpaper small fraction. In this case, the main thing is not to overdo it.

An obligatory step is the heating of the seed material. To do this, it is kept in a thermos with hot water (+ 50 ° C) for about half an hour. Due to the temperature effect, all biochemical processes are accelerated.

Disinfection is considered an integral part of the preparation. The material is kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for about 20 minutes. After that, it remains to dry it under natural conditions (do not use an oven or battery).

The most popular varieties of watermelon for planting in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

When choosing varieties of watermelon, preference is given to early-ripening and mid-ripening species. Regardless of where you are going to plant gourds: in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, you need to choose the type of watermelon that will be suitable and have time to ripen in these climatic conditions.

The duration of the vegetative period is 80-95 days. The average fruit weight reaches 5-7 kg. The pulp is rich pink in color, juicy with a characteristic sweetness reminiscent of honey. The skin is dark green with yellowish stripes, medium thickness. The plant is quite unpretentious, tolerates moisture well.

Vegetative period - 58-62 days, average weight berries - 7-8 kg. Covering material is used to ensure conditions for rapid maturation. Large leaves and spreading of the stem prevents the root system from sunburn. The hybrid is valued for its high sugar content and firm yet tender red flesh structure.

The fruit ripens in 75-85 days with an average weight of 10-11 kg. The plant is no different. high yield, but bears fruit steadily. The bright red pulp of the berry is juicy and crispy with a characteristic watermelon sweetness. The peel has a striped color, the thickness is small. The variety is resistant to diseases and moisture. The crop is well preserved and transported.

The variety belongs to early ripening species, the fruit ripens in just 65 days. The shape of the berry is elongated, the color is striped with alternating dark green and yellowish tones. On average, a watermelon weighs 12-14 kg. The red flesh is very juicy and tender with a high sugar content.

From the moment of planting the seedlings, the fruit ripens after 62-65 days, which classifies it as a mid-early species. A ten kilogram berry has a round, slightly elongated shape with red flesh and an incredibly sweet taste. The plant is adapted to climatic conditions middle lane. Among other varieties, it is the leader in terms of yield, marketability and preservation of fruits.

Rules for planting a plant in open ground

Before planting seeds for seedlings at home, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the features of growing watermelons in open ground. This will help to get a good harvest, taking into account climatic factors.

Choosing seeds for planting at home

Seeds must be healthy with no signs of damage. Experts recommend giving preference to hybrids that are immune to many diseases, resistant to weather disasters, and have a short growing season.

The preparation of seed material includes the following steps: calibration, warming up and disinfection. Scarification is not mandatory.

Before sowing, you can slightly germinate the seeds by wrapping them with a damp cloth. After 1-3, a sprout will break through the spout. The main thing in the process is not to let the napkin dry out. After that, you can sow them in the ground according to a certain pattern.

Soil preparation for sowing

Culture does not tolerate transplantation, therefore, the soil must be prepared for subsequent transfer with the sprout to the hole. To do this, soil of a loose structure is poured into a pot or other container. Melon plants develop well in soil enriched with humus and peat. Therefore, you need to fertilize it in advance. If the density of the earth is high, sand, peat should be introduced into it. Do not forget also about nutrients: superphosphate, wood ash, etc.

Planting: at what distance from each other to plant seedlings in the ground?

Seeds are planted in open ground no earlier than the 20th of May, when warm weather sets in with a temperature regime of + 14 ° C and above. Seeds are sown for seedlings in the second half of April. In one pot with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 12-14 cm, 2 seeds are buried by 3 cm. After germination, a stronger sprout should be left, and the other should be removed. The main conditions for good germination of the material:

moderate watering;
temperature regime+25-30°;
lack of drafts;
good illumination.

At favorable conditions shoots will appear after 6-8 days. Further, the temperature drops to +18° until the formation of a 4-5 cm shoot. After removing a weak seedling, you can increase the mode to +25°.

At the time of transfer to the garden, the shoot should already have at least 4 leaves (age 30-35 days). 5-7 days before transplanting, seedlings need to be watered less and set a temperature regime that does not exceed 20 °.

Transplanting is best done in the morning, so the pots need to be well watered in the evening. It is also desirable to treat the shoots with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. The seedling is transferred to a hole with soil and deepened to the cotyledon leaves. The interval between the bushes is 70-100 cm.

How to care after landing on the site?

Young shoots need protection, therefore, after transplantation, the bed is covered with a film. The shelter must be regularly ventilated to prevent condensation from forming. You can completely remove the protection in June.

Watering rules

Melons love moisture, but you should not overdo it with irrigation. It is enough to water the beds once a week. After the opening of female flowers on the plant, the rate of moisture decreases. After the formation of fruits, irrigation work is not required.

Top dressing and fertilizer for gourds

After 12 days, the seedlings need to be fed with a nutrient mixture. based on fermented mullein (10 parts water and 1 part manure). After another couple of weeks, a second complementary food is introduced with the addition of superphosphate (50 g per liter of solution), ammonium sulfate (15 g), and potassium sulfate (30 g) to the mullein.

Similar baits are used when growing seeds on open ground.

reproduction

The culture propagates with the help of seeds. In nature, this is facilitated by the round shape of the berry. After overripe, it opens and the seeds pour out along with the juice. Zealous owners, eating a delicious watermelon, wash in clean water black grains and dry them. Stored at room temperature in a dry place until the next season, after which they are grown in seedlings or seedlings.

How to grow melons in the garden: the main mistakes

In order not to repeat the mistakes of other gardeners, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the most common ones.

Preferring one or the other, it is worth studying the ripening period of the berry. Middle-late and late types should be discarded, no matter what taste they possess.
Seeds are often planted deep into dense soil. In such soil, the plant does not develop well. Clay or heavy soil should be diluted with sand and peat to give the structure looseness. Seeds should be sown at a considerable distance from each other.
You should not choose a site overgrown with perennial weeds for melon. Weeds will kill young shoots, preventing them from spreading and blooming.
The opinion of some summer residents that watermelon loves partial shade is considered erroneous. Planting under trees and bushes will not allow the berry to ripen, the culture loves a lot of sun.
Cultivation of melons without treatments for pests and diseases casts doubt on obtaining good harvest.
The lack of nutrients in the soil reduces the fruiting period and the quality of the berries. The berry definitely needs top dressing and fertilizer.

Pests and problems of growing watermelons

The culture is subject to the same diseases as cucumbers. This is:

peronosporosis;
ascochitosis;
powdery mildew;
anthracnose.

When growing, the same preventive measures and treatments are used as in the cultivation of pumpkin plants: Ordan, colloidal sulfur, Abiga-Peak, HOM, etc.

Harvesting watermelons

Of the pests considered dangerous:

wireworm;
meadow moth;
scoops;
sprout fly.

If the presence of insects or their metabolic products is detected, it is not worth delaying with the processing, most of the crop or the entire melon may die. If the biological products did not give the desired effect after application, chemical insecticides should be used: Tantrek, Aktaru, Decis, Fufanon.

Proper harvesting

You need to remove the berries from the garden at a certain time. If you do this later than the deadline, the watermelon will not be stored for a long time. The interval between the first stage of maturity and full ripeness is only 5 days, so it is important not to miss this period. A properly harvested crop does not lose the sweetness and elasticity of the pulp for a long time.

The following signs indicate the ripeness of the fruit:

drying of the tail;
the formation of a clear pattern on the crust;
the disappearance of the bluish plaque;
the presence of yellow spots on the surface of the berry;
the smell resembles the aroma of freshly cut grass;
during tapping, a ringing sound is heard.

A hint of the ripeness of a berry can be the approximate timing of fruit ripening:

early varieties - 32-35 days;
medium varieties - 40-45 days;
late varieties - 50-53 days.

It is quite possible to grow a delicious juicy berry on your site, given all the nuances and rules. Even if you grow watermelons in Khabarovsk or Bashkiria. Watermelon culture, although unpretentious, still requires attention. Diligence and hard work will certainly be rewarded bountiful harvest with a berry-record holder.

Juicy sweet watermelons are always associated with summer and sunshine. The crackle of the striped peel under the knife edge, the characteristic aroma and the melting, refreshing flesh. What could be better than, forgetting about business for a while, enjoy a slice of ripe berries. Today, you can treat yourself to a watermelon at almost any time of the year. Supermarkets always have these giant berries, however, grown on the other side of the world or in a greenhouse.

The most delicious watermelon is the one that was saturated with the power of the sun and grew not under the film, but in the garden.

Many gardeners are wondering how to grow watermelons in the country? Today, there are all conditions for this. Thanks to the appearance of early varieties and hybrids, even residents of the Non-Black Earth Region can break their own melons and get a crop of watermelons. How to grow watermelons outdoors? What kind of care does the culture require, and when can the first fruits be harvested?

Preparing watermelon seeds for sowing

Of all the gourds, watermelons have the most difficult seeds to germinate. In order for the seedlings to be friendly and strong, the seeds are first immersed in salt water. This will make it possible to identify and remove not viable, light specimens, but those that are heavier and have sunk to the bottom, to be used for sowing.

However, this is not enough. Shortly before planting, the seeds are heated for 3-4 hours at temperatures up to 55 ° C or left in the sun for a week in order to disinfect the seed in this way. Then, for a day, the seeds are soaked in warm water, which will speed up germination and give the sprouts additional strength.

Planting watermelons with seeds

In the Chernozem region and the southern regions, where watermelons are grown in summer cottages and industrial melons, the crop can be planted in open ground with seeds.

The best time for this comes when the soil at a depth of 10 cm warms up to 12-15 ° C. For sandy and other types of light loose soils, the depth of planting watermelon seeds is 4–8 centimeters, but if the soil is heavy, dense, it is more correct to deepen the seeds by no more than 4–6 cm. And the smaller the seeds, the smaller the grooves for planting them are made .

Melons, especially during the ripening period, require good nutrition, which is provided by the main root system and small roots formed on individual lashes. Therefore, when growing watermelons in open ground, a rather large area is allocated for planting, the size of which depends both on the type of soil and on the variety, as well as on the expected load on the plant.

If watermelons are sown in rows, gaps from 0.7 to 1.5 meters are left between the bushes. Row spacing in this case should be at least one and a half meters.
When using a square planting scheme, a distance of 0.7 to 2.1 meters is laid between plants.

The main thing is that as the plantings grow, they do not turn out to be overly thickened, and that all the berries that have started have enough light, moisture and nutrition.

Seedling method of growing watermelon

In the conditions of the middle lane, for example, in non-chernozem regions, as well as during a cold long spring in the southern regions, it is possible to grow watermelons in open ground through seedlings. From the moment of sowing to the transplantation of young plants into the ground, it usually takes from 25 to 35 days. It is most convenient for sowing to use peat pots with a diameter of about 10 cm, which are filled with a mixture of an equal amount:

humus;
sod land;

The seeds are buried in moist soil by 3–4 centimeters, after which the pots are left under the film until germination at a temperature of at least 20–25 ° C, only at night the temperature background can drop to 18 ° C.

When sprouts appear above the ground level, the seedlings are transferred to a cooler room. At a temperature of about 17–18 ° C, watermelon seedlings will have to stay from 3 to 4 days, which will allow you to get strong sprouts and prevent them from stretching. In the future, the temperature of about 22-25 ° C is returned to the daytime hours.

Regular watering is carried out warm water trying not to get hit sheet plates. A week after the sprouts have hatched, the seedlings under the roots are fed with fertilizer containing nitrogen and phosphorus.

Since gourds are heat- and light-loving crops, well-lit warm rooms or greenhouses are chosen for young watermelon plants, but a week before the seedlings enter the open ground, it must be hardened. For this seedling boxes put up for open air first for 2-4 hours, then the time is gradually increased. In the first days of June or at the end of May, watermelon seedlings are planted in the beds.

Choosing a site and soil for growing watermelon in the country

To get a good harvest from a watermelon grown in the country, it is important that the area intended for planting:

was well lit;
closed from cold winds;
provide plants with adequate nutrition.

The best soil for gourds is light, fertile and loose. It is optimal if the country beds have sandy and sandy loamy soil, enriched with humus or other well-rotted organic matter since autumn.

The best predecessors for watermelons are legumes, cruciferous, including cabbage and radish, as well as potatoes and tomatoes.

Before growing watermelons in open ground, care should be taken to prepare the ridges and fertilize the soil. On a meter of beds in the spring they bring:

24-35 grams of ammonium sulfate;
40–45 grams;
15-25 grams of potash fertilizers.

In pre-moistened holes, located at intervals of 1–1.5 meters, 1–2 plants are planted or immersed one at a time. peat glass in such a way that cotyledon leaves remain above the soil level. After planting, the bed is mulched with sand, and the plants are sheltered from the sun. They do the same when sprouts appear, if watermelons in the open field are grown from seeds.

In the first week, while the acclimatization process is underway, watermelons are poured with warm water.

Features of watering and feeding watermelons

It is impossible to grow a watermelon in the country without providing the plant with proper watering and feeding. Without water, it is difficult to talk about the juiciness of sweet berries, but you don’t need to overdo it here, otherwise you won’t achieve such a beloved sugar pulp. Before the appearance of flowers, watermelons are watered moderately, and when the ovary appears on the lashes, more generously.

At the summer cottage for watermelons, it is convenient to use systems with which you can also carry out regular feeding of plants.

Growing watermelons in the country, you need to remember that the culture loves rare, but plentiful watering, which is extremely necessary in the hot season, in conditions of a deficit of natural moisture. A comfortable soil moisture level for watermelons is 85%. On sandy soil that does not retain moisture well, the beds are watered more often, and on chernozem and clay soils- less often. When the berries are poured, and their ripening begins, watering is carried out less often, and then completely stopped.

The feeding schedule for watermelons grown in the country includes three procedures, during each of which approximately 2 liters of liquid fertilizer should fall on the plant. A week after planting in the ground, watermelons are watered with a solution of 10 liters of water:

40-50 grams of superphosphate;
30-35 grams of ammonium sulfate;
15-20 grams of potassium salts.

When active growth of lashes begins on plants, watermelons should receive a second dressing with half the concentration of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. With the beginning of the formation of ovaries, one more top dressing is carried out, introducing a solution based on watermelons growing in the country house:

20-25 grams of ammonium sulfate;
10 grams of superphosphate;
35 grams of potassium salts.

The introduction of the nutrient mixture is carried out in furrows arranged in advance at a distance of 15–20 cm from the bushes.

The decrease in the proportion of nitrogen fertilizers is associated with the possibility of accumulation of nitrates in the pulp of berries. Also, this measure will push the plants not to gain green mass, but to ripen.

Care for watermelons grown in the country

Care for watermelons growing in open ground consists of:

in regular loosening of soil under plants;
in watering and feeding gourds;
in the removal of weeds;
in the fight against pests and plant diseases;
in the protection of lashes and ovaries from freezing.

The soil under the plants is loosened to a depth of 7 cm, not only after planting, but also after watering and rain, until the lashes and foliage close the spaces between individual bushes.

To protect the ovaries and shoots from the wind, it is useful to fix the lashes on the ground with wire pins or by sprinkling sections of the stem with moist soil.

If there is a risk of moisture stagnation or insufficient light in the area where watermelons grow, trellises are built for plants and, at the beginning of lash growth, shoots are transferred from the ground to strong vertical supports. The same technique is useful if there is not enough space in the country for growing watermelons in the traditional melon method. As they grow, the shoots are distributed along the trellis or laid out on the ground so that one lash does not obscure the other.

If a watermelon is grown on a trellis in the country, it is recommended to leave only one main lash, on which, after flowering, depending on the variety and climate, from 3 to 6 fruits should be tied. The remaining shoots are pinched in the early stages of growth, and then, when the ovaries reach the size of a five-ruble coin, the top of the fruiting stem is removed.

When growing watermelons on open ground using the gourd method, pinch all the shoots after 3-6 ovaries, remove the stems that appear from the leaf axils and female flowers.

It is interesting that the trimmed side lashes can be rooted and also obtained from them, albeit a late and small, but high-quality crop.

If there is a threat of frost in the area where watermelons grow, the plants are protected with cardboard or special covering material.

When to harvest watermelons?

The ripening ones are easy to recognize by the changed color. With cucumbers and zucchini - the main thing is not to linger with the collection so that the vegetables do not lose their juiciness and useful properties. And when to collect watermelons, how to distinguish ripe berry from the one that should still warm the sides in the sun?

The most early-ripening varieties of watermelons in the central part of Russia can only produce a crop by mid-August. At the same time, mass harvesting at the summer cottage is not carried out, except when the berries on the melon are threatened with frost. While the warm season lasts, the ripest watermelons are cut from the lashes:

with glossy dense bark;
with a deaf, audible sound when tapping;
with a smooth peduncle without the inherent green ovary hairs;
with dry bract and mustache at the base of the leaf.

All these signs of ripeness must be considered together and only then should watermelons be collected, otherwise it is possible that the cut berry will turn out to be immature.

However, when watermelons are used for storage or transportation, it is best to take the berries a few days before they are fully ripe. Such watermelons, being in a dry, warm room, can ripen without losing any useful properties, no taste or aroma. But only watermelons collected in a fully ripe state are suitable for obtaining seeds.

Growing watermelons in the middle lane - video

Many are wondering about growing watermelons at home, but do not know how to do it. In our step by step instructions with photos we will tell you how to grow a watermelon in central Russia.

Many believe that watermelons require very painstaking care and special conditions for growing. This is not entirely correct. Let us consider in detail how to grow a watermelon in your summer cottage.

How to plant watermelons: choose a place and prepare the soil

The place for planting watermelon should be on the south side, away from shrubs, trees and fences - this crop will not bear fruit growing in the shade.

Sandy soil is the most suitable option. It is very good if in the previous year tomatoes, cereals, corn or potatoes grew in this place.

As for the soil, it should be remembered here that the root system of a watermelon goes quite deep into the ground, so you need to apply a large amount of organic fertilizers to the soil before planting a watermelon, namely:

Humus (about 2-3 kg per plant),
Neutral peat (about 7 kg per 1 sq.m).

Mineral fertilizers can also be used, the most commonly used are the following:

Urea (30-40 gr per 1m2);
Superphosphate (30 g per 1 m2);
Potash fertilizers (20 gr per 1m2).

Exceeding the dosage of these substances will provoke an abundant growth of greenery to the detriment of the growth of the fetus, so the recommended amount should be strictly adhered to.

Choosing watermelon seeds

Watermelons are sorted into three types depending on the time of their ripening.

Early ripe varieties like Atlant, Au - Producer, Borchansky, Borisfen, Gloria F1, Darunok, Crimson, Knyazhich, Spark, Sugar Baby, Royal, Tulip, Orbiy f1 (usually in the form of seedlings).
Mid-season varieties: Astrakhan, Melitopol 60, New Year, Ryasny, Snezhok, Sichelav, Tavriysky, Whole-leaved.
Mid-late variety - Chill.

Before planting, the seeds are strongly recommended to warm up well. This can be done under artificial conditions: watermelon seeds are poured onto dry gauze and placed on a warm heating battery, in 4 hours the temperature should gradually rise from plus 15 to 50 degrees. Celsius. It is very important to constantly stir the seeds so that they warm up evenly.

Under natural conditions, seeds can be warmed up by spreading them on open sun 7-10 days.

Next, soak the watermelon seeds in a slightly warm solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and rinse 3-4 times running water. Then the seeds are placed in gauze and left in a warm place where the temperature reaches plus 20-30 degrees. Celsius. We are waiting for the first seeds to hatch.

How to plant a watermelon

Growing watermelon in open ground.

It is worth sowing watermelon seeds in open ground when 10% of the total number of seeds hatch.

Do not rush too much, it is very important that the soil on the site also warms up to plus 12-14 degrees. Celsius at a depth of 10 cm (usually, this is mid-April - May).

If the seeds still fall into the soil, which has not yet been warmed up properly, they easily lose their germination.

Growing, watermelons form whip-stems from one to 2 meters long, so they should be planted at an appropriate distance from each other. And in the rows, indent 60-80 cm, respectively.

If the soil is very dry, before planting, pour 2 liters of water into each hole (10-12 cm), then lightly sprinkle the hole with earth so that its depth reaches only 4 cm.

So we planted watermelons. It is very important to put up "beacons" in the form of sticks that mark the rows, so that long before the first shoots appear, you can cultivate the land and weed.

During the period of abundant foliage growth, it is necessary to feed the watermelons. For 10 sq m you will need the following solution:

10 liters of water
Ammonium nitrate or carbamide - 150 gr,
Superphosphate granulated - 60 gr,
Potassium salt - 50 gr.

Top dressing should be done immediately after the rains.

Refuse fertilizers during the ripening period of fruits to protect them from cracking and deterioration in transportability.
If you want to speed up the ripening process and increase the yield, try covering the planted watermelons with agrofibre, and then make holes for the germinated seeds. The agrofibre is left on the surface of the earth until the end of the growing season of the plant, then it is carefully removed.
Watermelons should be watered strictly 1 time in 7 days, so as not to provoke the formation of rot.
Yellowed parts of the plant should be removed in a timely manner.

An alternative way to grow watermelons

It also happens that climatic conditions and area country beds do not give us the opportunity to grow watermelon without pre-training.

When to plant watermelon seedlings?

You can plant watermelons for seedlings, and after 20 days plant them in a greenhouse or open ground.

It is worth remembering that everything gourd plants do not tolerate transplanting, so they should be planted in fairly large containers so that it is possible to transplant along with large quantity earth.

So, pots of 8 * 8 * 8 cm in size and other containers at hand are quite suitable for seedlings.

We are preparing a universal mixture for planting. We mix humus, peat and soddy soil in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Next, add 300 g of superphosphate and 100 g of wood ash to the resulting mixture based on 10 kg of the mixture. We divide the mixture into pots and water it 3 days before planting the seeds.

Watermelons should be planted for seedlings at the end of April, in which case after 20-25 days they will be ready for transplanting into a greenhouse or open ground.

We try to keep the soil temperature in pots at least 15 degrees, it also requires good lighting, about 15 hours a day.

Watering is done at the request of the plant - when the soil is almost dry, otherwise there is a possibility that the seedlings will deteriorate due to high humidity and development of the blackleg.

Feeding seedlings in pots

For 10 liters of water you will need:

Ammonium nitrate - 20 gr,
Superphosphate - 35 gr,
Sulfate or potassium chloride - 30 gr.

Top dressing is done 3-4 days before planting watermelons in the ground, we spend 1 glass of fertilizer (250 ml) for each pot.

When the average daily air temperature has reached 11-12 degrees, we transplant watermelons into a greenhouse or open ground.

Carefully loosen the soil before planting.
Distance between seedlings in rows - 30-40cm, between rows - 60-70cm.
It is advisable to plant watermelons in the evening so that they do not dry out.
The wells are pre-watered.
After planting, it is recommended to tightly close the greenhouse, thereby increasing the chance of a good survival of seedlings.
If you planted watermelons in open ground, you can create a greenhouse effect using improvised means - cut a plastic bottle in half and cover 1 seedling with each of the parts.
During the first week, you have to water the seedlings every other day, pouring 0.5 liters of water under each plant. If it is very hot outside, try to water the watermelons daily.
After 7-10 days, watermelons begin to grow rapidly, it's time to feed and reduce the amount of watering - 1-2 times a week is enough.
Try to get rid of the yellowed parts of the plant in a timely manner.

Care of the ripe crop

Harvest begins to ripen in August. It is very important once a week to turn the watermelons upside down to the sun - this way they will ripen evenly.

If the weather is wet, try to put small boards under the watermelons so that the crop does not start to rot.

Stop watering the plants only 3-4 days before the expected harvest. The opinion that watermelons will be tasteless from excess moisture is a fiction. For a watermelon to be truly tasty and ripe, it needs a lot of sun and water!

Outcome

Perhaps we have considered all the main points that you should be aware of when growing watermelons in your country house. Your labors will certainly be rewarded, and you will certainly get a good harvest of watermelons!

Watermelon is delicious and useful berry, which pleases children and adults with its juicy pulp. You can grow watermelon in central Russia. This melon culture is very thermophilic, however, in order to grow large and sweet fruits, you need to observe a lot of nuances. So, let's talk about everything in order.

Where to grow watermelons

A place for growing watermelons must be selected very carefully. It should be a sunny area without trees or shade. Watermelons grow best in sandy and sandy loamy soils because watermelon roots penetrate deep into the soil to absorb moisture and fill with sweetness. That is why the soil for growing watermelons should not be clayey and dense. To make the soil more porous, it is first dug (since autumn). The acidity of the soil of the selected area should not exceed 6.5-7 units.

It is best to choose the soil for planting in which crops such as onions, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beans, wheat grew. Should not be grown gourds two years in a row in the same area. The soil is pre-cleaned of weeds, watermelon does not like extraneous vegetation.

When to grow watermelons

If the summer turns out to be cold, no tricks will help grow juicy and sweet fruit. But if there are many sunny and hot days in a year, be prepared for a good harvest. It is best to start planting watermelons at the end of May, when the soil is already sufficiently warmed up by the sun. If you decide to plant seedlings, then the seeds can be planted in cups in early May. However, the last word, anyway, the weather. If in the first decade of May the heat did not come, you should not rush into landing.

How to prepare seeds for planting watermelons

Consider two main ways of planting watermelons - seedling and seedless.

Watermelon has very dense and hard seeds that must be soaked beforehand. To do this, pour the seeds with warm water and leave for half an hour. Those seeds that have surfaced after the specified time are not suitable for planting - we immediately remove them. After that, you need to cover the container plastic bag and leave in a warm place (in direct sunlight). It turns out an imitation of a greenhouse. It is best if the temperature in the mini-greenhouse does not fall below 25-30 degrees during the day, and below 20 degrees at night.

When the seeds hatch, they can be planted in a cup. This is usually done in late April or early May. Cups need to be chosen large enough so that the root system is spacious. Watermelon does not tolerate root damage. The soil for planting must be mixed with humus and mineral fertilizers. In the process of growing seedlings, you need to feed the sprouts with fertilizers several more times. Two seeds are usually planted in one cup, with the expectation that suddenly some will not germinate. If both sprouts grow, they are then separated.

Seedlings for planting are ready when the sprout gains at least three healthy leaves. Planting seedlings takes place in loosened soil, fertilized with compost. Watermelon seedlings should be planted at a distance of at least 20 cm from each other. If two sprouts are planted in one hole, you need to rotate them so that they grow in different directions. Seedlings should not be planted too deep into the ground - the recesses should not exceed 10 cm. The leaves of the sprouts must remain on the surface. After planting, the sprouts should be poured with plenty of warm water so that they start better.

A seedless way to plant watermelons
If the days are already warm enough, you can plant watermelons in a seedless way. To do this, they, just like in the previous planting method, must be soaked in warm water and leave the seeds to hatch. When small sprouting sprouts appear, you can bypass the stage of planting sprouts in cups and sow the seeds directly into the soil. I would like to note once again that a reckless method of planting watermelons is feasible only if the long-term weather forecast does not portend cold weather.

Seeds should be planted in holes at a distance of 20-25 cm, 2 seeds per hole. To get a good harvest, you can prepare the following mixture. Mix soil, ash and humus in a ratio of one to one. Add a few tablespoons of nitroamophoska mineral fertilizer to the mixture. In each well, before planting the sprouts, lay out one tablespoon of the prepared mixture. Place watermelon seeds on top of the mixture, and then sprinkle with humus. This is done in order to upper layer soil was not crusted. As it was said, watermelon loves loose soil, and the sprout simply cannot break through a thick crust.

Although watermelon is considered a fairly unpretentious crop, in order to get a good harvest, you need to follow some aspects in caring for watermelon.

Imitation of a greenhouse. Until the sprouts have grown stronger, you need to cover them with a covering material. This will allow them to gain strength and bear fruit for several weeks. ahead of time. To create such a small greenhouse, stick small sticks on the sides of the beds and cover with a dense plastic wrap. Keep the greenhouse until the end of June. It is better to shoot film on a gloomy day when there is no sun. This will allow the plants to adapt better. If you remove the film on a sunny day, the sprouts can simply burn out.
Watering. Watermelon does not like over watering as it feeds on inland waters. It has a powerful root system that takes water from the lower layers of the soil when needed. But the plant should not be overdried, otherwise the fruits will not differ in juiciness. The optimal frequency of watering is once or twice a week.
Fertilizers. A week after planting the seeds, they need to be fed with ammonium nitrate. To prepare the solution, you need to dilute 20 grams of the substance in ten liters of water. After the first feeding, watermelons should be fertilized every three weeks, using the usual mineral complex. Along with fertilizers, you need to constantly hill the soil. Watermelon vitally needs loose soil. In general, gardeners advise walking less near the holes and not compacting the ground. Especially, in the intervals between planted sprouts. root system watermelon is quite sprawling, but also quite fragile. Stepping on loose soil near the hole, you can damage the root of the plant.
Molding. This is an important part of caring for a watermelon planting. If the whips are very long, they can be tied to posts or nailed with earth so that they are not damaged by the wind. In a month, ovaries will begin to form. When they become the size of a large plum, you need to leave only the largest - a few pieces. This is called pinching. This procedure is carried out for the following purpose. When a plant has many fruits, it expends its energy on each fruit. Thus, we will get a lot of unripe and small fruits. To get good and tasty fruits, you need to remove a few ovaries at the very beginning of their growth. Usually no more than 5-6 watermelon fruits are left from one bush. Moreover, on one lash there should not be more than two ovaries.

In the second half of summer, when watermelons begin to ripen, they can be carefully turned from one side to the other every 10 days. This will allow them to quickly gain flavor and juice. If the soil under the watermelons rots, you need to put small boards under the fruits to reduce the area of \u200b\u200bcontact between the watermelon and the ground.

When to Harvest

Harvested in August. To understand that a watermelon is ripe, you need to carefully examine it. Ripe fruits are distinguished by a shiny skin, as well as a dry tail. The stalk of a ripe watermelon is not hairy. If you knock on a watermelon, a ripe fruit gives out a characteristic dull sound, according to which experienced gardeners understand - it's time to harvest!

In watermelon-rich years, about 10 plants can be grown from six holes. About 40 fruits grow and ripen from them. different size and weight. With proper care and sufficient light and moisture, 90% of them ripen completely.

What could be tastier and more enjoyable than enjoying a watermelon grown by yourself? Follow all the rules of planting, care and feeding in order to grow a rich crop of watermelons in your summer cottage!

home > Metallurgy