Growing an early harvest of melons. How to grow watermelons and melons in open ground Care for melons and melons in June

Golden melons, pot-bellied pumpkins, sugar watermelons - all these are melons. They are all relatives, but each plant has its own growing secrets. How to get good harvest melon crops, nuances of planting and care, agricultural techniques - so that “all the relatives of the garbuz are alive and well.”

It is traditionally and erroneously believed that good watermelons and melons grow only “in the south.” And we are in a hurry to buy imported fruits, but we don’t even buy watermelon and melon seeds. But in vain! Modern varieties and hybrids can be successfully grown in our gardens.

Watermelons, melons, and pumpkins grown with your own hands from seeds are not inferior in taste to those from the south. And nutritionists have long been talking about the benefits of these fruits. They contain a lot of carotene, potassium, phosphorus, organic acids, and iron salts. By useful qualities they are, in many ways, in no way inferior to fruits.

General rules for growing melons from seeds

All melon crops need a lot of light and heat, moisture in the soil and dry air.

The peculiarity of melon crops is their heat-loving nature and the need for direct sunlight, without shading.
The temperature at which pumpkin, watermelon, and melon from seeds develop best is above +20°C. For abundant flowering of female flowers and fruit set, the recommended temperature during the day is: +20°C - +25°C, and at night it does not fall below: +18°C - +20°C.
At a temperature of +12°C, the development of melon plants slows down significantly, and at +10°C and below, it stops altogether. When frosts occur, melon crops may die.
The root system of melons and melons is powerful and well developed, which is why pumpkins, watermelons, and melons successfully withstand drought. Hairy leaves - prevent the evaporation of moisture from the leaf plate.
In order for the harvest of melons and melons to be plentiful and the fruits to be tasty and large, it is necessary to ensure regular watering.
High air humidity in the place where melons and melons are grown from seeds must be excluded. At high humidity they can be affected by diseases. To keep the air dry, water at the root.
Melon seeds are sown in one place every 4-5 years. You should not sow melons in one place every year. Bad predecessors for watermelon, melon and pumpkin:,. Good: grains, cereals, potatoes, etc.
Melon crops respond well to fertilizing; the number of female flowers, ovary formation, fruit filling, their taste and quality increase.
From seeds, melons can also be grown through seedlings. It is better to grow only early and mid-season pumpkins and early watermelons and melons by direct sowing of seeds in the ground.
To get large fruits and more ovaries, pinch out pumpkin, watermelon, and melon vines. One way: by the end of August, pinch the tops of all shoots that have an ovary. The second method: pinch the plant above 4-5 true leaves so that side shoots appear, and then remove the tops after 2-3 ovaries appear on each.

Different melons have their own characteristics of growth, development, and care. Let's understand the nuances of agricultural technology and the choice of seeds different varieties and growing crops.

Features of growing melons

In the southern regions you can grow any varieties, and in cooler regions you can grow the best varieties of melon: super-early, reliable early, traditional, etc.

Soils and lighting.

Neutral or slightly alkaline cultivated soils without stagnant water are suitable for growing melons. Good melons will only grow in full sun. Seeds are sown in soil fertilized in the fall.

Preparing melon seeds for sowing.

Before sowing, dip the seeds in a 1%-2% salt solution. The best seeds will settle to the bottom. Rinse them with water and treat the sprouts.

Sowing melon seeds.

Sow seedlings in containers with a volume of 150 ml or more. Sow 3-4 seeds in each. Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be 25-35 days old. Shoots will appear within 6-10 days at a temperature of +25°C. Sowing depth 4cm - 7cm. In the garden, seeds are sown when the soil warms up to at least +12°C

Planting a melon.

Plant melons in nests of 3-4 plants in each hole. The distance between nests is 50 cm - 70 cm in a row. Row spacing - from 120 cm. When planting, add a complete complex to the planting site.

Melon care.

When 5-6 true leaves appear, remove the weakest plants from the hole, leave 1-2 of the strongest. Feed the plants several times a season. Water regularly, at the roots. 203 weeks before fruit ripening, stop watering. Then the melons will be sweeter.

When choosing watermelon seeds, note that the most delicious are the mid-late and late varieties, and the earliest ones will definitely have time to fill and ripen, regardless of the weather. The most popular varieties: oval with light green skin, with bright yellow flesh - variety, etc.

Soils and lighting.

Watermelons love light sandy loam soil, enriched with compost or humus in the fall. And sunny places without the slightest shading.

Preparing watermelon seeds for sowing.

In a 3%-5% salt solution, the best seeds will sit at the bottom. Wash them, treat them with a stimulant and sow.

Sowing watermelon seeds.

The timing of sowing watermelon seeds for seedlings is determined as follows: the age of the plant for open ground is 30-35 days. Shoots appear within 10 days. When the soil warms up to +12°C, you can sow in open ground. Sowing depth: 4 cm - 6 cm.

Planting a watermelon.

Several sprouts or seeds - form 3-4 plants into holes. After a month, 1-2 of the strongest plants are left. The distance in a row between nests is from 50 cm. Between rows: from 150 cm.

Watermelon care.

Feeding is carried out regularly, like melon, once every 2 weeks, starting from the moment 3-4 true leaves are formed. To prevent the wind from blowing the lashes around, you can sprinkle them with peat or other mulch. Watermelons do not like their leaves to turn over and break. The ends of the lashes are pinched general rules for melons.

Of all the melons, pumpkin has one of the longest ripening periods. For most varieties it is 110-120 days from germination to harvest. There are seeds of early varieties of pumpkin, usually these are short-growing or bushy plants, with fruits weighing up to 2 kg (portioned). Pumpkin has the ability to ripen during storage and can be stored at room temperature for several months without loss of taste. And there is a pumpkin, the seeds of which are formed without a hard shell, they can be eaten without peeling -.

Soils and lighting.

The pumpkin plant itself is unpretentious and will survive in any soil. But in order for sweet, ripened fruits to grow from seeds, cultivated, light, nutritious soil is needed. You can plant a pumpkin in light partial shade, but the vines will rush towards the light and the best fruits will only be in a lighted, well-warmed place.

Preparing pumpkin seeds for sowing.

Choose the fullest and largest seeds, treat them with a stimulant before sowing.

Sowing pumpkin seeds.

In order to get larger and more mature fruits, and a richer harvest, grow seedlings. Sowing is done both in beds and containers to a depth of 4 cm - 6 cm.

Planting pumpkins.

Seedlings and seeds are planted in the garden bed when the temperature at night no longer drops below +12°C. Plants are planted in nests, holes with a diameter of up to 50 cm are made in advance, and they are filled with fertilizers. Large-fruited pumpkins are grown - 1 plant per nest, hard-bark and nutmeg - 2-3 plants.

Pumpkin care.

Regularly fertilize and water pumpkins, especially during fruiting period. While weeding and loosening, lightly hill up the bushes.

Grow melons - pumpkins, watermelons and melons good quality and sugar content is possible in any region of Ukraine. To do this, you just need to follow the growing recommendations and buy seeds of varieties suitable for you.

Melon and watermelon are melon crops that are particularly demanding on air and soil temperatures. They have a longer growing season than the main crops cultivated in Russia. That is why they are grown mainly in the southern regions of the country. However, a high yield of heat-loving melon crops can be grown not only in the southern, but also in the central regions of Russia, by planting seeds of early-ripening cold-resistant varieties or using the seedling method of planting, as well as protecting plants from spring frosts. Moreover, being annual plants, melons will not bring additional trouble to vegetable gardeners, such as apricots or grapes. Despite this, in Russian garden plots It’s not often that you come across beds where honeydew melon or sweet juicy watermelon grow. Growing melon and watermelon undoubtedly requires some effort, but even not very experienced vegetable gardeners can create suitable conditions for their growth. The secret to success is choosing the right crop variety and proper agricultural technology.

The secret to success in growing watermelons and melons is choosing the right crop variety and proper agricultural technology.

Choosing a variety of melon and watermelon

Before planting, the seeds are soaked - in a container with boiled water you need to mash the aloe leaf (the volume of water should be about 5 times the volume of the leaf), leave the seeds for 6 hours.

Only early-ripening, cold-resistant varieties of melons and watermelons are suitable for cultivation in the central regions of Russia. When choosing seeds, you need to pay attention to the duration of the growing season, that is, the number of days from the beginning of growth to the maturation of the crop. Watermelons and melons of early varieties must have time to grow and ripen in a period not exceeding 90 days.

The climate characteristics of the central regions of the country will not allow growing large fruits. It is best to give preference to medium-sized varieties, which in terms of taste are in no way inferior to the southern “giants”.

To obtain a high yield, the best varieties of watermelons are: Pink Champagne, Ogonyok, Siberian Lights, Charleston near Moscow, Siberian Rose, Krimstar, Gift to the North and others. Of the melon varieties that are of interest are: Zolushka, Dessertnaya 5, Dubovka, Thirty-day, Iroquois, Zolotistaya, Northern Cantaloupe, Kharkovskaya rannyaya and others.

Agricultural technology and care for early-ripening, cold-resistant varieties of melons and watermelons are not much different from the rules for growing, for example, carrots, beets or cabbage.

All these crops in the center of Russia are grown by direct sowing of seeds in open ground in mid-to-late May. Melon crops of other varieties can be grown only in greenhouses or through seedlings, thereby reducing the period of crops' residence by open ground.

These varieties include mid-season varieties of popular Astrakhan watermelons or melons: Kolkhoznitsa, Ananasnaya and Medovaya.

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Sowing melon and watermelon seeds

As already noted, only early-ripening varieties of melons and watermelons are grown by direct sowing of seeds in open ground in the central regions of Russia. For sowing, it is recommended to use 2-year-old or 3-year-old seeds, which, as practice has shown, bloom earlier, which accelerates the process of fruit ripening. In cases where sowing will be done with fresh seeds, they must first be dried for 2-3 days at a temperature of 30-35ºC.

Types of insulated soil: 1 – steam pit; 2 – steam combs; 3 – steam ridge.

It is better to plant seeds using the nesting method, placing the holes at certain distances depending on the variety. Thus, short-climbing varieties can be planted more densely, and long-climbing varieties - less often. The optimal distance between holes is at least 1 m.

Before sowing the seeds, it is necessary to add 1-1.5 kg of humus or compost to each hole. In addition, the application of phosphorus and potassium mineral fertilizers can be recommended for watermelons.

Melon and watermelon seeds are planted to a depth of about 5 cm, after which the soil is generously watered with warm water. Seeds germinate after sowing in approximately 8-10 days.

As experts emphasize, when forming a plant, the process of pinching the tips of the shoots is important. This process necessary, since female flowers begin to develop better on second-order shoots. Pinching should be done when 5-6 leaves appear on the shoot of a melon or watermelon. You can re-mint the plants when 5-6 leaves appear on the shoots of the second order.

These varieties include mid-season varieties of popular Astrakhan watermelons or melons: Kolkhoznitsa, Ananasnaya and Medovaya.

Growing melon seedlings

The seedling method of growing melons allows you to get a good harvest of melons and watermelons with a growing season exceeding 90 days. Melon seedlings should be grown in pots to avoid damage to the root system when planting.

You can grow melon and watermelon seedlings ready for planting in about 30 days. Before sowing seeds in pots, they can be soaked and germinated, which will shorten the germination period.

The first female flower of a watermelon appears on the main stem: in early varieties after the 5-6th node and in late varieties - after the 12-14th node.

Caring for melon and watermelon seedlings has its own peculiarities. First of all, it is necessary to ensure an air temperature of at least 20ºC to obtain good seedlings. On cloudy days and at night, it is best to lower the temperature slightly to prevent the plants from stretching. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the plants do not touch leaves and periodically move the pots apart.

There is no need for additional lighting of the seedlings, since melon and melon seeds are sown for seedlings around the middle or end of April, when natural light is sufficient. But feeding plants is necessary. It is best to do 2 fertilizations with fertilizers during the growing period.

Ready seedlings should have from 3 to 5 leaves. Melon seedlings have their own characteristics: the formation of female flowers on the side shoots occurs earlier than on the main shoot. That is why the tops of plants ready for planting need to be pinched. About a week before the date when the seedlings are planned to be planted, the daytime temperature is reduced to 15ºC, and the night temperature to 12ºC. In addition, periodically ventilate the plants. Thus, the seedlings are hardened and prepared for planting in open ground.

These varieties include mid-season varieties of popular Astrakhan watermelons or melons: Kolkhoznitsa, Ananasnaya and Medovaya.

Planting seedlings of melons and watermelons

A special feature of melon is the absence of female flowers on the main stem - therefore, the first pinching is carried out above the 3rd leaf.

In order to do without greenhouses and hotbeds, there is no need to rush to plant seedlings of melons and watermelons. Very often, in the central regions of Russia, at the beginning of May, wonderful weather sets in, but by the middle of the month it noticeably worsens. Sometimes frosts occur during this period. In such conditions, melon seedlings may die. That is why it is best to plant seedlings at the end of May, having previously familiarized yourself with the weather forecast.

In cases of unexpected cold weather, shoots of melons and watermelons will require additional care: a temporary film shelter - a greenhouse - will need to be built over the plants.

Seedlings are planted in holes, as noted, at a distance of at least 1 m. Two plants can be planted in one hole, provided that in the future the growing shoots will be directed in opposite directions.

Planting melons and watermelons in a small area requires first adding at least 2 kg of humus or compost to each hole. It is best to do this a week or two before planting the seedlings. Immediately before planting, the holes are watered abundantly with warm water, the plants are carefully removed from the pots and planted in the mush formed from watering. In order to avoid plant rotting, seedlings should not be buried: the seedling ball should protrude above the soil surface.

Watermelons and melons on beds in open ground are most often grown in the southern regions, but the use of competent technology, as well as right choice varieties, allow you to grow quite a decent harvest of melons and in middle lane our country, as well as in more northern regions.

The best varieties of melon for open ground

A correctly selected variety is one of the components of obtaining a high-quality and abundant harvest of such a heat-loving melon crop as melon in the conditions of home gardening.

If even late-ripening varieties and hybrids can be used for cultivation in the southern regions, then in central Russia and risky farming zones it is necessary to give preference to early and early-ripening varieties, the formation of the harvest of which is carried out in the shortest possible time.

Name	Group affiliation	Description of the fruit	Fruit weight, kg	Advantages
"Titovka"	Ultra early productive variety	Short oval shape with a smooth orange surface and thick, white, tender, sweet and juicy pulp	0,75-3,65	Friendly ripening of fruits, resistance to bacteriosis and tower aphids
"Assol"		Oval-round, with a yellow-orange surface and orange, fleshy, sweet, very aromatic pulp	Up to 1.2
"Summer resident"	Unpretentious variety early date ripening	Globular or oval, with a yellow segmented surface and light yellow, sweet and juicy, aromatic pulp	1,5-2,1
"Cinderella"	Early ripening, consistently productive variety	Oval in shape, with a smooth mesh surface yellow color and light creamy, juicy and crispy pulp	1,15-2,25	Resistance to low and high air temperatures
"Collective farmer-749/753"	Disease-resistant and high-yielding, early-ripening variety	A spherical yellow-orange fruit with viscous, sweet, tender and very tasty pulp.	1,5-2,1	Resistant to stem ascochyta blight
"Early-133"	Transportable, early ripening, productive variety	Oval-rounded fruits with a smooth yellow surface and white, thick, crumbly-dense, tender and sweet pulp of good taste	1,5-2,1	Resistant to Fusarium wilt and anthracnose
"Sembol-F1"	Early maturing unpretentious hybrid form	Oval in shape with a dark yellow surface and very sweet, light green, aromatic pulp	1,3-2,3	Excellent taste and good product performance

The best varieties of watermelon for open ground

The easiest way to grow heat-loving watermelons in open ground is in southern Russia., and in other areas, amateur melon growers most often prefer greenhouse cultivation of sweet berries. However, in last years several fundamentally new ones were obtained, very promising for growing in areas far from ideal conditions varieties and hybrids of watermelon.

How to grow a watermelon (video)

Name	Group affiliation	Description of the fruit	Fruit weight, kg	Advantages
"Crimson Glory-F1"	Dutch hybrid form of early ripening	Round, smooth, light green with green stripes and pink, crumbly flesh	12,1-15,1	Disease resistance, good transportability, long-term storage
"VNIIOB-F1"	Drought-resistant early-ripening hybrid	Oval, smooth, green, with dark green, low-prickly stripes and pink, juicy, dense and tender flesh	2,2-6,2	Transportable, lightweight, resistant to bacterial spotting
"Dolby-F1"	Early ripening, transportable hybrid	Round, smooth, light green, with dark green stripes and light red, tender flesh	10,0-14,0	Lightweight, highly resistant to fusarium and anthracnose
"Memory of Kholodov"	Early ripening disease-resistant variety	Round, greenish-white, with red, tender and juicy flesh	2,8-5,5	Has excellent taste and high product characteristics
"Rapid"	Early ripening variety	Round, smooth, green, with dark green stripes and red juicy flesh.	3,5-4,9	Resistant to anthracnose
"Sugar Baby"	American early ripening variety with resistance to anthracnose and powdery mildew	Round, smooth, dark green, with poorly defined stripes and bright red, very juicy and sweet flesh.	3,1-5,1	Good yield, high sugar content, excellent transportability of the crop
"Eden-F1"	Early maturing, highly commercial and productive hybrid	Round, smooth, light green, with dark green spiny stripes and red, grainy, tender and juicy flesh	Up to 5.7	Transportable, lightweight, highly productive

Direct planting from seeds

Today, in home gardening, three methods of growing melons and melons are actively used:

direct sowing of crops with seeds in open ground;
planting ordinary potted seedlings;
planting grafted seedlings.

The first two options for growing melon and watermelon are most often used.

In both the first and second cases, before planting the seeds, pre-sowing preparation of the planting material should be carried out:

selection of the most full-bodied seeds, with surface coloration characteristic of the variety;
warming up the seeds high temperature mode;
disinfection of planting material by soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate;
germinating seeds on a damp cloth at room temperature.

We plant the sprouted seeds in a permanent place in open ground only after the soil has warmed up well and the threat of return frosts has passed. It is advisable to place a couple of seeds in each planting hole, which will allow you to leave only one, the most developed plant in the hole in the future.

Before mass seedlings appear, it is advisable to cover the crops with non-woven covering material or garden film. The optimal temperature for seed germination should be above 15-16°C. At this air temperature, seedlings appear within two weeks.

Growing seedlings

Only knowing what kind of soil melons love, you can properly prepare the soil for growing quality seedlings:

all melons love soils that are neutral and fairly light, but rich in organic compounds;
it is allowed to grow watermelon and melon on dry and saline soils with sufficient fertility indicators;
you cannot cultivate melon plants in areas with acidic and too wet soils;
It is best to use for planting ridges with light, medium-loamy soils, avoiding cultivation on sandy and heavy loamy soils;

Growing melon in open ground (video)

for deep digging of the soil, it is recommended to add half a bucket of humus or manure;
Clay soils should be improved by adding humus and coarse sand at the rate of a bucket for each square meter landing area;
the prepared soil for growing seedlings should be improved with basic complex fertilizers;
in the spring, when preparing the site for planting seedlings, 15-25 g of potassium salt and 35-45 g of superphosphate must be added per square meter;
spring application of nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 15-25 g per square meter of planting area gives very good results.

It should be noted that sowing melon crops for seedlings must be carried out no later than mid-to-late April, which will allow you to get a strong and well-developed plant ready for planting in a permanent place in a month. The melon needs to be planted in a permanent place with a distance of a meter from each other. The planting pattern for watermelon when placing two plants in a nest is 2.1 x 2.1 m, and when alternating one plant in a nest with two seedlings it is 1.5 x 1.8 m.

Melon care

You should care for the melon with the utmost care, since this melon crop is very responsive to proper agricultural technology and produces the highest, highest quality yield when the following activities are carried out:

melon is more moisture-loving than watermelon, so you need to water the plant weekly;
The plants should be fed three times during the growing season;
the first fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out a couple of weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground;
the second and subsequent fertilizing is carried out at intervals of two weeks with complex mineral fertilizers;
Weeding and surface loosening of the soil around the plants should be carried out regularly;
the main stem of most melon varieties is sterile, therefore, unlike watermelons and pumpkins, it must be pinched after the fourth or fifth leaf;

To prevent melons from cracking, it is necessary to avoid waterlogging the soil and water only with warm water.

Watermelon care

Proper care for watermelon is a guarantee of obtaining high-quality and healthy garden products. Agricultural technology for caring for watermelon does not differ significantly from growing other melon crops, so you should water, feed, weed the plants and loosen the soil in a timely manner.

Diseases and pests of melons and melons

In order to protect plants from leaf bacteriosis, watermelons and melons must be treated with Ridomil-Gold before the flowering period. Immediately after the ovaries appear, it is necessary to use gentle fungicides with a short waiting period, for which it is advisable to use the drug “Quadris-250”.

Melons: shaping (video)

Of the pests, aphids are especially dangerous, against which the aerial parts of the plant are sprinkled with a mixture of tobacco dust and ash, as well as the melon fly. This pest especially often affects melons in the southeast of the Rostov region, as well as in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, and in the northern Caucasus. For the purpose of plant prevention and protection, organophosphorus compounds, neonicotinoids, pyrethroids and other modern insecticides are used.

Many gardeners grow melons(watermelons, melons, pumpkins) various types and varieties in their summer cottages. In this regard, many questions often arise. For example, do you need to pinch shoots, like cucumbers, at the beginning of growth? What are the soil requirements? How often should pumpkins and melons be watered in the summer? The fight against diseases of these plants is also important.

Melons are heat-loving plants. Seed germination begins at a temperature of 13-15 ° C for melon, 16-17 for watermelon, 12 for pumpkin.

The most favorable for the growth and development of plants is an average daily temperature above 15°C, optimal for pumpkin - 20°C, for watermelon and melon - 22-30°C.

Melon plants light-loving, and with darkening, the yield, sugar and taste of the fruit are reduced. Melon plants are relatively resistant to air drought in the presence of moisture in the soil. Plants are especially demanding of moisture during the period of seed germination and emergence of seedlings.

Pumpkins need moisture and consume it in larger quantities than melons and watermelons.

Lack of moisture in the soil and dry air during flowering and fruit growth have a negative effect. Excess moisture at this time reduces the sugar content in fruits, taste quality, and contributes to the spread of diseases.

Melons grow and develop better on light soils with a sufficient content of organic matter; pumpkins also grow well on heavy loamy soils when organic fertilizers are applied. Good results are obtained by local application of 300-500 g of humus, 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium salt into the wells.

Melons and watermelons are best grown on light, well-warmed soils located on gentle southern and southwestern slopes, protected from the winds.

Before sowing, watermelon and melon seeds are heated for 5 hours at a temperature of 50°C and at 60-70°C for 2 hours, then disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 25-30 minutes, followed by washing with running water. . Can be disinfected with a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate for 24 hours (against bacteriosis).

Pumpkin tolerates early sowing times better than other melon crops, so sowing in open ground in the southern regions of Siberia, in particular in Altai, is carried out on May 10-20, watermelons and melons - on May 18-25. Sowing scheme for pumpkin: 200x100 cm and 200x20 cm, 2-3 plants per hole at a depth of 5-8 cm, watermelon and melon according to the scheme 100x100 cm, 150x60-70 cm and 150x100 cm, 1-2 plants per hole or 1 plant per 1m2. Planting depth seeds Z-b cm, depending on size.

For watermelons and melons, it is better to make beds 10-15 cm high and 30-40 cm wide or ridges. First add humus or compost to the soil at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 linear meter and the same amount of turf soil, 15-20 g of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers and 30-40 g of phosphorus. Dig everything thoroughly.

When growing melon and watermelon through seedlings, sowing is carried out in humus-earth cubes or pots measuring 7x7x8 cm, filled with a mixture of turf soil, humus, peat or sawdust in a 1:1:1 ratio.

15-20-day-old seedlings (from germination) take root better, which are planted in the ground on June 10-15, when the threat of frost has passed.

To obtain ripe melon and watermelon fruits 10-15 days earlier, seedlings are planted under temporary shelters in the phase of 2-3 true leaves on May 20-25.

When growing melons in open ground, watering is best done in the phase of 2-3 true leaves or when planting seedlings, at the beginning of flowering and in the first period of fruit growth. Water abundantly and no more than once a week. After watering and rain, loosening is necessary, especially on heavy soils. When ripe, watering is stopped.

Melon plants produce crops mainly on shoots of the first and second orders and to speed up ripening, they do pinching the main shoot above 5-6 m of a real leaf. Then, when the ovary reaches a size of 5 cm, pinch the side shoot above the 2-3rd leaf after the ovary.

In watermelons and pumpkins, the first female flowers form on the main stem, so pinching them at an early age delays ripening.

For all melon crops, to speed up ripening, a month before the first frost, it is necessary to pinch the tops of all vines.

Watermelon and melon are associated with the taste of summer, and every gardener dreams of growing delicious fruits on his plot. Watermelon has long been used as a healing diuretic medicine to cleanse the body. Melon crops are heat-loving and grow in warm climates, so to grow them and plant watermelons in open ground you need to have special knowledge.

Be sure to find out in advance whether it is possible to plant melons if there are cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins or zucchini growing nearby.

Melons belong to the pumpkin family. The crops are very healthy and contain a huge amount of vitamins. If you learn how to grow these plants correctly, you can get a high yield of delicious fruits.

Melon is quite suitable for “neighborhood” with watermelon. Plants tend to grow. It is not recommended to plant them too close together.

Melons are prone to infection with various identical diseases. Therefore, if you plant nearby, you need to understand the risks of spreading diseases from one crop to another.

Proper sowing of seeds for seedlings at home

Seeds are planted for seedlings approximately 60 days before planting in open ground. This means that already in mid-March, the seeds should be purchased. You can purchase them at any specialized store or ask those who have already managed to grow a high-quality crop of watermelons and melons.

It is impossible to get a good harvest from last year's watermelon seeds. The best seeds to plant– 5 years ago. It is important to understand that only some early-ripening varieties with a ripening period of up to 70-85 days are suitable for our climate. It is better to give preference to hybrid varieties that are more adapted to unfavorable conditions.

When preparing seeds, you need to make sure that they are not empty. To do this, seeds are immersed in a container with water, everything that has surfaced can be safely thrown away. Watermelon seeds germinate more slowly than melon seeds. Therefore, it is recommended to scald watermelon seeds with boiling water for better germination and only then sow.

Preparation for planting and soaking

Soak. Every separate species seeds need to be wrapped and soaked in cloth rags and maintain in a humid environment until germination. You can also soak it in special napkins.
If the seeds have already hatched, but there is no way to plant them in a timely manner, you can leave the seeds in the refrigerator.

Seeds sprouted at home are planted in separate small pots with a diameter of 10 cm, preferably peat ones. The soil should be a mixture of: humus, turf soil 3:1, add peat, sawdust, humus 3:1:0.5.

Planted in each pot 2 seeds each to depth 5 cm. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Cover the top of the container with cling film and place in a warm place +25 degrees.

It will take 40-45 days to grow watermelon seedlings, and 30 days for melon.

when the seeds germinate, transfer them to sunlight to temperature +22 degrees. Remove the film;
the best place for seedlings is a window sill on the south side of the house;
a week after sowing, feed the seedlings with mineral fertilizers, and another week - with mullein infusion with superphosphate.

Planting in open ground

When planting in open ground, you need to focus on climatic conditions, the selected crop variety, and the readiness of the seedlings.

Soil selection

Before planting melons in open ground, you need to choose a place for planting. Exotic plants love sunny places where there is no shade or wind.

Melons and watermelons need rich soils, as well as those that withstand moisture well. The ideal option is sandy and sandy loam soil with a hydrogen index of 6-7 units.

Site preparation is carried out in the fall. When digging, add 4-5 kg of manure per square meter, 40 grams of superphosphate, 30 grams of potassium salt. and ammonium sulfate.

Preparing watermelon seedlings

When will the seedlings appear? 5-7 leaves, it is ready to be transplanted into open ground. Best time – the end of May. However, you need to focus on weather conditions so that the air temperature remains +15 degrees at night.

A week before planting in open ground, seedlings should be hardened to a daytime temperature of +16+20 degrees.

Open ground planting scheme - depth and distance

To plant in open ground, you must adhere to the following rules:

Holes should be made in the garden bed at a distance 0.5-0.7 meters apart according to a checkerboard pattern. Leave 70cm gaps between rows.
Seedlings are placed in holes so that there is only a few top leaves. The soil should be flattened and sand should be sprinkled around it to protect the plant from rot.
After planting, the crop should be watered with summer or slightly warmed water.
To protect a young plant from the scorching sun, you need to cover the sprouts with moistened caps made of plastic or paper for 2-3 days.

10-14 days after planting, you need to feed the crop with a solution of ammonium nitrate 20 g per bucket of 2 liters for each bush. During the period when buds appear, you need to feed the melons with mullein infusion.

Features of growing melons

To ensure free access of oxygen to the roots, the soil needs to be constantly loosen to a depth of 10 cm. Hill up the crop as the side loops develop. To prevent the plant from spending all its energy on gaining mass during the growth period, you need to pinch the main stem. For full development of melons, three shoots are enough.

When fruit ovaries appear, 2-6 of the strongest and largest specimens are left on the bush. To reduce the load on the vine, it is recommended to tie the fruits in nets and hang on a support. The fruits are placed on foil linings to prevent rotting.

If watermelons will be used in the future for storage and transportation, then it is better to take the berry not fully ripe.

Advantages of planting in open ground:

in warm weather you can achieve maximum ripeness fruits;
daily watering of the crop is not necessary;
You can increase productivity by following the basic rules for selecting soil and planting seeds for seedlings.

Grow watermelons and melons on summer cottage is quite real. Some even grow them in bags or greenhouses. If you follow all the recommendations, then by the end of summer you can enjoy sweet, sugary fruits. The main advantage of growing melons in your garden is the absence of chemicals.