Watermelons and melons are very heat-loving plants, but now their growth does not require a hot climate. An ordinary greenhouse or greenhouse will help create favorable conditions for their harvest. Still, the taste of food grown in one's own garden is better than that imported to our area for the sale of delicacies. In addition, these fruits will be free from unknown harmful substances and additives. To do this, you just need to know how to grow watermelons. Everything is better to do with your own efforts and with your own hands. We will tell you how to properly grow watermelons further.
Step one: preparing the seeds
Initially, you need to choose the type of watermelon or melon you need. To do this, you can purchase seeds in stores. You can also grow a watermelon you like in your garden. In this case, it is possible to use the seeds of the eaten fruit. But remember that with this method of seed preparation, the plant will undergo acclimatization within a year after planting, and this is associated with a long wait for the fruit. Therefore, all the same the best option of how to grow watermelons, there will be a method using purchased grains.
Step two: plant the seeds
Since our climate does not allow planting directly in open ground, you need to follow different rules for how to grow watermelons and melons. The rule is simple - in the middle of spring it is necessary to prepare the seedlings. This is done as follows. In any container filled with boiling water, crush the aloe leaf, and then lower the seeds there for 6 hours. Then you should prepare the ground. The best soil for planting watermelons and melons is soil with humus or compost. It must be slightly warmed up in the oven. Now let's proceed directly to the seedlings. To do this, you need ordinary glasses: one for two seeds. First, you need to fill the bottom of each container with a drain. The earth should be poured on top. Then in each of the glasses you need to add superphosphate and pour everything with this water. After that, watermelon or melon grains should be pressed into the ground and covered with soil 2 cm high. The containers should be tightly covered, for example, with glass. After 3-4 days, the sprouts should appear. If both grains have sprung up at once, then the weaker of them must be cut off. After the sprouts have appeared, the glass must be removed from the glasses, and the containers themselves must be placed in the sun.
Step three: planting in the garden
The next step in how to grow watermelons is to plant the sprouts in early summer in open ground, and always in a sunny place. At this time, leaves should already appear on the seedlings. It is necessary to plant the bushes at a great distance from each other, since later they will start up long processes. Each sprout must be covered plastic jar with a cut bottom.
Step five: harvest
If you have grasped the essence of how to grow watermelons, then at the end of summer, the seedlings should delight you with their fruits. Ripe fruits are best stored dry dark place... Enjoy the taste of homemade fruits.
Melon growing in Russia is not as widespread as vegetable growing. And yet, despite this, almost everyone who has the appropriate conditions for this is engaged in the cultivation of watermelons and melons in greenhouses and greenhouses. If you create optimal conditions for melons and gourds, choose resistant varieties and not be lazy when leaving, even in middle lane you can get a very decent harvest.
The homeland of watermelon is South Africa, as well as India and Egypt. It is known from the Bible that the watermelon was known as early as 1500 BC. e., and from the verses of Virgil - that he was known in ancient Rome. The image of a watermelon has been preserved in ancient Egyptian tombs. In China, a holiday was held in honor of the watermelon.
In greenhouses, watermelon and melon are grown, albeit in small volumes, both in winter-spring and spring-summer turns. But in the open field, melons and gourds have become very popular.
The climate is changing, the range of crops in the backyard gardens is expanding. Or maybe, on the basis of new achievements in breeding, improving agricultural technology, the use of insulated soil, melon growing is reviving.
Homemade watermelon is not only tastier than imported, as you are convinced from year to year; own products safer for health. The fact is that watermelon is prone to the accumulation of nitrates, which entrepreneurs can abuse when growing products for sale in order to get ahead of competitors at least a week. Thus, watermelon and melon are capable of accumulating up to 500-600 mg / kg of nitrates at permissible concentrations of 60-90 mg / kg. Considering that the content of nitrates more than 6-7 mg per 1 kg of body weight per day is excessive for human health, it becomes clear why cases of poisoning with purchased watermelons, especially early ones, are so often observed. After all, they are so tasty that you want to eat more of them. The increased accumulation of nitrates in melons and gourds occurs from excessive doses of fertilizers, pesticide treatment.
To learn how to properly grow watermelons and melons in a greenhouse or greenhouse, read this article carefully.
How to grow watermelons and melons in a greenhouse in the country: optimal conditions
The requirements of melons and gourds to environmental conditions are due to their origin: watermelon - from South Africa, and the melon - from Malaya and Central Asia... That is why they are so sensitive to light and heat, and only under optimal conditions do they gain a high sugar content and taste. Watermelon is the most thermophilic among melons, its seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 15 ° C, which is 2-3 ° C higher than for squash and pumpkin. The optimal temperature conditions for the cultivation of watermelons and melons in greenhouses are 25-35 ° C. The best conditions for flowering and fertilization are 18-20 ° C in the morning and 20-25 ° C in the afternoon. When the temperature drops to 20 ° C, growth is inhibited. At temperatures below 15 ° C, the stigmas do not ripen, fertilization does not occur, the buds and flowers fall off, and at 3-5 ° C the plants stop growing and may die.
Melons, especially watermelon, are quite drought-resistant due to the powerful root system, leaf pubescence or waxy bloom on them. The need for increased moisture content refers to the period of seed swelling, the beginning of seedling emergence and the beginning of fruit formation.
One of the secrets of growing watermelons and melons in a greenhouse is to have correct soil... For melons, it is best to allocate sandy loam soils on the southern and southwestern slopes, which are well warmed up. Wind protection is desirable. Unsuitable soils of heavy texture, too wet, with close bedding groundwater... The growth of watermelon and melon is more influenced by mechanical composition than soil fertility. Powerful root system allows for extraction enough nutrients even from relatively poor soils. Melon is more demanding on soil fertility than watermelon and responds well to fertilization. The highest yields of watermelon and melon in the crop rotation are obtained after perennial grasses. An important factor for growing full-fledged fruits of watermelon and melon, the reaction of the soil is. It should be neutral.
Watermelon and melon are grown mainly in plastic greenhouses. Their maturation in film greenhouses on solar heating in the forest-steppe zone, it begins on June 15-20, while the first fruits from the field come only at the end of the third decade of July - early August.
If you grow cucumbers and melons in greenhouses as it suggests the right technology, you can count on a good harvest. By the beginning of fruit ripening, 2.5-3.2 kg of melon and 4.6-6 kg of watermelon can be obtained from 1 m2 of film greenhouses. The importance of these crops in film vegetable growing increases with the reuse of greenhouses after growing seedlings of heat-loving crops for open ground. The profitability of growing melons after seedling for mass tomato planting dates (May 20) is 154%, while the profitability of cucumber and tomato during this period does not exceed 72-99%.
By watching this video about cultivating watermelons and melons in a greenhouse, you can get additional advice on cultivating melons:
How to plant watermelons and melons in a greenhouse: preparing seeds
Growing watermelon and melon seedlings has a lot in common with growing cucumber seedlings. The peculiarities of agricultural technology are caused by the fact that these crops are vigorous and more thermophilic. In order to avoid overgrowing seedlings, germinated seeds are sown 20-25 days before planting in pots of 10 × 10 cm. The air temperature for melons is maintained at 2-3 ° C higher than for cucumbers. Seedlings are planted in the phase of 2-3 true leaves.
Before planting watermelons and melons, 10-15 kg / m2 of humus, 15-20 g / m2 are introduced into the greenhouse in autumn ammonium nitrate, 40-50 g / m2 superphosphate, 10-15 g / m2 potassium sulfate.
Loosening materials such as peat, straw cutting are highly effective. Particularly noteworthy are sawdust, which inhibits the development of fungi of the genus Fusarium, which are very dangerous for watermelons in unheated greenhouses.
For planting melons and watermelons, full-weight seeds are selected in the greenhouse. Seeds are prepared 20 days before sowing: they are soaked for 16 hours in a 0.05% solution of potassium permanganate (5 g per bucket of water), followed by drying. Watermelon seeds begin to germinate 2-4 days before sowing. Sow in pots measuring 10 x 10 cm to a depth of 2-3 cm 30-35 days before planting seedlings. To plant melons and watermelons in your greenhouse, it is best to use a mixture of 3 parts humus and 1 part earth.
During seed germination, the temperature should be 20-30 ° C. With the emergence of seedlings, it is reduced within 3-4 days to 16-18 ° C. In the subsequent period, the optimum temperature during the day is 20-25 ° С, at night - 16-18 ° С. Water the seedlings with moderately warm water (22-25 ° C). Seedlings are fed with a solution of mineral fertilizers (10-15 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate, 40-50 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water for 70-100 plants).
Growing watermelons and melons in a greenhouse: planting seedlings (with video)
To grow melons and watermelons in the greenhouse as it is supposed to correct agricultural technology, before planting, especially in unheated shelters, the seedlings must be hardened. For this, the ventilation of the greenhouses is intensified and the temperature is reduced to 17-18 ° C. Seedlings are planted after the formation of the 3-4th leaf in film greenhouses, when the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm in the morning rises to 15-16 ° C. It is advisable to install tunnel shelters inside the greenhouse in the first period to improve the temperature regime. In greenhouses with heating, depending on their capacity, seedlings are planted earlier.
Feeding area - 70 x 70 cm, 70 x 100 cm.
In the greenhouse, you need to attract pollinating insects by arranging bouquets of aromatic crops or spraying plants with sugar syrup. IN cloudy weather plants must be manually pollinated. It is best to put a hive with bees in a greenhouse.
Overheating for watermelon is more dangerous than for melon, therefore, more attention is paid to ventilation of film greenhouses when growing watermelon. Optimum temperature in the afternoon - 25-30 ° С. After planting in greenhouses, watermelons are not watered often, since abundant watering reduces sugar content, contributes to thickening of the bark and the appearance of fungal diseases. They are fed every 2 weeks with bird droppings, alternating with mineral fertilizers. To do this, take 10-15 g of ammonium nitrate, 40-50 g of superphosphate, 20-30 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. The fruits are cut, not plucked. The total yield is 6-8 kg per 1 m2 in unheated greenhouses, 15-17 kg - in heated ones.
Melon cultivation has a lot to do with watermelon cultivation. A special feature is that the seedlings are planted in the ground at the level of the root collar. The stalk, caught in the ground, rots. 2 plants are planted on 1 m2 according to the scheme 70 x 70 cm.
Watch the video "Growing watermelons and melons in a greenhouse", which shows correct fit seedlings:
How to care for watermelons and melons in a greenhouse: plant formation
When caring for watermelons and melons after planting in a greenhouse, the plants are tied to a trellis, and the fruits are placed in a net. Whip a watermelon in early age do not pinch, as the fruits grow at their ends; only weak shoots are removed. When forming watermelons in a greenhouse, a compulsory method is to standardize the number of watermelon fruits. 2-3 fruits are left on one plant. This operation is performed when the ovary reaches 5-7 cm in diameter. Late delays the maturation. To accelerate the growth of the remaining fruits, pinch the lashes, leaving 5 leaves above the fruit.
Melon bushes are formed in a greenhouse in the same way as for a watermelon: they are tied to a trellis 2-2.5 m high, and the fruits are placed in nets. As a rule, 3 shoots of the first order are tied to the trellis, and the rest are directed over them. While caring for a melon special attention give temperature. In the daytime, before the formation of the ovary, it should be at least 20-30 ° С, after formation - 30-40 ° С, at night - not lower than 18 ° С. The optimum soil temperature is 24-26 ° C. Water the melon regularly, always with warm water, every 3-4 days at the rate of 10 liters of water per 1 m2, less often in cloudy weather, more often in sunny weather.
To care for watermelons and melons in the greenhouse, as suggested by proper agricultural technology, the plants are watered carefully, wetting only the ground, and leaving the stem dry. Convenient to water along the furrows. After each watering, it is advisable to loosen the soil. During the ripening period, the amount of watering is reduced. During flowering, it is useful to carry out refreshing watering. In hot weather, it is advisable to water every other day.
During the care of watermelons and melons in the greenhouse, the plants are systematically fed once every 2 weeks. For this, 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate, 40-50 g of superphosphate, 10-15 g of potassium sulfate are dissolved in 10 liters of water. For the first feeding, 1 liter of this solution is consumed per plant, for the next - 1.5 liters. Effective double bedding of plants with a nutrient mixture at the rate of 50 parts of humus, 50 sod land and 1-2 parts bird droppings... Fruits ripen better in dry air. The total yield of melons is 4-6 kg per 1 m2 in unheated greenhouses and 8-10 kg in heated ones.
The next section of the article is devoted to how to grow watermelons and melons in plastic greenhouses.
How to grow watermelons and melons in a plastic greenhouse
It is possible to optimize the conditions for growing watermelon and melon in a greenhouse through the use of various shelters: from the simplest individual to group film. For small production volumes, it is not difficult to place a cut-in-half plastic bottle with holes above each well. This, on the one hand, raises the temperature of the air and soil by several degrees, on the other hand, it provides protection against pests, in particular from the kravchik beetle, which is strongly activated in last years and mercilessly destroyed the seedlings of vegetables and melons. The use of primitive film covers increases the temperature in comparison with open ground and accelerates maturation by 2-3 weeks, especially when using the seedling method.
As well as, greenhouses for planting and caring for melons and watermelons can be different. Sometimes over each hole, 2 arcs from the vine are installed crosswise and covered with a film, sometimes instead of arcs, earthen rollers are used as a frame for the film.
If there are bricks, you can build a "halabudka" (in the center of the fence of four bricks placed on the spoon edge, a fifth is installed on the butt edge). You can replace the bricks with plastic water bottles by making a fence with them. Another bottle of water is placed vertically in the center. This optimizes the microclimate. Bricks or water, heating up during the day, will give off heat at night.
If it is not possible to grow watermelons or melons in a greenhouse in the country, you can equip a tunnel shelter, where an optimal microclimate is provided.
The optimal time for sowing watermelon and melon seeds is to establish a temperature of 12-14 ° C, by the time of germination, the soil should warm up to 14-16 ° C for a melon, and up to 16-18 ° C for a watermelon.
A critical period in the development of melons and gourds is the emergence of seedlings and the formation of 2-3 leaves, when the plants need a lot of heat.
Under optimal conditions, watermelon seeds sprout in 8-10 days, melons in 8-9 days. Sowing seeds in cold soil not only increases the germination period, but can also cause seedling death. Low temperatures cause the development of pathogenic microflora, which destroys seedlings. It is also known that low temperatures during the emergence period disrupt the normal course of development and, subsequently, the growing season.
That is why the use of film shelters, which increase the temperature by 10-12 ° C, is so effective for melons.
1 tbsp is added to each well. l. ash, which is thoroughly mixed with the ground, and then, after a while, add 1-2 handfuls of humus and 1 tsp. nitroammophos. This initial local application of fertilizers increases yields by 20% compared to continuous distribution. It is very important to mulch the soil surface with humus after sowing.
Adhere to the following placement schemes for watermelon and melon: 100 x 50-70 cm, (140 + 70) x 50-60 cm.In each hole, 3 seeds are placed at a depth of 3-6 cm for watermelon and 2-4 cm for melon, which is 1-2 cm smaller than in the open field.
Ventilation of shelters should be given special attention so that there is no overheating. Under such shelters, plants grow, as a rule, until early June, until the danger of frost has passed. The most crucial period is film removal. They do this gradually, in cloudy weather, so that the plants do not burn out under the influence ultraviolet rays... A sudden change in microclimate greatly weakens the plants, and they can be sick and be a source of infection for the main plantings.
When grown under film shelters, the first flowers are manually pollinated. To do this, in the morning, a male flower is plucked from the plant, the petals are cut off and pollen is applied to the female with a light touch. To attract bees, it is good to plant honey plants nearby. One method of attracting bees is to spray the plants with a mild solution of sugar or honey.
During the growing period under cover, the plants are watered when the soil dries up. After removing the film, watering is stopped.
There is such a law: the less watering, the sweeter the melon. In open wet ground, depending on the state of the soil, watering is stopped at the beginning of fruit setting. Care consists in breaking through seedlings, loosening the soil, weeding, destroying weeds, if desired, in rationing the crop, carrying out top dressing.
Only one plant should be left in the hole, since melons are very photophilous. Thickening results in small fruits.
Tillage is necessary not only to kill weeds, but also to improve soil aeration. The depth of loosening depends on the characteristics of the development of the root system. By the time the shoots emerge, the main root of the watermelon reaches a depth of 15-20 cm; in the shatrik phase, the depth of the roots reaches 1.5 m, and their diameter is 60-70 cm.The first time they are loosened to a depth of 12-14 cm, the second time - when 5-7 leaves appear - to a depth of 10 cm, and in rows - 6 -8 cm. When the lashes begin to unfold, it is advisable not to disturb the melon plants. Effective reception increasing the yield of watermelon - sprinkling the lashes with earth to form additional roots.
To accelerate the formation of the melon yield, rationing is carried out by pinching the main lash above the 5-6th leaf, which leads to an acceleration of the lateral lashes on which the harvest is formed.
In a watermelon, on the contrary, the crop is formed primarily on the central shoot, as well as on the first order shoot. Therefore, in a watermelon, you can pinch all unnecessary shoots without touching the central and first-order shoots.
It is advisable to remove ovaries and fruits that do not have time to ripen. During the growing season, 1-2 feeding is carried out. The first - in the phase of 2 leaves after weeding with fermented chicken droppings at a dilution of 1: 10-1: 12, the second - in the phase of 4 leaves with mineral fertilizers in doses taken for a greenhouse culture. 2-3 liters of solution are applied under one plant. Fertilizers are applied at the first feeding at a distance of 20 cm, and at the second at 40 cm from the plant.
To accelerate the ripening of watermelons and melons in the country in a greenhouse or greenhouse, it is recommended to turn the fruit over so as to turn the side lying on the ground to the sun. This can be done only once, since two-three-fold wrapping leads to a decrease in yield.
Diseases and pests, as well as control measures in watermelon and melon, are basically the same as in cucumber.
Now that you know how to grow melons and watermelons in a greenhouse, check out how to harvest properly.
Harvesting watermelons and melons
For local consumption, watermelons and melons are harvested at full maturity. A ripe melon can be seen immediately: by the change in color, the appearance of a mesh, in some varieties the stalk is separated and a specific aroma appears.
It's not so easy with watermelon. Most often they look closely at the drying of the antennae, and experienced gardeners notice a kind of bloom on the bark, a change in color intensity. When hit with a click, a ripe watermelon makes a dull sound, and when squeezed, a crackle. It is important to harvest the fruits in dry and clear weather, at least 3-4 days after rain.
The spot on the side of a ripe watermelon should be yellow, not white... A ripe watermelon can be easily removed upper layer peel, slightly scratching it with your fingernail.
The yield of melon, subject to the specified agrotechnology, can be 3-4 kg, watermelon - 4-5 kg \u200b\u200bper 1 m2.
This video details the cultivation of watermelons and melons in greenhouses and greenhouses:
The benefits of watermelons and melons
After reading the tips and watching the video about growing melons and watermelons in greenhouses, it will not be superfluous to learn about the beneficial properties of these crops.
Watermelon is a versatile tasty healer, and it is valuable that every gardener can arrange a home spa for two months or more.
Watermelon is useful for everyone, both healthy and sick, as a source of magnesium, potassium, readily soluble iron, folic acid, easily digestible sugars, a large amount of biologically active water and other valuable substances. That is why it is useful for diseases of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system, disorders of salt metabolism, diabetes. In terms of iron content, it is second only to lettuce and spinach. That is why the benefits of watermelon for patients with iron deficiency anemia are so high. Pectin substances with a small amount of fiber in watermelon optimize the intestinal microflora without causing flatulence.
Melon has been highly valued at all times. In ancient times, it was called one of the fruits of paradise for its sweet, aromatic and tender pulp. Melon came to Europe in the XII-XIII centuries, and in Russia it began to be grown in greenhouses under Peter I. We just love melon as a delicacy, but we know little about its high dietary and especially medicinal properties. It is not for nothing that in the diet of Muslims during the fast before the great holiday of Ramadan, she was the main food.
Healing properties melons still used egyptian pharaohs... Melon surpasses watermelon in the amount of sugars, vitamins and potassium salts. It has a diuretic, mild laxative effect.
It is valuable that the fruits of the melon, like the watermelon, contain folic acid, which plays a very important role in the normalization of metabolic processes and the activity of the hematopoietic organs. A lack of folic acid leads to the development of anemia and malignant tumors. Modern medicine recommends using melon for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
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 medicinal diuretic medicine to cleanse the body. Melons are thermophilic and grow in warm climates, therefore, to grow and plant watermelons in the open field, you need to have special knowledge.
It is imperative to find out in advance whether it is possible to plant melons if a cucumber, pepper, pumpkin or zucchini grows nearby.
Can watermelons and melons be planted nearby?
Melons belong to the pumpkin family. Crops are very healthy and contain a huge amount of vitamins. If you learn how to properly grow these plants, 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 together too close.
Melons are prone to infection with various similar diseases. Therefore, if you plant next to it, you need to understand the risks of spreading diseases from one culture to another.
And melons and watermelons tend to sprout
Correct sowing of seeds for seedlings at home
Seeds for seedlings are planted approximately 60 days before landing in open ground... This means that in the middle of March, the seeds should be purchased. You can buy them in any specialized store or ask those who have already managed to grow a high-quality harvest of watermelons and melons.
It is impossible to get a good harvest from the seeds of last year's watermelon. The best seeds to plant– 5 years ago... It is important to understand that only early-maturing 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 adverse conditions.
When preparing seeds, make sure they are not empty. For this, seeds are immersed in a container with water, everything that 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.
Preparing for planting and soaking
- Soak. Each individual type of seed must be wrapped and soaked in cloth rags and support in humid environment before germination... You can also soak 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.
Home-grown seeds are planted in separate small pots with a diameter of 10 cm, preferably peat. The soil should be a mixture of: humus, sod land 3: 1, add peat, sawdust, humus 3: 1: 0.5.
It is planted in each pot 2 seeds each to the depth 5 cm... Moisten the earth with a spray bottle. Cover the top of the container with cling film and put in a warm place +25 degrees.
It will take 40-45 days to grow watermelon seedlings, and 30 days for melon.
It will take about 40 days to grow watermelon seedlings.
- when the seeds germinate, transfer them to sunlight on 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, another week - infusion of mullein with superphosphate.
Landing in open ground
When planting in open ground, you need to focus on the climatic conditions, the selected crop variety, 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 and wind.
Melons love nutritious soil and sunny land
Melons and watermelons need rich soilsas well as those that withstand moisture well. Perfect option - 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 \u200b\u200bof manure per square meter, superphosphate 40 g., Potassium salt 30 g. and ammonium sulfate.
Preparing watermelon seedlings
When the seedlings appear 5-7 leaves, she is ready for transplanting into open ground. The best time – the end of May... However, you need to focus on the weather conditions so that the air temperature remains at +15 degrees at night.
A week before planting in open ground, the seedlings need to be hardened to a daytime temperature of + 16 + 20 degrees.
Seedlings are ready for transplanting after 5-7 leaves appear
Open Ground Landing Scheme - Depth and Distance
For planting in open ground, you must adhere to the following rules:
- In the garden, holes should be made at a distance 0.5-0.7 meters apart according to the checkerboard pattern. Leave gaps of 70cm between rows.
- Seedlings are placed in the holes so that the surface remains only a few top leaves... The soil should be crushed, and sprinkled with sand around 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 close the sprouts with moistened plastic or paper caps for 2-3 days.
10-14 days after planting, you need to feed the crop with a solution of ammonium nitrate 20g per bucket of 2 liters for each bush. During the period of bud appearance, you need to feed the melons with mullein infusion.
Saplings are planted in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of about half a meter
Features of growing melons
To provide free access oxygen to the roots, the soil is needed constantly loosen to a depth of 10 cm... With the development of side loops, spud the culture. In order for the plant not to spend all its energy on gaining mass during the growth period, you need to pinch the main stem. For the 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 lash, it is recommended to tie the fruits into nets and hang on a support... The fruits are placed on foil pads to prevent rotting.
To reduce the load on the lash, the fruits can be hung in a net
If watermelons will be used for storage and transportation in the future, it is better to take a berry not fully ripe.
Benefits of planting in open ground:
- in warm weather you can achieve maximum ripeness fruits;
- daily watering of the crop is not required;
- yields can be increased by observing the basic rules for soil selection 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, sugar fruits. The main advantage of growing melons in your garden is the absence of chemicals.
Growing watermelons and melons in the greenhouse and in the open field is not very difficult. Some summer residents refuse to plant melons, considering it inappropriate to borrow large area plot. Meanwhile, these crops get along well together and give an excellent harvest, subject to certain rules. In a compact garden plot, there is no need to drain separate place for melons and watermelons, they can be planted side by side and enjoy juicy sweet fruits.
Seed treatment before planting
Seed material is planted in peat molds at the end of April. Before sowing, it is advisable to warm the seeds well indoors or near a heating device. It is also recommended to soak them in warm water and disinfect them in one of the solutions:
- hydrogen peroxide solution is prepared at the rate of 10 tablets per liter of water;
- a weak solution of manganese or boron of 0.05% concentration;
- "Epin extra", a stimulant is diluted as follows: 6 drops of a dietary supplement per 100 ml of water;
- "Zircon", the solution is prepared at the rate of 2-4 drops of liquid per liter of water.
Treatment with biostimulants will not only destroy pathogens, but also allow plants to adapt to temperature disasters, and also increase crop yields. Soaking is carried out in a cotton bag, which is immersed in heated (about 60 °) water, the liquid is allowed to drain and left for a day. During this time, the seeds should swell and crack slightly. If this does not happen, it makes no sense to plant them in the ground: the culture will turn out to be weak. When planting, 2 seeds are placed in each mold, in the future this will allow you to remove a weaker branch.
Soaking and warming the seeds at the same time is the best preparation for seedlings. Water melons only with water room temperature, while it is necessary to ensure that she does not water the leaves. Seedlings of melons and gourds are quite capricious and require good lighting, heat and careful watering.
Special soil is sold in stores, but you can prepare it yourself. For this, a suitable soil is added mineral fertilizer "Kemira universal". For each pot, 1 teaspoon is enough, then the earth is mixed well. The seeds are buried to a depth of 2-3 cm and watered. When favorable conditions the first shoots appear on the 5-6th day, and after a week you can see the first leaf.
Growing melons in a greenhouse
Melons are planted in covered ground at the end of May. By this time, the soil will have warmed up enough, and frost will not damage the root system. Pre-young plants are recommended to be hardened, for this they are taken outside at a temperature of 13-15 degrees or the air in the room is cooled to these figures. Best age seedling for planting is approximately 25-30 days.
Before planting, the soil is tightened with plastic wrap, in which holes are cut for peat containers. This allows not only to protect thermophilic crops from low temperatures, but also increases the yield. Fertilizers are additionally applied to the holes: humus, ash or mineral additives. From above, the nutrient components are covered with a layer of earth.
The greenhouse should maintain optimal temperature and light conditions. The temperature should be 20-25 ° during the day, and 15-18 ° at night. Watered sparingly and infrequently with warm water. To prevent condensation from occurring, the greenhouse must be periodically ventilated. Watermelons and melons are quite sensitive to excess moisture, their seedlings can rot, and the fruits themselves grow watery and tasteless. If it gets colder outside, cover the soil and young seedlings with plastic wrap, cotton cloth or paper.
At the time of planting melons in the greenhouse, you can have time to harvest young cabbage, early radish and greens. This not only warms up the soil additionally, but also saves space.
Landing order
The scheme of planting in open ground is as follows. The distance between plants should be 40-50 cm for watermelons and 50-60 cm for melons. When grown together in a greenhouse, watermelons and melons are planted in a checkerboard pattern. Peat containers are buried shallowly into the ground, there should be a gap of about 3 cm between the leaves and the ground. This trick will further protect the plant from disease and decay.
When planting, the scheme and the distance between the rows are taken into account. Usually it is recommended to plant in 2 rows, between which they leave a piece of land 50 cm wide. Next landing melons in the ground are carried out at a distance of 80 cm from the first rows.
Care for melons in the greenhouse
Caring for watermelons and melons is not difficult and not too laborious. Young shoots can be covered with cut plastic bottles, this protective frame allows for increased yield. As the plant grows, the bottle is removed or replaced with a higher shelter. When the stem has increased enough in length, it is attached to a special support - a trellis, you can tie the top with a thread to the ceiling of the greenhouse. Heavy fruits are placed in nets, carton boxes... The main thing is that they do not come into contact with the ground.
7-10 days after planting, you can feed it with nitrogen fertilizer - urea or nitrate, for this, 20 grams of the substance are diluted in 10 liters of water.
Care for melons consists in loosening the soil, watering and feeding. It is necessary to ensure that weeds do not appear between the shoots after planting. Young plants are watered once a week, then it is allowed to do this twice a month.
Watermelons and melons are drought-resistant crops, they germinate in southern regions where there is no rain long time considered normal. When the first fruits appear, watering is stopped. Watering melons should be done carefully, making sure that no water gets on the root part of the stem. Otherwise, the crop can be damaged by rot.
Every 2-3 weeks the soil should be fertilized with mullein infusion and minerals. During feeding, a small handful of ash can be added to each hole.
Artificial pollination in a greenhouse is carried out with a male flower, it is determined by its impressive size. The flower is picked and applied to female flowers... The crop should not be watered before pollination so that excess moisture does not affect the quality of the pollen. Many gardeners attract bees to pollination: they open the doors of the greenhouse, put saucers with sugar syrup.
Plant formation
As they grow, the stems are bred in different sides... Later they are tied to wooden or metal trellises.
To teach a good harvest, you must follow the rules.
- On melons, the apical part of the stem is cropped. This procedure will be sufficient for early maturing varieties. Late melon varieties are docked differently. In addition to removing the top, the side parts are also examined, their thickness and power are assessed. Young lashes are removed, leaving 3-4 strong branches.
- You will have to tinker with watermelons. The cultivation of this culture is carried out in one stem, it is selected by the presence of shoots in the leaf axils. The stems on which the ovary is absent are removed, the rest are pinched. When the culture grows above the size of the trellis, a repeated pinching of the apical lash is carried out at the level of the 4-5th leaf.
Features of growing in the open field
Before planting plants in open ground, you should decide on a place. Watermelons and melons prefer to grow in slightly elevated, shallow areas that are well warmed up and illuminated by the sun's rays. Here they grow better, bear fruit abundantly and ripen early.
Care is carried out by loosening the soil, removing weeds and excess lashes. In the process of growth, several inter-row soil treatments are carried out. The first - when young leaves appear, to a depth of 6-8 cm, the second - when 5-6 true leaves appear, loosening can be combined with feeding.
Harvest watermelons and melons as they ripen. The ripeness of watermelons is determined by the drying of the antennae in the axils of the leaves, the disappearance of dullness and the appearance of shine, and the clarification of the peel of the fruit. If you tap on a watermelon, a dull sound appears, but to distinguish it, you need to have practical skills.
The ripeness of the melon is determined by the dried stalk.
Are melons compatible?
Can watermelons and melons be planted nearby? These crops consume similar chemical substances and need roughly the same processing methods. If you plant them side by side, it will greatly simplify the care procedures: watering, garter, groundbait. However, melons and gourds greatly impoverish the soil, and they can be planted in the same place only after a few years. To prevent this, watermelons and melons should be regularly fed with mineral fertilizers.
Collect seeds from watermelons and melons when they joint landing not recommended as cross-pollination occurs. The result of such a hybrid may not be very tasty.
If you are the owner of a large plot of land, it is better to plant these crops in open ground in different places vegetable garden. If the site is small, then they can be planted nearby, nothing bad will happen. The proximity of melons with each other will not affect the yield.
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- Preparation of soil, seeds, seedlings
- Sowing seedlings for melons and greenhouses
- Fertilizers and feeding
Melons and watermelons are very fond of the sun and feel comfortable in Krasnodar Territory, in the Caucasus, in the Astrakhan region, in the Primorsky Territory and other regions with a similar climate. They grow in open ground in fields called melons, which is why these plants are called melons. But gardeners from the Urals, Siberia and the North-Western part of Russia keep up with their counterparts from the south and can also grow a watermelon or melon in their garden. They do not plant melons in open ground, but in greenhouses. Fruits from the north, of course, are inferior to those from the south in size, but still very tasty.
Melons and gourds do not like transplants, so they are planted in the ground only after the first true leaf appears.
Melons and watermelons are divided into different varieties... The choice of any of them depends on the climate in the place of planting the seeds and the preferences of the gardener. Melons are used for food not only in fresh, but they also make jam from them and even salt them for the winter.
Selection of seeds for different regions
The primary task if you want to grow any plant is to buy quality seeds.
This rule also applies to watermelons and melons. It is best to purchase seeds from specialty stores or fairs. It is not recommended to buy them from the hands of individuals or in the markets, since the change can be substituted for cheaper and lower quality ones. Melons seeds differ from each other in ripening time for early, mid-maturing, mid-late and late. The former ripen in mid-June, and the latter in autumn.
Seeds are best purchased from specialized stores. Preference should be given to the products of your region.
There are many varieties of watermelon that can be grown in the southern part of the country: Astrakhan, Madeira F1, Crimson Sweet, Galaxy, Black Prince, competitor, etc. (more than 100 kinds of varieties). Watermelons grow large, sweet, juicy, fruit weight from 7 to 20 kg. The situation is completely different in the northern regions, where only a few species of the largest berry can be planted. These include Ogonyok, Sugar baby, Early Kuban, Siberian lights. The fruits are usually not heavier than 5 kg, but juicy and tasty. The pulp of a watermelon is not only red or pink, but also yellow.
There are several dozen types of melons, the most famous of them are honey, aikido, gold of the Scythians, Altai, Cinderella, collective farmer, mohawk and others. In sunny regions, you can grow any variety, and in Siberia, in the Urals, it is better to plant early ripening varieties, for example, Altai or Barnaulka. Fruit weight ranges from 0.50 to 3 kg. The flesh of the melon is very juicy and sweet, like that of a watermelon, white or yellow.
You can grow a melon or watermelon outdoors or in a greenhouse.At the same time, the technology of growing melons in different conditions is very similar. The following describes in stages how to grow a melon or watermelon in the garden.
In an area with the most severe climate, the cultivation of watermelons and melons is carried out inside greenhouses, because in open ground the crops will die. Northern fruits are somewhat smaller, but retain excellent taste characteristics.
Features of growing fruits
The peculiarity of planting watermelons and melons lies in the fact that cultures are extremely difficult to transfer from one place to another. It is important not to destroy the sprouts, and therefore they are transplanted into open ground only when a large leaf appears.
Watermelons and melons come in many varieties. The variety is chosen taking into account the climatic zone of the area in which watermelons and melons are planted, and the personal wishes of summer residents. The purpose of the melon fruit is not only freshly harvested consumption. Watermelons and melons are used to make pickles and jams.
Selection of varieties
To grow watermelons and melons, you need to select quality seeds. They are best purchased from reputable sellers. Purchasing seeds from hand is fraught with the purchase of low-quality plants that will not be able to give the long-awaited harvest.
Melon and watermelon seeds, depending on the ripening period, can belong to:
- late;
- mid-late;
- mid-season;
- early.
Fruiting late grade melons and watermelons fall in autumn, and early - in the second week of June. In search of the best seeds melons, it is advisable to give preference to varieties characteristic of your region.
In total, the crops are represented by several dozen varieties of varieties. In southern cities, they grow large, have juicy and sweet flesh and weigh from 7 to 20 kg. In the northern regions, it is permissible to plant single large varieties... The cultivation of watermelons in these regions is difficult.
In the process of growing watermelons in unfavorable conditions for them, it is possible to collect berries weighing up to 5 kg. They will be juicy and taste good. The color of the flesh of a watermelon is red, scarlet or yellowish. Among the varieties of melons intended for planting in the open field, the most common are:
- Honey;
- Collective farmer;
- Iroquois.
In the southern parts of the country, any variety gives an excellent harvest, and in cold areas in greenhouses and open ground, only a few varieties of melons can be grown.
Siberian and Ural summer residents prefer early ripening varieties, for example, Barnaulka and Altayka. The weight of the fruit of such a melon will not exceed 3 kg. Their flesh will be sweet and juicy, like a watermelon. The color of the pulp can vary from white to yellow.
The rules for growing melons in the open field are elementary
Formation of ridges
To grow melons and watermelons outdoors, it is advisable to start preparing the ground in the fall. For seeds, solar fields are chosen that have good protection from strong wind currents. The area is abundantly fertilized. The land for growing watermelons is dug up and mixed with portions of humus or peat. The soil nourished before the beginning of winter becomes more fertile.
If you didn't manage to fertilize the soil for melons and watermelons with the onset of autumn, do not despair. If you follow the further recommendations, you will still get an excellent harvest.
10-15 days before the start of planting, the ridge is dug up and a small amount of organic fertilizers is introduced. To get large fruits in open ground, you should refuse to work with clay soil. Before starting sowing, the ridges are re-fertilized.
After that, seed preparation is already started. Melon seeds are kept in a special solution in advance for 10-12 hours. The solution is purchased already prepared or diluted independently. To do this, add to the water boric acid and zinc sulfate. Seeds for growing watermelons are kept in heated water with a small amount of salt throughout the day. If possible, they wait until the first sprout appears. The seeds do not need to be cut, although this would speed up the process.
For growing watermelons and melons, seedlings must be used. Its application allows you to get the first harvest as quickly as possible.
The use of seedlings allows you to prepare plants for further existence in open ground... Many gardeners grow watermelons and melons outdoors and by grafting plants. Only in the warmest regions is it possible to sow seeds directly into the garden. To grow seedlings, small pots with a diameter of about 10 cm will be required. The soil should consist of 1/3 of the soil and 2/3 of a mixture of sand, peat and wood ash. In each pot, one to three seeds are sown. Seedlings will begin to appear after a week. Once they are able to grow a little, you need to choose the strongest plant and leave it, and the rest of the plants will have to be removed.
Experienced summer residents regularly loosen seedlings and water them under the root. It is very important not to flood the seedlings, as they do not like moisture very much. Plants are able to develop if the temperature environment does not fall below 15 degrees Celsius.
Formation of ridges
In regions with a mild climate, replanting crops in the ridge is carried out in early May. As for the central and northern regions, it is better to start growing crops in melons in the second decade of June. In Siberia and at the beginning of June, frosts can be observed at night, which will lead to the death of crops, including in the greenhouse.
For transplanting crops, small holes are preliminarily created in the melon. If we are talking about growing melons, then a distance of 70 to 90 cm is maintained between adjacent holes. The root of the plant is carefully taken out of the pot, without clearing it from the ground. Seedlings are placed in a hole without completely burying it. First, leave 0.5 cm of the height of the hole not filled with soil. After watering future fruits, the hole is observed for three days. During this time, it will be possible to understand whether the seeds have taken root or not. As for small crops, it is recommended to cover them with plastic wrap at night. The same way arrive in rainy weather.
To grow watermelon seeds, you need to maintain a distance of 1-1.5 meters between adjacent holes. Fruits will appear only on the melon, where adjacent rows are 50 cm or more apart from each other. Before planting watermelon crops, the holes are staggered. Sprouts of watermelon crops must be laid below the general soil level on the melon. To grow juicy fruits, each hole is watered with two liters of water. So that the developing fruits do not rot on the melons, each hole is surrounded by sand.
In order to grow a rich crop of crops, in the process of growing seeds, they are regularly irrigated, weeded, hilling, loosening, plucking. Watering is carried out in such a way that moisture does not affect the surface of sensitive leaves and stems. To grow watermelons, they organize watering with warm water. It is enough to carry out the procedure once a week. For melons, intensified watering is carried out during the period of their flowering and fruit growth.
In the old days, my mother always planted two melon seeds in the greenhouse. kolkhoznitsa varieties... By the end of summer, about five yellow fragrant melons appeared on our table the size of a dessert plate. They were not as sweet as the imported southern ones, but they were completely environmentally friendly.
Later, when many varieties of melons and watermelons appeared in stores, indicating "Ultra-early", "early ripening", "northern", a lot of money has been spent on these treasures.
Alas, in the best case, analogs of our Kolkhoz Woman melon grew, and the Sugar Baby watermelon, or in the English manner, Suga baby, turned out to be a domestic Fire.
Numerous experiments with seeds ended with the selection of one early variety sweet melon medium size and one watermelon variety, also small.
Large ones, although they gave a good harvest, but the pulp clearly lacked sugar content.
It is noteworthy that neither one nor the other variety completely corresponded to the descriptions that were given on the packages. So favorite watermelons and nameless melons grow.
How I grow my melons and watermelons
- I collect seeds only from the first ripe fruits and dry them.
- Before sowing, be sure to pickle in a pink solution of manganese-sour potassium.
- Then I wrap the seeds in a linen napkin and pour a solution of aloe juice (5 drops per 1 tablespoon of water) so as to just moisten the cloth. I keep it in a warm place, regularly sprinkling with aloe juice solution until the seeds hatch. It is advisable to do this on April 18-25.
- I plant each hatched seed in a plastic container 9x9x9 cm in size with fertile loose soil, water it, cover it with a film and put it on the southern, well-lit window
- With the appearance of a sprout, I remove the film and make sure that the plant does not stretch, in warm weather I put it on a glazed loggia.
After May 9, I plant seedlings on warm bed, cover with plastic bells from five-liter water bottles, then cover with two layers plastic film along arcs.
In recent years, our summer has become noticeably warmer, therefore we are already growing melons with watermelons not in a greenhouse, but in a small film tunnel along with peppers. And they grow under the film only in May and early June.
Then we remove the film and return it to the arcs again only in the second half of August.
So that melons do not interfere with the growth of peppers, we plant two copies of a melon and a watermelon at the end walls. In the tunnel, every 3 m, I put a ten-liter bucket of water: during the day the water heats up and gives off heat at night. At the same time, the humidity in the tunnel rises.
Growing watermelons and melons - the process is fascinating, children are well connected to it: even the little ones are happy to pull up weeds on our "melon", water the watermelons.
Therefore, every year I buy new seeds for testing, because I want to finally get a fruitful and excellent taste variety or hybrid.
I plant the novelty in a greenhouse, where I tie up the shoots, and put the pouring fruits in nets.
If earlier it was impossible to drag children into the greenhouse, then with the appearance of the first ovaries on a watermelon or melon, they check the "gain" every morning and already know themselves when to water or spray the plants on a leaf, open or close windows in the greenhouse.
I regularly water watermelons and melons once every 2 weeks with an infusion of manure or nettle, once a month with an infusion of wood ash. I stop watering 2 weeks after the fruits are set.
CULTIVATION OF WATERMELS AND MELON - LANDING AND CARE: TIPS AND FEEDBACK
Which is better - pumpkin, melon or watermelon?
The pumpkin is unpretentious, useful, productive, perfectly stored, suitable for both humans and livestock feed.
But watermelons and melons are tastier! They just love warmth. However, you can pick up varieties that grow successfully in our climate.
For two years, on our site, we have grown and tested two varieties of watermelon, a melon and a mini-melon in the open field.
The weather in 2017 did not spoil our melons - the summer was cool and rainy. Only August and September pleased us with the sun and warmth. Alas, neither melons nor watermelons were pleased with the harvest in the open field: the watermelons grew no more than 1.5 kg and could not gain color and taste in one warm month.
The next year, the same varieties of watermelon were planted again - Tidbit and Sweet Diamond, and Honey Gourmet melon, as well as a specific Vietnamese mini pineapple melon.
What do seed producers promise? Both watermelons are early ripening, fruiting in 65-75 days from the date of emergence. The fruits of the Tidbit are round, dark green in color, without stripes, with a very thin, up to 1 cm, bark, with an average weight of 2 kg (up to 4 kg) and are stored without losing their taste for up to a month after harvest. The pulp is sweet, juicy, with a dessert taste.
Its fruits are round, weighing 3-5 kg, with clear green-white stripes. The pulp is dark red, sweet, of excellent taste.
Melon Honey gourmand - a medium-ripe variety, bears fruit in 80-90 days from germination. The plant produces lashes 1.5 m long with fruits weighing 1.5-2 kg. The high sugar content of the pulp remains, as it were, even under unfavorable conditions.
Vietnamese mini melon, also known as Pineapple, is early ripening and unpretentious, with small, slightly larger than a goose egg, but numerous fruits weighing about 100 g. The seeds were sown in 200-gram plastic cups in mid-April. The seedlings grew and developed before planting in the ground in a conventional unheated greenhouse. During this time, they fed her twice - with manure infusion and Azophos. By the time of planting in the ground in early June, the seedlings of melons and watermelons reached 30-40 cm, the first flowers appeared. Our region usually experiences frosts in early June, but in 2018, unusually hot and dry weather set in. Therefore, the planted seedlings were covered with non-woven material - but not from frost, but from the heat. Plants could simply boil in direct sunlight.
The soil for melon was allotted quite fertile - humus and peat were introduced under the predecessor crop (potato).
Until August, melons were watered abundantly once a week, since there was almost no rain. Both varieties of watermelon were actively growing, by mid-July their lashes reached a length of 1.5 m. We did not form them, but each bush formed two ovaries with a diameter of 7-10 cm, and they significantly increased in volume. Melon Lakomka, occupying a vast territory, bloomed profusely, but only at the end of July the first ovaries appeared.
By mid-August, the round balls of watermelons were clearly visible against the background of green tops. Each plant formed two fruits, and on the honey gourmet melon there were 5 to 7 of them on each bush. As a result, from 10 melon plants, we collected more than 50 fruits with an average weight of about 1 kg. The watermelons turned out to be different, the Tidbit weighed from 2 kg to 4 kg, and the Sweet Diamond - more than 5 kg.
Vietnamese melon grew separately in our country, and by the end of August its fruits began to ripen (they should turn orange with stripes and separate well from the stalk). You cannot overexpose them on the bush - they will become tasteless. We completely harvested melons and gourds in mid-September, so we tried the first melons and watermelons in August, and the last ones at the end of November.
The most delicious, fragrant and juicy ones are those that have matured in the garden and have just been picked. Watermelon The tasty slice has a very thin skin, sparkling, red and delicious pulp. It is not for nothing that the Brilliant variety was called that: its peel is hard, into which a knife hardly enters, but then it cracked itself, it turned out so juicy and ripe.
Melons - both Lakomka and Vietnamese - are good just from the garden. But in storage they showed themselves badly. Vietnamese lays no more than a week, Gourmet - longer, but their taste worsens. And you should not keep them next to odorous products: they "draw" all these aromas into themselves. The watermelons lasted until early December. Taste qualities, of course, they did not get better, but still it is a watermelon, and at the beginning of winter and from its own garden.