Gourds are true champions among vegetables in terms of fruit size. The mass of a ripe watermelon or pumpkin is at least 5-6 kilograms of juicy pulp, and often 10-15 kg. Moreover, melons and gourds are famous not only for their size, but also for their excellent taste. This is especially true of melon and watermelon. The bulk of melons and gourds are grown in large farms in the south of the country, but if desired, they can also be grown in their own garden.

melon family

Gourds, or simply melons, are a group of large-fruited vegetables, mainly from the botanical family of Cucurbitaceae, which have similar external features.

In a broad sense, it is customary to include watermelons, melons, zucchini, cucumbers, squash and pumpkins in the melon family. But more often the term "gourds" is used in relation to a narrower group, including only two species - watermelon and melon. Further in the article, we will talk about gourds only in this narrow sense, leaving zucchini, pumpkins and cucumbers out of the brackets.

Common watermelon is an annual herbaceous plant, one of two cultivated species of the botanical genus Watermelon, which is part of the Cucurbitaceae family.

Watermelon gourds have thin, flexible stems that creep ("crawl") along the ground. The length of the stems can reach several meters. Leaves planted on long petioles, depending on the variety, may have a different configuration, but always triangular in shape and consist of three pinnatipartite lobes.

Flowers (usually pale yellow) appear in the first year. Subsequently, fruits are formed from them - pumpkins or watermelons proper, filled with juicy red pulp and many flat black seeds. There are many varieties of watermelon, so the fruits can vary significantly in shape, size and color. The classic watermelon fruit is a green ball weighing from 3 to 15 kg or more. Since the structure of the fruit has much in common with berries, formally watermelons are also considered berries.

The birthplace of watermelon is South Africa, but this fruit came to the Mediterranean region back in the days of Ancient Egypt or even earlier. It is known that the ancient Greeks knew about it, but the real watermelon was discovered by Europeans only in the Middle Ages, when the crusaders brought it from the Middle East. The Tatars brought watermelons to our country during their conquests of Kievan Rus and their subsequent stay here.

Melon

As for the melon, it belongs to a slightly different botanical genus - to cucumbers. Like other gourds, melon is an annual herbaceous plant with a liana-like stem creeping along the ground, which can reach a length of 3 meters. The leaves of a melon are larger than those of a watermelon and have a solid (not indented) heart-shaped shape. Flowers yellow, bisexual.

The fruit of a melon weighing from 1 to 15 kg or more has the shape of a ball or oval. Outside, the fruit (pumpkin or berry) is covered with a thin peel, which, when fully ripe, often becomes yellow (less often brown, or remains green). Inside the fruit is a pale yellow juicy pulp. Seeds cream or pale brown, oblong-oval. Unlike watermelon, melon seeds are collected in the center of the fruit, rather than distributed throughout the pulp.

Like any melon plant, melon comes from a hot region. Its homeland is considered to be Central Asia, namely, northern India. Probably, it was there that the cultivation of wild melon took place, and later it spread both to the west and to the east. It is known that the ancient Egyptians were definitely familiar with this vegetable crop. The melon, like the watermelon, was first brought to Europe by the crusaders, and since that time it has been cultivated in the south of the continent. Melon came to Russia directly from Central Asia about 500 years ago.

Like all natural products, watermelons and melons are very beneficial for the human body.

Thus, watermelon has a very positive effect on the kidneys, helping to remove stones and sand from them. Also, this vegetable is useful for men, as it improves sexual potency. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of watermelon for those who suffer from heart disease, as its pulp contains a lot of potassium and magnesium, which are important for maintaining the cardiovascular system in a normal state.

A ripe watermelon is a few kilograms of juicy sweet pulp that will appeal to both a child and an adult. The taste of watermelon is so outstanding that as a dessert, it easily replaces any confectionery.

The main way to consume watermelon is in its raw natural form. The fruit is simply cut into slices with a knife and its juicy red flesh is eaten. No other flavor additives are required.

And although, like zucchini, melons of this type are not customary to be heat-treated, this is by no means the only option for how watermelon can be used.

First, it is great for making fruit salads. Moreover, you can even use a hard green crust, which, with proper skill, can easily be turned into an original salad bowl filled with watermelon salad with other vegetables or fruits.

Secondly, due to the fact that watermelon pulp contains a huge amount of sweet juice, you can easily prepare a natural refreshing drink from watermelon, or make homemade wine.

Thirdly, sweet watermelon makes wonderful jam. Moreover, you can use not only the pulp, but also the hard skin, which, after heat treatment, easily turns into jelly.

Special mention deserves watermelon honey, or nardek, which is boiled without the use of sugar.

Finally, watermelons can be salted for the winter, after which they will make an excellent side dish for meat or fish. They can also be used to prepare absolutely unique sauces for meat dishes.

Sweet types of gourds are primarily healthy desserts. So, ripe melon fruits are rich in sugar, carotene, provitamin A, vitamins P, C and B9, as well as iron, folic acid, salts, pectins and fiber.

It is recommended to eat melon for diseases of the blood, cardiovascular system, nervous disorders, problems with urination and intestines. In addition, melon is good for those who are on a diet, it is useful during pregnancy, it is a good tool in the fight against dehydration. In cosmetology, melon is also in great demand. Tonic and healing masks from melon have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin.

Ripe melons and watermelons are an excellent dessert vegetable that can replace any confectionery sweetness. It is worth noting that the taste and level of sweetness of melon is highly dependent on the variety.

Traditionally, melon is eaten in its natural form as a completely independent product. Like the watermelon, the melon is simply cut into slices and the sweet flesh is eaten away while the tough skin is discarded.

Although melon also contains a lot of water, unlike watermelon, it lends itself well to drying. In Central Asia, dried melon is often used as a dessert for tea drinking. In addition, wonderful jams and preserves are obtained from melon. Like watermelon, it goes well with salads and various soft and alcoholic drinks.

Interestingly, in some Mediterranean countries, melon is a side dish for other dishes. For example, in Spain it is served with jamon and shrimp, and in Italy it is eaten with mozzarella and other cheeses.

Varieties of watermelon and melon

Since watermelons are grown all over the world, wherever agro-climatic conditions allow, the abundance of existing varieties is simply enormous. In addition to purely geographical varieties, it should be mentioned separately that there are watermelons with unusual yellow flesh and pitted watermelons.

In Russia, melon fields are planted with the most famous Astrakhan variety in our country, which is famous for its very sweet pulp, although it ripens already in the last decade of August. Another very sweet, but earlier variety is Crimson Swift.

Melon is a little less popular than watermelon, so it has fewer varieties. But even those that are are quite enough to meet the needs of gourmets and gardeners. In the melon farms of Russia, melons of the Kolkhoznitsa variety are most widely used. They are cultivated in the Volga region. The variety is easily recognizable by its bright yellow skin, small size and spherical shape of the fruit.

In Europe and America, the Cantaloupe variety is most widely used. They are not as sweet and less juicy, but much more fragrant.

The best Uzbek variety is "Torpedo". These melons have an elongated, cigar-shaped shape and large sizes. Uzbek melons are famous for almost the best taste characteristics.

In the Mediterranean, where Uzbek melons are not available, their counterpart is the Moroccan Honey Melon variety. These fruits do not have characteristic grooves on the skin, and the color varies between ocher and greenish. The taste is actually almost honey.

Watermelons and melons are heat-loving crops. Moreover, they love heat so much that a really good harvest can only be obtained in the southernmost regions of our country. Already at the level of the 50th parallel (Belgorod, Voronezh, Tambov) and to the north, the cultivation of melons loses its meaning, because here watermelons simply cannot ripen and the fruits are small (maximum 2-3 kg) with fresh pulp. Melons are less fastidious and in hot summers they can produce quite decent-sized and sweet fruits even north of Volgograd.

However, in general, these crops prefer hot, dry weather. Drought is more preferable for them than rains and high humidity. In order for melons and watermelons to gain the desired mass and sweetness, they need a lot of heat and light. In the post-Soviet space, the optimal conditions for these crops are in the Lower Volga region, in the North Caucasus, in the Black Sea regions of Ukraine, in Moldova, and especially in the countries of Central Asia. In other regions, it is commercially unprofitable to grow gourds.

Technology of growing watermelon

Watermelon prefers sandy loamy soils warmed by the sun and protected from the wind. Waterlogged and heavy soils with a high level of groundwater are categorically not suitable.

Before planting, seeds should be prepared by soaking them in warm water (50 ° C) and soaking in it until they peck. After that, the seeds are ready for sowing. The timing of planting in open ground depends on the region. It is optimal when the soil temperature reaches from 12 to 14 ° C, which in the south of our country usually occurs in late April - early May.

The first shoots should appear in the second week: the norm is 8-10 days. If a cold snap occurs after sowing, the timing of seedling emergence can shift significantly, and the seeds themselves may well die or become infected with pathogenic flora. For this reason, in the central regions of the country, where spring frosts and cold snaps are commonplace, it is better to postpone the sowing of watermelons until the end of May or even the beginning of June.

You need to sow gourd seeds in individual holes 5-8 cm deep. Since watermelons are plants creeping along the ground, the distance between the bushes should be significant - at least half a meter in a row and at least 1.5 meters between rows. To increase the chances of successful seedlings, it is advisable to add a tablespoon of ash and a little humus to each well.

To increase the growth rate of watermelons on melons, mulch is often used. Film shelters and agrofibre are best suited for this role. This simple trick can speed up the ripening of watermelons by 15-20 days.

Although watermelons are a drought-tolerant crop that does not like excessive moisture, it is impossible to do without watering at all. It should be carried out at the initial stage of the growing season until the moment when the fruits begin to set. Watering should be no more than once a week.

Until the melon crops cover the entire garden bed, you also need to take care of loosening the soil and weeding.

In this matter, melon has a lot in common with watermelon. She also needs a well-warmed and wind-protected area of ​​sandy loamy soil. In autumn, 4-6 kg of humus per square meter should be added to a previously dug-up bed. If the soil is loamy, then half a bucket of river sand should be added here. In spring, the soil needs to be fed with superphosphate, nitrogen and potassium salt.

The peculiarity of the melon is that mainly male plants grow from last year's fresh seeds, and evenly male and female plants grow from old ones, but the fruits are much smaller. For this reason, it is better to combine last year's seeds and seeds 2-3 years ago in one sowing.

The timing of planting gourd melon seeds generally coincides with the timing of watermelon. True, it is still better to wait for slightly warmer days: when the soil warms up to 16 ° C. Seeds are buried in the ground to a depth of about 3-5 cm. Planting density is higher than that of watermelon: 10 seeds per square meter. This is done in such a way that not all seeds will sprout.

A bed with freshly sown melons must be moistened with warm water. Seedlings should be expected in the second week. As soon as five full-fledged leaves are formed on the shoots, the plants need to be spudded and the soil around should be gently loosened.

As in the case of watermelons, you need to water melons only until the ovaries appear, and even then not very often. After the appearance of fruits, watering should be stopped. But even this is not enough. Since melons do not like moisture, it is advisable to cover the bed with growing fruits with a film whenever it rains to increase productivity.

Greetings, dear friends!

If you want to grow gourds, a beginner melon grower should first deal with the capital cultivation and fertility of the site planned for the cultivation of melons and watermelons. Balancing soil nutrition in the agrotechnology of the pumpkin family is the main component of productivity, sugar content and quality of grown fruits.

The use of fertilizers in the cultivation of gourds

With fertilizers for melons, pumpkins and watermelons, accuracy and literacy are necessary, since these crops are poorly adapted to the synthesis of useful trace elements and, like a sponge, accumulate heavy compounds and nitrates in their fruits. Therefore, all types of dressings during the growing season should have an easily digestible form in the form of humic, ash and green concentrates, and active organics with granular minerals should be introduced in advance during the autumn digging of the site. If you use manure or minerals in their natural form, feeding gourds during the growing period, such as watermelon, its fruits will be supersaturated with nitrates, with tasteless pulp, speckled with white inedible veins, with a triple thickened rind and unripe seeds.

Irrigation technology for growing gourds

With active watering, you can increase the yield of melons by two to three times. The most important period of water flow to the roots is the time from the appearance of the first shoots in the garden to the start of fruiting. During this period, the root system of gourds is still not strong enough to provide the necessary amount of moisture, especially for melons. For the whole season on melons, it is necessary to produce at least three plentiful waterings. The first irrigation is necessary during the appearance of the first shoots and the formation of dense foliage. The second watering is important during the period of active flowering of plants. The third time it is necessary to shed the plantings at the very beginning of the formation of fruit ovaries, after which the irrigation of melons is completed. If you continue the "water procedures", they will already be harmful - the likelihood of cracking of ripened fruits, low sugar content, deterioration in taste, and a decrease in the shelf life of the crop increase. After the final third irrigation, a good humic top dressing will not damage the plantings.

Care of gourds

Conducting cultivation of gourds, during the summer, the shoots of plants are necessarily pruned, since with unregulated growth of tops, the productivity and quality of the crop deteriorate. After waiting for the appearance of 5-6 leaves on the shoot, you need to cut it over the second leaf. At the cut site, a pair of shoots is subsequently formed, which also need to be pinched, and when 8-9 leaves appear, the shoot is shortened to the sixth leaf.

When ovaries appear, the upper part of the petiole is cut so that a couple of sheets remain on top. As soon as melon ovaries become visually comparable in size to an apple, the least strong of them are cut off. The remaining lashes with ovaries should be placed on the ridge so as not to interfere with their growth: provide access to sunlight and avoid growing beyond the borders of plantings. It is undesirable to leave infertile lashes, it is better to cut them out completely so that they do not take on themselves the nutrition, water, light necessary for the ovaries and do not interfere with the ventilation of the fruit-bearing, green mass.

I wish you to harvest a good harvest of gourds. See you!

Watermelons and melons on ridges in open ground are most often grown in the southern regions, but the use of competent technology, as well as the right choice of variety, make it possible to grow a quite decent crop of gourds in the middle zone of our country, as well as in more northern regions.

The best melon varieties for open ground

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

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

The best varieties of watermelon for open ground

Growing heat-loving watermelons in open ground is easiest in the south of Russia, and in other areas, amateur melon growers most often prefer greenhouse cultivation of sweet berries. However, in recent years, several fundamentally new, very promising varieties and hybrids of watermelon for cultivation in far from ideal conditions have been obtained.

How to grow a watermelon (video)

Direct planting with seeds

To date, in the conditions of home gardening, three methods of growing melons and gourds are actively used:

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

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

Both in the first and in the second case, before planting the seeds, pre-sowing preparation of planting material should be carried out:

• selection of the most full-bodied, with characteristic surface staining of the variety, seeds;
• heating seeds at high temperature;
• disinfection of planting material by soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate;
• germinating seeds on damp tissue at room temperature.

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

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

Growing seedlings

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

• all gourds 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;
• it is impossible to cultivate gourds in areas represented by acidic and too wet soils;
• best used for planting and ridges with light medium loamy soils, avoiding cultivation on sandy and heavy loamy soils;

Growing melons in open ground (video)

• for deep digging of the soil, it is recommended to bring in half a bucket of humus or manure;
• clay soils should be improved by adding humus and coarse sand at the rate of a bucket per square meter of planting area;
• ready-made soil for growing seedlings should be improved with basic complex fertilizers;
• in spring, when preparing the site for planting seedlings, 15-25 g of potassium salt and 35-45 g of superphosphate must be applied per square meter;
• a very good result is given by the spring application of nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 15-25 g per square meter of planting area.

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

melon care

The melon should be taken care of extremely competently, since this melon culture is very responsive to the correct agricultural technology and forms the highest possible, high-quality crop when performing the following activities:

• melon is more moisture-loving than watermelon, so you need to water the plant weekly;
• plants should be fed three times during the growing season;
• the first top dressing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out a couple of weeks after planting seedlings in the ground;
• the second and subsequent top dressings are made with an interval 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 varieties of melon is barren, 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 of the soil and to irrigate with exclusively warm water.

watermelon care

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

Diseases and pests of gourds

In order to protect plants from leaf bacteriosis, watermelons and melons must be treated with Ridomil-Gold before the flowering period. Immediately after the appearance of the ovaries, it is required to use sparing fungicides with a short waiting period, for which it is desirable to use the drug "Kvadris-250".

Melons: shaping (video)

Of the pests, aphids are especially dangerous, against which the powder of the aerial part of the plant is used with a mixture of tobacco dust and ash, as well as the melon fly. Especially often this pest affects melons in the south-east of the Rostov region, as well as in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, and in the northern Caucasus. Organophosphorus compounds, neonicotinoids, pyrethroids and other modern insecticides are used to prevent and protect plants.

Residents of the central regions of Ukraine cannot boast of a melon harvest - watermelons ripen late, grow small, savory. But a miracle crop of watermelon and melon can be harvested if you use a few professional secrets.

“It is better to plant watermelons in the second year after adding organic matter to the soil,” says Orest Barabash, head of the Department of Vegetable Growing at the Ukrainian Agrarian University, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences. - Watermelons grow best on sandy soils. In addition, not all varieties are suitable for mid-latitudes. I would recommend these: Borisfen, Borchansky, Golopristansky, Dumara, Obry, Sichnevy, Chernomorsky. These varieties ripen by mid-August. Melon should be taken mainly of three varieties: Serpyanka, Titovka and Bereginya.

In order for the harvest to be good, melons are best grown in seedlings. Seeds are sown on April 10-15. Before that, they need to be wetted, wait until they hatch, and planted in peat pots 10 × 10 centimeters in size. The pots must be filled with soil up to half - when the seedlings are pulled out, it will be necessary to pour the earth.

Watermelons are planted in open ground from May 18 to May 25, when the threat of frost disappears. If the soil is not sufficiently fertilized, half a kilogram of humus is placed in the pits and 8-10 centimeters of earth are poured on top. When planting, it is necessary to strictly observe the row spacing: for watermelon - 1.8 meters, for melon - 1.4. In a row, watermelon seedlings are planted at a distance of 1.4-1.8 meters, melons - 0.7-1.4. Two plants can be planted in the holes at once.

When the seedlings grow up, they are evenly distributed: one shoot to the right, one to the left. On the central stem, where the fruits are formed, you need to leave 3-4 ovaries, and pinch off the rest of the stem on the 6-7th leaf.

Melons are grown using the same technology. But, unlike watermelon, melon forms fruits on lateral shoots. 6-7 ovaries are left on the plants, and the stems are pinched off over the fruits on the 3rd-4th leaf.

Lunisolar sowing calendar

March 28 - rutabagas, turnips, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, turnip onions, radishes, beets, horseradish, bulb flowers;

Planting and growing watermelons and melons in open ground

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 to cleanse the body. Melons are thermophilic and grow in a warm climate, so for their cultivation and planting watermelons in the open field, you need to have special knowledge.

Be sure to find out in advance whether it is possible to plant gourds if a cucumber, pepper, pumpkin or zucchini grows nearby.

Is it possible to plant watermelons and melons side by side?

Melons belong to the gourd family. Cultures are very useful 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 too close together..

Proper sowing of seeds for seedlings at home

Seeds for seedlings are planted approximately 60 days before planting in open ground. So, already in mid-March, the seeds should be bought. You can buy them at any specialized store or ask those who have already managed to grow a quality crop 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 any 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 adverse 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, Anything that comes up 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

1. Soak. Each individual type of seed must be wrapped and soaked in cloth rags and maintain in a humid environment until germination. You can also soak in special napkins.
2. 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 germinated at home 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.

planted in each pot 2 seeds to the depth 5 cm. Moisten the soil with a sprayer. Cover the container with cling film on top and put in a warm place +25 degrees.

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

Landing in open ground

When planting in open ground, you need to focus on climatic conditions, the selected crop variety, and the readiness of 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 and watermelons need rich soils, as well as those that can withstand moisture well. The ideal option is sandy and sandy loamy soil with a pH of 6-7 units.

Preparing seedlings of watermelons

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

A week before planting in open ground, seedlings must be taken out for hardening at a daily temperature of + 16 + 20 degrees.

Seedlings are ready for transplanting after the appearance of 5-7 leaves

Outdoor Landing Pattern - Depth and Distance

For planting in open ground, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. Holes should be made in the garden at a distance 0.5-0.7 meters apart in a checkerboard pattern. Leave 70cm spacing between rows.
2. Seedlings are placed in 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.
3. Harvest after planting should be watered with summer or slightly warmed water.
4. To protect a young plant from the scorching sun, it is necessary to close the sprouts for 2-3 days with moistened caps made of plastic or paper.

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. With the development of lateral loops, spud the culture. In order for the plant not to spend all its strength 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 whip, it is recommended to tie the fruits into nets and hang on a support. The fruits are placed on foil linings to prevent rotting.

To reduce the load on the whip, the fruits can be hung in a net.

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

Advantages of planting in open ground:

• in warm weather, you can achieve maximum ripeness fruits;
• daily watering of the culture is not necessary;
• it is possible to increase the yield if the basic rules for selecting soil and planting seeds for seedlings are observed.

Growing watermelons and melons in a summer cottage is quite realistic. 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.

Gourds: how to grow melon, pumpkin, watermelon

Golden melons, pot-bellied pumpkins, sugar watermelons - all these are gourds. They are all relatives, but each plant has its own growing secrets. How to get a good harvest of gourds, the nuances of planting and care, agricultural techniques - so that all the relatives of garbuzov are alive and healthy.

Traditionally and erroneously, it is 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.

Do-it-yourself watermelons, melons, pumpkins grown from seeds - they will not yield to the southern ones in taste. And nutritionists have long been talking about the benefits of these fruits. They contain a lot of carotene, potassium, phosphorus, organic acids, iron salts. In terms of useful qualities, they, in many respects, are in no way inferior to fruits.

General rules for growing gourds from seeds

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

1. The peculiarity of gourds is their thermophilicity and the need for direct sunlight, without shading.
2. The temperature at which pumpkin, watermelon, melon develop best from seeds is above +20°C. For abundant flowering with female flowers and fruit set - the recommended temperature during the day: + 20 ° С - + 25 ° С, and at night it does not fall below: + 18 ° С - + 20 ° С.
3. At a temperature of +12°С, the development of melons slows down significantly, and at +10°С and below, it stops altogether. During frosts, melons and gourds can die.
4. The root system of gourds is powerful, well developed, so pumpkins, watermelons, and melons successfully resist drought. Pubescent leaves - prevent the evaporation of moisture from the leaf plate.
5. In order for the harvest of gourds to be plentiful, and the fruits tasty and large, it is necessary to ensure regular watering.
6. Increased air humidity in the place where melons and gourds are grown from seeds should be excluded. In high humidity, they can be affected by diseases. To keep the air dry - water under the root.
7. Seeds of gourds are sown in one place every 4-5 years. It is not necessary to sow gourds in one place every year. Bad predecessors for watermelon, melon and pumpkin: cucumbers, squash, zucchini. Good: herbs, cereals, cereals, corn, tomatoes, fodder crops, potatoes, beets, carrots, herbs and other vegetables.
8. Melon crops respond well to top dressing, the number of female flowers increases, the formation of the ovary, the pouring of fruits, their taste and quality.
9. From seeds, gourds can also be grown through seedlings. By direct sowing of seeds into the ground, it is better to grow only early and mid-ripening pumpkins and early watermelons and melons.
10. To get large fruits and more ovaries, whip pumpkins, watermelons, melons - pinch. One way: by the end of August, pinch the tops of all shoots that have an ovary. The second way: pinch the plant over 4-5 real leaves so that side shoots appear, and then remove the tops after 2-3 ovaries appear on each.

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

Features of growing gourds

melon from seeds

In the southern regions, you can grow any variety, and in cooler regions - the best melon varieties: super-early Titovka, Early 133, reliable early hybrid Amal F1, traditional Kolkhoznitsa, etc.

Grounds and illumination.

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 fertilized soil since autumn.

Preparation of melon seeds for sowing.

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

Sowing melon seeds.

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

Planting a melon.

When planting melons, make nests of 3-4 plants in each hole. Distance between nests - 50 cm - 70 cm in a row. Row spacing - from 120 cm. When planting, add a complete complex mineral fertilizer 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 with specialized fertilizers. Water regularly, under the root. 203 weeks before fruit ripening, stop watering. Then the melons will be sweeter.

Watermelon from seeds

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

Grounds and illumination.

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

Preparing watermelon seeds for sowing.

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

Sowing seeds of watermelon.

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, it can be sown in open ground. Sowing depth: 4 cm - 6 cm.

Planting a watermelon.

Several sprouts or seeds - form 3-4 plants in 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.

Top dressing is carried out regularly, like a melon, once every 2 weeks, starting from the moment 3-4 true leaves are formed. To prevent the lashes from being whipped by the wind, 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 according to the general rules for melons.

pumpkin seed

Of all melons, pumpkin has one of the longest maturation periods. For most varieties, it is 110-120 days from germination to harvest. There are seeds of early pumpkin varieties, usually they are short climbing or bushy plants, with fruits weighing up to 2 kg (portioned). Pumpkin has the ability to ripen during storage and 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 - gymnosperms.

Grounds and illumination.

The pumpkin plant itself is unpretentious and will survive on 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 whips will rush to 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 in both beds and containers is done to a depth of 4 cm - 6 cm.

Planting a pumpkin.

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

Pumpkin care.

Fertilize and water your pumpkins regularly, especially when the fruit is in full bloom. During weeding and loosening, lightly spud the bushes.

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

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Five tricks to grow watermelons and melons even in harsh conditions

Trick one: double cover

With this method, watermelons and melons are sown in open ground to a depth of 3-4 cm: watermelons are 1.5–2 m apart, melons are 1–1.2 m apart. Each clade contains 2–3 seeds. But they do this not at the end of May, as is usually recommended, but in the first half - then they will have enough time to fully mature. Someone will say: so there is still half a month of frosts ahead, the seedlings will die! And here is the main trick - young plants must be covered. And in an unusual way.

First, the crops are covered with a liter plastic bottle with a cut bottom. The bottom of it is spudded with sand and poured through the neck with warm water (45-50 ° C). On top of the first bottle they put a second, five-liter, also without a bottom. It turns out a kind of nesting doll, in which heat is perfectly preserved.

When the first true leaf appears on the plants, the strongest of the three seedlings in each hole is left. After thinning, the plants are abundantly watered and covered, but now only with five-liter bottles. And do not rush to take them off at the beginning of June - let the watermelons and melons bask under plastic caps until June 15-20.

Trick two: a place in the sun

Ideally, if the soil in the area for watermelons and melons is light, sandy. But this is not the most important thing. It is important that the melon gets a lot of sun. So there should not be any trees and shrubs nearby.

But when the fruits begin to ripen, they must be shaded so that they do not bake in the sun. Burdock leaves or newspaper are suitable for this - they are placed on top of watermelons and melons on hot days.

Trick three: plank under the barrel

Another problem of gourds in cool conditions is rot. Dampness rots fruits and even shoots. And to avoid this, you need to put a plank under each melon and watermelon so that they do not come into contact with the soil. Pour 2-3 handfuls of sand at the root collar.

Trick four: watering aside

In gourds, the roots go deep into the soil - in hot and dry conditions, they get their own water. But in the northern regions, where groundwater is often very close, long roots play a cruel joke - having reached the aquifer, they rot.

Therefore, it is important to make the roots grow not in depth, but in breadth. This is easy to do - you need to water the plants not at the root, but along the furrows that are made in the middle between the rows.

However, it is important not to overdo it with watering - they are needed only in very strong heat. And the next day, the earth must be loosened and mulched so that there is no soil crust.

Trick five: trimming lashes

A large number of fruits in a cool short summer will still not have time to ripen, and the bush will spend energy on them to the detriment of the rest of the crop. So no more than 5-6 watermelons or melons should be left on each plant.

In watermelons, female flowers form on the main lash, so they don’t touch it, but the side ones are cut out. And for melons, on the contrary, the main lash is cut off over 5-6 leaves.

With this method of growing melons, the crop can be harvested at the end of August.

How to grow gourds in open ground?

Methods for growing gourds in open ground

Growing by sowing seeds in non-insulated soil

Site selection and crop rotation. In many places in the temperate zone, virgin and fallow lands are being developed. Where the soils are sufficiently fertile, the newly developed lands should be widely used for gourds: they give high yields on them. For example, in the Altai Territory in 1954, on the Kuibyshev collective farm of the Uglovsky District, on a virgin lands from an area of ​​20 hectares, a crop of watermelon of the Pobeditel 395 variety was obtained at 750 centners per 1 hectare. In the same year, the Znamya Kommunizma collective farm in the Kulundinsky district (Altai Territory) harvested 350 centners of table watermelon and 700 centners of feed watermelon per hectare from an area of ​​32 hectares. In the same area, the Khrushchev collective farm, on an area of ​​36 hectares, grew a crop of fodder watermelon at 400 centners per 1 hectare and table watermelon 130 centners per 1 hectare.

The collective farm named after Lenin of the Kalmansky district in the virgin lands received a harvest of 750 centners of pumpkin variety Stopoundovaya per 1 hectare on an area of ​​13 hectares.

In vegetable farms, gourds can be placed in a special crop rotation along with other heat-loving crops. Good predecessors for gourds are legumes, onions, cabbage, root crops and seed plants of vegetable crops that do not belong to the pumpkin family. In order to prevent pests and diseases, melon crops should not be returned to their original place earlier than 4 years.

Melons are often sown after winter wheat sown on fertilized fallow.

In areas where melons and gourds occupy small areas, it is better to place them on parison plots, in the aisles of a young garden and in other warm areas. If possible, it is best to choose a site for melons with a southern, southwestern or southeastern slope with light sandy or loamy soil and permeable subsoil.

On the southern slopes, the ripening of fruits in watermelon and melon occurs 1-1 1/2 weeks earlier than on a flat surface, and the fruits, as a rule, are more sugary.

Fertilization and tillage. Gourds place high demands on fertilizer and tillage. For all areas of the zone, deep plowing is effective, the introduction of increased doses of phosphorus and potash fertilizers together with manure or compost. However, the doses of fertilizers should be different depending on soil differences and rainfall. The smallest amount of fertilizers is applied on chernozem, and the largest - on non-chernozem soils.

Preparing seeds for sowing. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated. In the temperate zone, it is especially important for sowing to select the largest seeds that have the greatest weight, since large, heavy seeds yield a crop 25-30% higher. In addition, the experiments of the Gribovskaya vegetable breeding station showed that in the cold spring period, plants from large seeds give a lower percentage of loss. So, in 1953, three batches of melon seeds Gribovskaya Rassadnaya 13 were sown. The first batch had an absolute seed weight of 50 g, the second 40 and the third 30 g. Due to the cold weather, the plants did not germinate well, many died. A seedling count in early June showed that plants from a batch of seeds with an absolute weight of 50 g were preserved by 39.2%, from a batch of seeds with an absolute weight of 40 g - by 28%, and from a batch with an absolute weight of 30 g - by 23%. ,one%. Similar results were on the Gribov experimental selection frame in 1956.

In the temperate zone, getting quick and friendly entries is of great importance. In most cases, sowing with germinated and soaked seeds is effective. Seeds of melons, pumpkins and zucchini are soaked before sowing one day, table and fodder watermelons - two days. In the experiments of the V. R. Williams All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Feeds, the yield increase from soaking the seeds of the hundred-pound pumpkin for two hours was 21.2% compared with the yield obtained by sowing with dry seeds.

Sowing carried out in such a way that the seedlings do not fall under the influence of the last spring frosts, when the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm is not lower than 12 °. Pumpkin can be sown before watermelons and melons when the soil temperature reaches 8-10°C. On average, 1.5-5 kg ​​of melon seeds, 2-5 kg ​​of watermelon, 4-5 kg ​​of bush pumpkins and marrows, 3-4 kg of long-leafing pumpkins are required per 1 ha. 3-5 pumpkin seeds or 10-15 melon or watermelon seeds are sown in each hole and covered with soil.

The depth of seed placement depends on the composition of the soil. On light soils, melon seeds are buried to a depth of 3-3.5 cm, watermelons - 4-6, pumpkins - 5-8 cm. 3-5, pumpkins 4-5 cm.

If the soil is not moist enough, then in order to get quick, friendly shoots, the holes are watered before sowing and the seeds are placed in moist, freshly watered soil and covered with dry earth.

On large areas, gourds are sown with SKG-6 and CHI-6 seeders.

Care. Crops before germination, as well as young shoots, must be protected from birds. After germination, that is, approximately 10-12 days after sowing, all areas with melons and gourds should be cultivated to a depth of 10-12 cm in two directions with tractor or horse cultivators, depending on the size of the feeding area.

During the summer, at least three loosenings are carried out, of which the second and subsequent loosenings must be done to a depth of 5-6 cm. Before the last cultivation, the whips have to be thrown into rows so as not to damage them with tractor wheels and cultivator paws. After the last plowing, the lashes are straightened over the site, and the soil near the plants is loosened by hand. With the cultivation of the soil around the root neck of the plants, thinning is combined.

The method of powdering lashes into grooves in areas with excessive moisture can be effective only in dry years, since with an excess of moisture in the soil, lashes of watermelons and melons sprinkled with earth rot.

Gourds are pollinated by insects. According to the estimates of the agronomist M. K. Sakharov (1951), the number of visits by bees to the flowers of gourds is 84.8-96.2% of the number of visits to them by other pollinators. He found that from plants whose flowers are pollinated by bees, the seeds are 2 times more viable than from those plants that were pollinated by other insects or artificially. Therefore, during the flowering period, it is necessary to export 1-2 bee colonies per 1 ha to the melon site.

Many melon growers use the technique of turning watermelon fruits 180 ° once or twice to get a more beautiful fruit. This technique is carried out carefully, without twisting the stem, 20 days after the formation of the ovary. The fruits are turned in the direction opposite to the sun to avoid burns. Turning melon fruits is not practiced.

There are a number of works that indicate the expediency of limiting the lashes in gourds by pinching the tops and cutting out non-fruiting shoots. In the Moscow region, in the experiments of the V. R. Williams All-Union Research Institute of Feeds (1953), pinching the tops of pumpkin lashes at the beginning of fruit set increased the yield by 33%. In the experiments of the department of vegetable growing of the Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K. A. Timiryazev (1939), the yield of Etamskaya pumpkin without pinching was 11 tons, and with pinching - 22.5 tons per 1 ha. The work of the same station showed that the pinching of melons sharply increases the yield, as well as the number of ripe fruits. In zucchini, it is recommended to pinch the top of the main stem during budding. At the Gribovskaya vegetable breeding station (Moscow region), positive results were obtained from pinching all the tops of pumpkin, melon and watermelon lashes at a time when 2-3 fruits are formed on the plant. Thanks to pinching, excessive thickening of the lashes is eliminated and fruit growth is enhanced due to the large influx of plastic substances to them. According to the West Siberian Vegetable Experimental Station, pinching the main stem of melons above the 5-6th leaf significantly accelerates fruit ripening.

The Muslyumovsky state farm in the Chelyabinsk region successfully applied pinching of melons of the main stem over the 3rd leaf, first-order lashes over the 7-8th leaf, second-order lashes over the 4th leaf, counting from the formed ovary. In pinched plants, crop maturation began two weeks earlier than in controls. According to the state farm, in 8 hours one worker performs pinching the tops of the main lashes on an area of ​​0.15 hectares, and pinching the axes of the first and second order on an area of ​​0.05 hectares.

Growing watermelons in your garden

• Sowing watermelons
• How to water
• Video footage

A lot has been said about the benefits of watermelons: sweet juicy fruits are indicated for diseases of the heart and blood vessels, kidneys, liver, salt metabolism disorders, obesity and many other ailments. It is the richest source of potassium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, vitamins, acids and pectins. However, many are simply afraid to buy watermelons for fear of being poisoned by them. It's no secret that unscrupulous entrepreneurs who grow products increase the dose of pesticides and fertilizers in order to get a higher yield. Naturally, natural is much healthier and safer for our health.

Watermelons are very demanding on heat and light; it is not for nothing that they are considered one of the most heat-loving crops. Seeds will germinate at a temperature of at least 15 degrees, and the temperature norm for flowering will be from plus 18 to 20 ° C (in the morning) and up to 25 degrees in the daytime. As soon as the daytime temperature drops below 20 ° C, plant growth will slow down. Choose seeds that are not early maturing, but also not characterized by long maturation. Many summer residents praise the varieties of watermelons Ogonyok and Sugar Baby. They differ from other varieties of watermelons with an average size of 4–6 kg and a dark green color without clearly defined lines, the flesh is dark red, and the stones are black.

Watermelon is drought-resistant due to its well-developed, powerful root system, but at the same time it does not tolerate shading.

Growing watermelons: what soils are suitable

For growing watermelon, sandy loamy soils are suitable, warming up in the sun and protected from strong winds. Absolutely unsuitable is too moist land, with a heavy mechanical composition and characterized by being near groundwater. The best option is neutral or alkaline soil, but not acidic, where very small fruits will grow, which will have time to crack while still green. Change planting sites every year - this is good for the soil: next year, it is better to plant corn or wheat in place of watermelons.

Sowing watermelons

The first shoots will appear after 8-10 days, which will be considered the norm. If the ground is still cold, then the germination time increases, and the seedlings may simply die. This can also lead to the development of pathogenic flora in seedlings, which will further adversely affect their development during the growing season.

Each hole should be filled with ash (1 tablespoon) mixed with earth, humus and nitroammophos (1 teaspoon). In the future, this will increase yields by about 20%. The seeding depth is 5-8 cm. After sowing, mulch the soil surface with humus so that a crust does not appear, which can harm the seedlings when they emerge to the surface.

watermelon care

To accelerate the growth of watermelon, various shelters are used: from simple individual ones to group film ones. At the same time, even simple shelters with a film increase the temperature, thereby accelerating maturation by two to three weeks. In addition, with the help of such devices, you will protect plants from pests such as bugs.

You can arrange tunnel shelters with frames made of vines or wire rod. They are removed, as a rule, in early June, on a cloudy day, so that the plants cannot “burn out” under the scorching sun. Otherwise, they will weaken or become a source of infection for mass melons.

As for pollination, when grown under a film, it is carried out manually. To attract bees next to watermelons, you can plant honey plants or spray melons with a weak solution of honey or sugar.

How to water watermelons

During the cultivation of watermelons under the film, they are watered as they dry. After removing the shelters, watering should be stopped. In open ground, watering stops with the beginning of fruit set.

In the future, care comes down to breaking through seedlings, loosening, weeding the soil, destroying weeds and top dressing. Don't let it thicken! Melon crops are very light-loving, so if you want to grow a large and sweet watermelon in the open field - remember that only one plant should remain in the hole - try to keep 1 sq. meter had no more than three landings.

Video about growing gourds

Video: growing under drip irrigation

Video about square watermelons of Japan

* Calculations use average data for Russia

Melon crops include one- or perennial plants of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), which have long outstretched or climbing stems with tendrils: watermelon, melon, pumpkin, zucchini, squash, etc. The most popular, for obvious reasons, are watermelons and melons, which are cultivated for juicy fruits with high taste. Watermelon and melon are eaten mostly fresh as a dessert. However, jam, jam, molasses, watermelon honey (nardek, bekmes) are also cooked from the fruits of these gourds, candied fruit, marshmallow and pickles are prepared, they are still quite widely used in the canning and confectionery industry. From the seeds of many plants of the gourd family, valuable vegetable oil is obtained.

As part of this article, we will look at a seasonal watermelon growing business. Watermelon owes its high popularity to its valuable dietary, taste and nutritional properties. Watermelon contains high amounts of sucrose and fructose, which give it sweetness, and watermelon pulp and skin contain various beneficial amino acids, macro- and micronutrients, including antioxidants, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, folic acid and sodium.

General information about watermelons

In our country, watermelons are grown on an industrial scale in the Volga region and in some areas of the southern regions, as well as in the Crimea. Watermelons are heat-loving plants that are well cultivated in the steppe climate with long, hot, dry summers, so in these regions they ripen freely in the open air, acquiring excellent taste. In the middle black earth regions of Russia, as well as in more northern regions, watermelons are usually grown not in the fields (in open ground), where they simply do not have time to ripen in a season, but in greenhouses (under a film). Watermelon has a powerful root system, which provides the plant with enough moisture and nutrients for the ripening of large juicy fruits. The main root of watermelon plants can penetrate the soil to a depth of up to two meters, and the lateral roots form a large number of roots of the second and third orders, reaching a depth of 3-4 meters.

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At first, the vegetative mass of plants develops rather slowly, since the root system grows intensively during this period. But already 20-30 days after germination, the plants begin to grow actively, forming side shoots. Their growth can reach two meters in just one day. The timing of the flowering of watermelon depends on its precocity. As a rule, flowers can be observed already a month and a half after the emergence of seedlings, and flowering continues until the end of the plant's growing season.

Watermelon flowers, as a rule, are dioecious, that is, both male and female flowers can form on the same plant. In the most common varieties, however, bisexual, that is, hermaphroditic, and male flowers are more often formed, and in some species, female, male, and bisexual flowers. It is possible to distinguish female and male flowers by size: the former, as a rule, are larger, have a wide five-lobed stigma on a short style. Bisexual flowers are similar in appearance to female ones. They differ only in that they form both stamens and pistil at once. The flowers open in the morning at dawn and fade in 15-16 hours. Female and bisexual flowers open earlier than male ones and, if fertilization does not occur, remain open during the next day. Male flowers fade after a few hours.

Depending on the duration of the growing season (that is, from the moment of germination to the onset of the biological maturity of the plant), varieties and hybrids of watermelon are divided into several main types: ultra-early (up to 70 days), early (71-80 days), mid-ripening (81-90 days ), medium-late (91-100 days) and late-ripening (over 100 days). Keep in mind that ultra-early and early-ripening watermelons tend to be less sugary and more watery than mid- and late-ripening ones. However, for industrial cultivation, these varieties are considered more preferable.

Watermelon fruits can vary greatly in shape, color and size. In most cases, they have an oval-round shape with an average diameter of 20-25 cm and an average weight of 3-6 kg. The surface of the watermelon bark is usually smooth, but there are also segmented fruits, and the thickness of the bark depends on the variety, cultivation method and soil quality. In most fruits, the thickness of the bark is from one to one and a half centimeters. In some varieties, the thickness of the bark does not exceed half a centimeter, and in thick-skinned watermelons it can reach 4 cm. Watermelons with an average thickness of stern of 1-1.5 cm are still the most popular. Although thick-skinned watermelons are more convenient to transport and store longer, but buyers, as a rule, they do not want to overpay for the "extra" weight of the inedible fruit bark. Thin-skinned watermelons have a very short shelf life and require careful transportation.

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Watermelon flesh is usually red, but in some varieties it can be orange, yellow, or even pearly. However, experienced entrepreneurs rely mainly on traditional rather than exotic varieties. Seeds also differ in shape, color and size. They can be large, medium or small in weight from 30 to 150 grams / 1000 pieces. black, yellow, white, reddish brown or even greenish. Seed germination is usually maintained for 4-5 years.

Of all the species of these gourds, the common watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is the most widespread. It is a herbaceous annual plant with fruits of spherical, oval, cylindrical or flattened shape with bark of various shades from white and yellow to dark green with a pattern in the form of stripes or spots. Its flesh is usually pink, red or crimson, but there are also varieties with white or yellow flesh. The stems of this culture are thin, creeping or curly, very flexible. They can be up to four meters long. The seeds of the common watermelon are flat, often bordered, with a scar. This plant blooms throughout the summer months, while the fruits usually ripen no earlier than August-September.

Growing watermelons in open ground

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To begin with, you will need to choose suitable varieties for growing watermelons on melons. Approach this issue with great care. Do not pay attention to the bright pictures on the sites and the assurances of the sellers. To get started, read the growing guidelines or consult an experienced agronomist. When choosing, pay attention to the fact how many days this variety will need to ripen.

Astrakhan, or Bykovsky (white), monastic (green with white stripes and with red or gray seeds), kamyshinsky (of the same color), Crimson Sweet (early) and a number of others are considered the best varieties of gourds. Seeds are usually sold in packs of five for 35-45 rubles per package. At the same time, some suppliers set a minimum purchase lot - from 500-700 rubles.

Melon crops are planted only when hot weather finally sets in. As a rule, this is the middle-end of May (in the southern regions) or the beginning of June. Watermelon belongs to heat-loving plants, it does not withstand frost and does not tolerate temperature drops to 5-10 ° C. For the normal development of the plant, the temperature should be from 20-25 ° C and above (optimal - 30 ° C). Of great importance is the humidity of the air (it should ideally be 60%) and soil. On the one hand, thanks to a powerful root system, watermelon survives even in arid regions. However, if you want to get large, juicy and tasty fruits, then you need to maintain soil moisture at a certain level.

As mentioned above, watermelon seeds remain viable for 4-5 years. At the same time, two-year-old seeds are considered the most suitable for sowing, since plants grown from fresh seeds (from the previous crop) are not particularly prolific. In extreme cases, annual seeds can also be planted, but in this case it is recommended to warm them up to 60 ° C for a couple of hours. To obtain uniform seedlings, melon seeds are pre-sprouted. To do this, they are wrapped in gauze, dipped in warm water for four hours, and then laid out on wet burlap, wrapped in cloth and kept in it for two days. After that, they can be planted in the ground.

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If you want to plant watermelons earlier than usual (in the second half of May), then you can grow them in seedlings using peat cups, as gourds do not tolerate transplanting. When planting watermelon seeds early, they must first be hardened off to increase their resistance to cold. To do this, they are first soaked, and then hardened for 1-2 days at a temperature of 0 to 20 °C.

Watermelon prefers mechanically light or sandy soils that warm up quickly in the sun. It is best if perennial grasses, winter wheat, corn for silage, green fodder or legumes were grown on the field before melons. Experts recommend returning watermelon crops to the previous place of cultivation of the same or other crops of the pumpkin family no earlier than in 5-8 years. However, this rule is often not respected.

Experienced people advise laying watermelon seeds in the soil not vertically, but horizontally on their side. Thus, it will be easier for the leaves to break through the thick shell of the seed. In open ground, watermelons are planted in rows or nesting. Take into account the fact that one plant should have a fairly large space. This requirement is due, firstly, to the length of the lashes, and secondly, to the size of the fruits, for the ripening of which plants need a very large amount of nutrients. Watermelon seeds are sown manually in shallow holes 4-6 cm deep. 2-3 seeds are placed in one hole, then it is filled with water and covered with earth.

Shoots appear, as a rule, on the tenth - eleventh days of sowing. After another week, the first leaf blooms, and the main shoot begins to form at least two weeks later, or even later, depending on the variety. Caring for gourds is standard - weeding and loosening the soil, removing weeds and regular watering. For the whole season, you need to weed and loosen the melon at least four times, but water it - from 3-4 to 9-12 times per season, depending on the weather and the condition of the plants. When the central leaves of plants begin to wilt, this is a sure sign that they are not getting enough moisture. Watermelons need to be watered with warm water (temperature from 15 ° C) to the very root. Watering should be relatively plentiful so that moisture penetrates deep into the entire arable layer. Water consumption is from 50 to 100 cubic meters per hectare. In not very dry weather, the next, more abundant watering is done after the formation of the ovary and when the fruits reach a weight of 3-5 kg. In this case, the water consumption can be 150 cubic meters per hectare. It is extremely important to develop your own schedule and watering rates, depending on the region and weather conditions, and strictly adhere to them. A lack or excess of moisture can cut the resulting yield by more than half. With excessive watering, there is a high risk of developing various fungal diseases of plants, and excess moisture during fruit ripening can adversely affect their quality: watermelons will turn out unsweetened and watery.

At the beginning of growth, melons and gourds are recommended to be fertilized with cowshed infusion (rotted manure). After harvesting, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied for digging melons (half the dose of phosphorus and nitrogen and half the dose of potassium). In some manuals, you can find recommendations for additional fertilization of melons in the spring with nitrogen fertilizers. However, they must be used with extreme caution. Excessively large doses of nitrogen fertilizers reduce the taste of fruits, which, although they grow larger, do not have a characteristic sweet taste. Moreover, high levels of nitrates can be harmful to human health.

With proper care (with regular weed removal), suitable climate, favorable weather conditions, fertile soil and watering, 20-40 tons of crops can be harvested per hectare of sown area when grown on the ground, and 40-70 tons when grown on film. As we mentioned above, the ripening process for early-ripening fruits takes 60-85 days, for mid-ripening and late-ripening fruits - an average of 100 days. You can determine the maturity of the fetus by its appearance - the elasticity and brilliance of the bark, its color, and the brightness of the pattern. If you hit a ripe fruit with your palm, the sound will be deaf. When squeezing such a watermelon, a crackling of the pulp inside is heard. In cool weather, ripe watermelons can remain on melons for up to a month. However, in extreme heat, they burn out in less than a week under the scorching rays of the sun, so take care of the room for storing ripe fruits and timely harvesting in advance.

Growing watermelons in greenhouses

If you want to get an early and / or more abundant harvest, if you plan to grow watermelons in regions whose climate is not suitable for gourds, then you can not do without greenhouses. The following varieties of watermelons are suitable for greenhouse cultivation: F1 Gift to the North, Cinderella, Ultra Early, F1 Charleston near Moscow, Ogonyok, Pannonia F1, F1 Pink Champagne, Siberian, F1 Krimstar ".

Seedlings for the greenhouse are recommended to be sown in the second half of April. For forcing seedlings, a special mixture is prepared, which includes three parts of humus with one part of the earth, a tablespoon of potash and nitrogen fertilizers, three tablespoons of phosphorus fertilizer. Also, if you do not use mineral fertilizers, you can add a glass of wood ash and one teaspoon of potassium sulfate per bucket of soil mixture.

As with sowing seeds in open ground, when planting seedlings, they are laid to a shallow depth - up to 2-3 cm. Before germination, the soil with seeds should be kept at a temperature of 22-25 ° C. When the first shoots appear, the temperature can drop at night to a maximum of 15-17 ° C.

In general, care for watermelon seedlings is the same as for cucumber seedlings. It is necessary to provide the shoots with a long daylight hours - from 12 to 14 hours, otherwise, if there is a lack of light, they will begin to stretch too quickly, giving long but weak shoots. You can provide the necessary lighting with the help of special lamps that are used for greenhouse crops. A week after germination, it is recommended to shade the seedlings with a black film from 18 to 8 hours (from evening to morning). On the tenth day after the shoots appear, the plants are fed with mineral fertilizers (10-15 grams of potassium chloride, ammonia sulfur, 20-25 grams of superphosphate per 10 liters of water).

Do not forget to prepare the soil in the greenhouse in advance for planting seedlings. It is planted only in "warm" beds. To prepare them, a week before planting, a layer of earth 15-20 cm thick is removed from the soil. Hay with humus is laid in this trench, which is sprinkled with nitrogen fertilizers and abundantly moistened with hot water, and then covered with soil and black film. After the soil warms up to at least 10-12 ° C, it will be possible to plant seedlings in it to a depth of 10 cm. - in the third decade of April - the first decade of May. When the lashes appear and as they grow, they are tied to the trellises, and the fruits themselves, due to their large weight, are recommended to be hung in nets. For the rapid growth of plants, the lashes are pinched, leaving three leaves above the fruit and removing weak shoots.

The greenhouse must be regularly ventilated, avoiding drafts. It is desirable that insects that pollinate female flowers get into the greenhouse. However, you can do it yourself. To do this, carefully monitor the appearance of male flowers, which fade very quickly. With manual pollination, they are plucked, the petals are carefully removed and the anthers are applied to the stigma of female flowers several times. Experts advise doing this in the morning at an air temperature of about 20 ° C, but only on condition that the night before this the air temperature did not drop below 12 ° C.

Do not forget to leave enough seeds after harvesting for the next crops. Watermelons that grow from these seeds resist various diseases better and grow faster.

Ripe watermelons are sold to wholesale companies, private sellers, directly to end customers and through fruit and vegetable stores. With small volumes, it is most profitable to sell watermelons on your own, since wholesale prices differ from retail ones at times.

Sysoeva Lilia

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