How to properly grow watermelons and melons in open ground? How to grow watermelons and melons in open ground in the middle zone

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both melons and watermelons tend to overgrow

Proper sowing of seeds for seedlings at home

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

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

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

Preparation for planting and soaking

1. Soak. Every separate species seeds need to be wrapped and soaked in cloth rags and maintain in a humid environment until germination. You can also soak it in special napkins.
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 sprouted at home are planted in separate small pots with a diameter of 10 cm, preferably peat ones. The soil should be a mixture of: humus, turf land 3:1, add peat, sawdust, humus 3:1:0.5.

Planted in each pot 2 seeds each to depth 5 cm. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Cover the top of the container 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 to temperature +22 degrees. Remove the film;
• the best place for seedlings is a window sill on the south side of the house;
• a week after sowing, feed the seedlings mineral fertilizers, after another week - infusion of mullein with superphosphate.

Planting in open ground

When planting in open ground, you need to focus on climatic conditions, selected crop variety, seedling readiness.

Soil selection

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

Melons love nutritious soil and sunny areas land

Melons and watermelons need rich soils, as 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 ​​of manure per square meter, 40 g superphosphate, 30 g potassium salt. and ammonium sulfate.

Preparing watermelon seedlings

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

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

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

Open ground planting scheme - depth and distance

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

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

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

Seedlings are planted in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of about half a meter

Features of growing melons

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

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

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

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

Advantages of planting in open ground:

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

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

Growing watermelons and melons in a greenhouse and open ground is not difficult. Some summer residents refuse to plant melons, considering it inappropriate to occupy large area plot. Meanwhile, these cultures get along well together and give excellent harvest subject to certain rules. In a compact garden plot there is no need to allocate separate place for melons and watermelons, you can plant them side by side and enjoy the juicy sweet fruits.

Seed treatment before planting

Seed material is planted in peat forms 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 following solutions:

• a hydrogen peroxide solution is prepared at the rate of 10 tablets per liter of water;
• a weak solution of manganese or boron 0.05% concentration;
• “Epin extra”, the stimulant is diluted as follows: 6 drops of dietary supplement per 100 ml of water;
• “Zircon” 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 increases crop yields. Soaking is done 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, there is no point in planting them in the ground: the crop will be weak. When planting, place 2 seeds in each mold; in the future, this will allow you to remove the weaker branch.

Simultaneous soaking and heating of seeds is better preparation to the seedlings. Water melons only with water room temperature, at the same time you need to make sure that it does not irrigate the leaves. Melon seedlings are quite capricious and require good lighting, warmth and careful watering.

Special soil is sold in stores, but you can prepare it yourself. For this purpose in suitable soil mineral fertilizer “Kemira universal” is added. For each pot, 1 teaspoon is enough, then mix the soil well. The seeds are buried to a depth of 2-3 cm and watered. Under 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

Planting of melons in covered ground is carried out at the end of May. By this time, the soil will have already warmed up enough, and frosts will not harm root system. It is recommended to harden off young plants first; to do this, they are taken outside at a temperature of 13-15 degrees or the air in the room is cooled to these numbers. The best age of seedlings for planting is approximately 25-30 days.

The soil is tightened before planting plastic film, in which holes are cut for peat containers. This allows not only to protect heat-loving crops from low temperatures, but also increases productivity. Additional fertilizers are added to the holes: humus, ash or mineral additives. The nutritional components are covered with a layer of earth on top.

The greenhouse should maintain optimal temperature and light conditions. The temperature during the day should be 20-25°, and at night – 15-18°. Water moderately and infrequently warm water. To prevent condensation from occurring, the greenhouse must be ventilated periodically. Watermelons and melons are quite sensitive to excess moisture, their seedlings can rot, and the fruits themselves grow watery and tasteless. If it gets cold outside, you should cover the soil and young shoots with film, cotton cloth or paper.

At the time of planting melons in the greenhouse, you can have time to harvest young cabbage, early radish and greenery. This will not only additionally warm the soil, but also save space.

Boarding order

The open ground planting scheme 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 in 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 rotting.

When planting, the pattern and distance between rows are taken into account. Usually it is recommended to plant in 2 rows, between which a 50 cm wide piece of land is left. The next planting of melons in the ground is carried out at a distance of 80 cm from the first rows.

Caring for melons in a greenhouse

Caring for watermelons and melons is not particularly difficult and is not too labor-intensive. Young shoots can be covered with trimmed plastic bottles, this protective frame allows you to increase your yield. As the plant grows, the bottle is removed or replaced with a higher shelter. When the stem has grown sufficiently 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 with nitrogen fertilizer - urea or saltpeter; for this, 20 grams of the substance are diluted in 10 liters of water.

Caring for melons consists of loosening the soil, watering and fertilizing. You need to make sure that after planting, no weeds appear between the sprouts. Water young plants 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. You should irrigate melons carefully, making sure that water does not get on the root part of the stem. Otherwise, the crop may be damaged by rot.

Every 2-3 weeks the soil should be fertilized with mullein infusion and minerals. During feeding, you can add a small handful of ash into each hole.

Artificial pollination in a greenhouse is carried out with a male flower, which is determined by its impressive size. The flower is picked and applied to female flowers. Before pollination, you should not water the crop so that excess moisture does not affect the quality of the pollen. Many gardeners attract bees to pollinate: they open the doors of the greenhouse and place saucers with sugar syrup.

Plant Formation

As they grow, the stems are spread into different sides. Later they are tied to wooden or metal trellises.

To get a good harvest, you need to follow the rules.

• On melons, the apical part of the stem is docked. This procedure will be sufficient for early ripening varieties. Late ripening varieties Melons are docked differently. In addition to removing the top, the side parts are also inspected, their thickness and thickness are assessed. Young lashes are removed, leaving 3-4 strong branches.
• You'll have to tinker with watermelons. This crop is grown in one stem; it is selected based on the presence of shoots in the leaf axils. The stems on which the ovary is missing are removed, the rest are pinched. When the crop grows beyond the size of the trellis, the apical vine is pinched again at the level of the 4th–5th leaf.

Features of growing in open ground

Before planting plants in open ground, you should decide on the location. Watermelons and melons prefer to grow on slightly elevated, flat areas that are well warmed up and illuminated by sunlight. Here they grow better, bear fruit abundantly and ripen early.

Care is carried out by loosening the soil, removing weeds and excess lashes. During the growth process, 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 fertilizing.

Watermelons and melons are harvested as they ripen. The ripeness of watermelons is determined by the drying of the tendrils in the axils of the leaves, the disappearance of dullness and the appearance of shine, and the lightening of the skin of the fruit. When you tap a watermelon, it makes a dull sound, but to distinguish it you need to have practical skills.

The ripeness of a melon is determined by the dried stalk.

Are melons compatible?

Is it possible to plant watermelons and melons side by side? These crops consume similar chemical substances and require approximately the same processing methods. If you plant them side by side, this will greatly simplify the care procedures: watering, gartering, feeding. However, melons greatly deplete the soil, and they can only be planted in the same place after several years. To prevent this, watermelons and melons should be regularly fed with mineral fertilizers.

Collecting seeds from watermelons and melons when planting them together is not recommended, since mutual pollination occurs. The result of such a hybrid may not be entirely pleasant to the taste.

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 plot is small, then they can be planted side by side, nothing bad will happen. The proximity of melons to each other will not affect the yield.

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• Preparation of soil, seeds, seedlings
• Sowing seedlings for melons and greenhouses
• Fertilizers and fertilizing

Melons and watermelons love the sun very much and feel comfortable in Krasnodar region, in the Caucasus, in 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 do not lag behind their colleagues from the south and can also grow watermelon or melon in their garden. They plant melons not in open ground, but in greenhouses. Fruits from the north, of course, are inferior in size to those from the south, but are still very tasty.

Melon crops do not like transplanting, 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 where the seeds are planted and the preferences of the gardener. Melons are used as food not only fresh, but they also make jam from them and even salt them for the winter.

Selecting seeds for different regions

The first priority if you want to grow any plant is to buy high-quality seeds.

This rule also applies to watermelons and melons. It is best to purchase seeds in specialized stores or at fairs. It is not recommended to buy them secondhand from private individuals or in markets, as they may be replaced with cheaper and lower quality ones. Melon seeds differ in ripening time into early, mid-ripening, mid-late and late. The former ripen in mid-June, and the latter in autumn.

It is better to purchase seeds in specialized stores. Preference should be given to products from your region.

There are a great variety of watermelon varieties that can be grown in the southern part of the country: Astrakhan, Madera F1, Crimson Sweet, Galaxy, Black Prince, Competitor, etc. (more than 100 types of varieties). Watermelons grow large, sweet, juicy, fruit weight is from 7 to 20 kg. Things are completely different in northern regions, where you can plant only a few types of the largest berries. These include Ogonyok, Sugar Baby, Early Kuban, Siberian Lights. The fruits are usually no heavier than 5 kg, but juicy and tasty. Watermelon pulp is not only red or pink, but also yellow.

There are several dozen types of melons, the most famous of them are honey, aikido, Scythian gold, Altai, Cinderella, collective farmer, Iroquois and others. In sunny regions you can grow any variety, but in Siberia and the Urals it is better to plant early ripening varieties, for example, Altai or Barnaulka. The weight of the fetus 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 in color.

You can grow melon or watermelon in open ground or in a greenhouse. At the same time, the technology for growing melons in different conditions very similar. Below we describe step by step how to grow a melon or watermelon in the garden.

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

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

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

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

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

Proper sowing of seeds for seedlings at home

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

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

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

Preparation for planting and soaking

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

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

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

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

Planting in open ground

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

Soil selection

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

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

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

Preparing watermelon seedlings

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

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

Open ground planting scheme - depth and distance

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

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

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

Features of growing melons

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

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

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

Advantages of planting in open ground:

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

It is quite possible to grow watermelons and melons in your summer cottage. 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.

Watermelons and melons in open ground in our country are grown in regions with a hotter climate. In July-August, residents of the middle zone feast on juicy fruits, brought from Krasnodar region and Astrakhan region. It is in these areas that melons ripen best, because there are created for them optimal conditions: hot climate and long daylight hours.

Watermelons and melons in open ground in our country are grown in regions with hotter climates

Many gardeners are trying to grow exotic crops in middle lane. However, this experience is not always successful. Since the thermal period is quite short, tender crops simply do not have time to ripen in open ground. Therefore, if you want to get an unusual harvest, grow seedlings in advance.

It is necessary to plant seeds for melon seedlings at the end of March or at the beginning of April. The seedlings grow quite quickly. From the moment of planting the seeds until the formation of full-fledged seedlings, no more than a month passes. In order for the seedlings to bring a good harvest in the future, it is necessary to take care of proper care and pay due attention to cultivation.

Please note the following:

1. It is especially important to choose seed material wisely. It is better if it is zoned for those regions in which watermelons and melons will grow in the future. It is not recommended to buy seeds from unverified manufacturers. It is much safer to purchase them in specialized stores.
2. It is better to prepare the soil for planting seeds yourself. To do this you need to mix 1 part fertile land with 3 parts of humus. To ensure that melons grow healthy and strong, you can add complex fertilizers to the soil. It is desirable that they contain potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. If you don’t want to waste time, you can purchase it already in a specialized store. ready soil for melons.
3. Seedlings of exotic crops are very fragile and delicate, so picking them is not recommended. It is better to immediately plant watermelon seeds in individual peat pots. If you ignore this recommendation and place several seedlings in one large capacity, they will interfere with each other during active growth. If suitable containers for planting are not at hand, you can use cut plastic bottles.
4. Watermelons and melons are very heat-loving, so it is important to choose the right place to keep them. It is better to place the seedlings on the windowsills on the south side. It is desirable that young plants have the opportunity to bask in sun rays throughout the daylight hours. It is also worth taking care that the room where the melons are grown is warm. Otherwise, grow strong and healthy seedlings will not work.
5. Don't forget about regularly moistening the soil. Watering is required as it dries out. upper layer soil. It's important not to overdo it as cultures are not big fans high humidity. Several times during the time they live on the windowsill, the plants need to be watered with mullein solution.

It is necessary to plant seeds for melon seedlings at the end of March or at the beginning of April. Seedlings grow quite quickly

A seedling is considered grown if it has at least 5 true leaves. Tender crops can be planted in open ground only after the threat of night frosts has disappeared. Usually, optimal time- end of May or beginning of June.

Watermelons in the Moscow region in open ground (video)

Before you start growing watermelons in open ground, you need to decide on a planting location. Exotic crops will feel most comfortable in an area that is illuminated bright sun throughout the daylight hours. In this case, you need to ensure that the open ground in this place is reliably protected from strong gusts of wind and drafts.

The soil for melons should be fertile and fairly light. It is desirable that it retains moisture well. The best option- sandy or sandy loam soil. If watermelons and melons are grown on such land, the fruits will be more juicy. Acidity should range from 6.5 to 7.0 pH.

It is recommended to plant seedlings in open ground using the square-nest method. If you haven't heard of it, we recommend watching the corresponding video. The distance between two seedlings should be about 0.5 m. The most suitable row spacing is at least 0.7 m.

Tender crops can only be planted in open ground after the threat of night frosts has passed.

For the first time, melons in open ground should be covered with plastic bottles with the bottom cut off. This will create a mini-greenhouse effect and speed up acclimatization. In addition, the fence will help in case of an unexpected drop in temperature. After a week, when the plant enters the active growth phase, the mini-greenhouses can be removed.

Care for melons

It’s clear how to plant finicky crops. Now we should talk about how to care for them in the future. It's actually not difficult at all. It is enough to follow a few simple rules.

Like vegetables, melons and watermelons in open ground require regular hilling, loosening the soil and weeding. It should be remembered that tender melons do not like weeds.

Particular attention should be paid to watering. When moistening the soil, you need to be very careful so that the liquid does not get on the leaves. In hot, dry weather, watering melons should be done no more than once a week. In this case, hydration should be plentiful. During the period when flowers are forming, the plants' need for water increases. But during fruit ripening, the need for watering, on the contrary, disappears.

Several times a season, melons are fertilized according to the following scheme:

1. The first fertilizing is carried out soon after planting has taken place and the plants have taken root. Fertilizers that contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are used.
2. Repeated feeding is carried out during the period of active growth of vines. This time they apply organic fertilizers. Manure and chicken droppings. You can add potassium salts.
3. The final time, melon and watermelon are pampered with fertilizers during the formation of the ovary. You can prepare the preparation for feeding yourself. To do this, you need to dissolve 1 tsp in 1 bucket of water. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. l. ammonium fertilizer and 1.5 tbsp. l. potassium salt. The composition is thoroughly mixed and poured under each bush in a volume of 1.5-2 liters. Preferably at a distance of 16-18 cm from the stems.

Particular attention should be paid to watering. When moistening the soil, you need to be very careful so that the liquid does not get on the leaves.

If you decide to grow watermelons, do not forget to properly care for the growing canes. They need to be evenly distributed throughout the bed to prevent intertwining and damage. Weak and fruitless shoots should be removed regularly. And the fruits of melons and watermelons need to be turned over from time to time so that ripening occurs evenly.

As you can see, planting and care in open ground is quite simple. The main thing is that the result is worth the effort.

Melons in open ground in Siberia (video)

Growing melons from seeds

Residents of southern Russia begin to enjoy warm days much earlier than residents of other regions. Therefore, melons can be planted in open ground directly from seeds. Growing watermelons in this case is extremely simple.

1. Choosing a place to plant melons and watermelons must comply with the same conditions as when searching for a site for seedlings. The main requirement is plenty of lighting throughout the day.
2. Before planting the seeds, it is recommended to soak them in warm water for several hours. To make growing watermelons even easier, you can add a growth stimulator to the liquid.

Planting and care in open ground when using seeds are practically no different from similar actions when using already grown bushes. In most cases, landing seed material produced in small holes. You can put 2 seeds in each hole at once. As soon as the shoots appear, you need to carefully distribute them in different directions. This way the melons will not interfere with each other during active growth.

How to understand that melons and watermelons are ripe

If planting watermelons and melons in open ground was correct, melons will ripen already in August. They say about the ripeness of watermelons:

• drying of the bract;
• glossy shine and bright color peel;
• lack of hairs on the stalk;
• a ringing sound when tapped on the surface of the berry.

To correctly determine that a melon is ripe, it is necessary to examine its leaves and vines. In ripe fruit they wither and turn yellow. There are also several signs that indicate that a melon can be picked.

Watermelons and melons are very heat-loving plants, but now their growth does not require a hot climate. An ordinary greenhouse or hotbed will help create favorable conditions for their harvest. Still, the taste of food grown in our own garden is better than that of delicacies brought to our area for sale. Moreover, these fruits will be free from unknown harmful substances and additives. To do this, you just need to know how to grow watermelons. It’s better to do everything with your own efforts and with your own hands. We will talk about how to properly grow watermelons below.

Step One: Preparing the Seeds

Initially, you need to select the variety of watermelon or melon you need. To do this, you can purchase seeds in stores. You can also grow the 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 preparing seeds, the plant will undergo acclimatization within a year after planting, and this is associated with a long wait for fruit. Therefore, still the best option How to grow watermelons, there will be a method using purchased grains.

Step two: planting seeds

Since our climate does not allow planting directly in open ground, you need to follow other rules on how to grow watermelons and melons. The rule is simple - in mid-spring you need to prepare the seedlings. This is done as follows. In any container filled with boiling water, you should crush the aloe leaf, and then put the seeds in there to brew for 6 hours. Then you should prepare the ground. Best for planting watermelons and melons soil will do with humus or compost. It needs to be slightly warmed in the oven. Now let's proceed directly to the seedlings. For this you will need ordinary glasses: one for two seeds. First, you need to fill the bottom of each container with drainage. Soil should be poured on top. Then you need to add superphosphate to each of the glasses and fill everything with infused water. After this, you should press the grains of watermelon or melon into the ground and cover them with soil 2 cm high. The containers should be tightly covered, for example, with glass. After 3-4 days, sprouts should appear. If both grains sprouted at once, then the weaker one 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 at the beginning of summer in open ground, and always in sunny place. At this time, leaves should already appear on the seedlings. It is necessary to plant bushes on great friend distance from each other, as they will subsequently send out long shoots. 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 please you with their fruits. It is best to store ripe fruits in a dry place. dark place. Enjoy the taste of homemade fruits.

Preface

In order for planting watermelons and melons to be successful in the form of large and fragrant fruits, you need to follow the rules of agricultural technology when growing seedlings and provide the plants with proper care.

It is very important to prepare a greenhouse where you will grow melons and watermelons. The main condition for selection is its height. Some gardeners choose low greenhouses for planting melons, but such structures are not suitable for this crop. It is best if the greenhouse is at least 1.7 meters in length. And all because, as the sprouts of these crops develop, they begin to curl along the trellises - the small height of their “house” may simply not be enough for these plants.

Despite the fact that watermelons and melons can easily grow together with plants such as peppers and cucumbers, it is better to choose a separate greenhouse for planting them.

Greenhouse with watermelons and melons

Thanks to this, you can create the conditions necessary for watermelons inside it: low air humidity, heat(approximately +25 °C). Such conditions are not suitable for all other crops, especially since the humidity level should be no more than 50%.

Preparation of the greenhouse begins in the fall. First of all, you need to examine the condition of the greenhouse. If there are any breakages or cracks, they must be repaired - melons and watermelons are very afraid of the cold, and the slightest drafts can kill the seedlings. You also need to take care of the soil. First dig up the soil, remove all weeds and the remains of previous crops, then add a little bit of mown grass and rotted manure and leave it like that until spring. There are other ways you can improve the soil:

• when digging the soil deeply, apply to each square meter soil 20 liters of rotted manure, adding a spoonful of superphosphate and 3 spoons of nitrophoska;
• prepare a special soil from lowland peat, sawdust, manure and mineral fertilizers in a ratio of 4:3:3:3.

The most important - right choice suitable variety. In Russian conditions, the varieties that grow best are: Ogonyok, requiring minimal care, and Cinderella, Sugar baby or Siberian. In general, it is better to choose varieties from your region that have adapted to the climate. The fruit set period should be short, which will also serve as an additional guarantee good result. Alas, our summer cannot boast of a very long period, so plants with a long ripening period may simply not have time to ripen - giant melons and watermelons are grown only in southern countries.

Another important condition– selection of seeds. Poor seed material will ruin any efforts. First of all, you can only buy seeds from trusted suppliers who have been working on the market for many years and have won the trust of their customers. When choosing seeds, it is better to choose melon varieties with medium-sized fruits, which will guarantee a good result. It is also worth taking fresh seeds - this increases the chances that they will germinate.

You should not be late with sowing dates. It is best to plant seeds in mid-April. To do this, you can use peat pots, which can protect the root system from damage during replanting. Containers with a diameter of about 10–12 cm are suitable for planting seeds. If you take pots larger than big size, seedlings can be ruined by excess moisture when watering. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked, left for a couple of hours in warm water with the addition of an immunostimulant. This treatment will allow you to make the seedlings stronger, and the seed will sprout much faster.

Soaking seeds in warm water with an immunostimulant

Remember that a lot depends on the quality of the soil. If you make the soil mixture with your own hands, you need to mix the soil with humus in a 1:2 ratio, add a boatload of nitrogen fertilizer and three spoons of phosphorus fertilizers. If you don't have fertilizer on hand, add a little to the soil. wood ash or potassium sulfate. Plant the seeds sideways, which will allow the cotyledon leaves to break through the shell more quickly. Deepen the seed into the soil a couple of centimeters and cover with soil. Optimal temperature for germination – about +23 °C. And be sure to cover the pots with film, creating the microclimate necessary for the seedlings.

In order for the seeds not only to germinate, but also to develop, you need to follow several important rules. For example, sprouts need to be provided with complete freedom. Try to allocate for melons more space so that the pots with seedlings do not come into contact with each other. Second condition - correct feeding. Before planting melons and watermelons in a greenhouse, crops should be fed with any mineral fertilizers, diluted in water. The first time the work is carried out two weeks after planting the seeds. The second is carried out as necessary, for example, if watermelons do not develop as quickly as we would like. Work should not be carried out earlier - this could result in serious burns to the seedlings.

Also, melons require good lighting, so be sure to place the pots with the crop on the windowsill. If there is not enough light, illuminate the plants using lamps both from above and from the sides. If there is little lighting, watermelon seedlings will begin to stretch and weaken.

If you want to grow a good harvest, be sure to follow the timing of planting seedlings in the greenhouse. The weather should be warm, without frost at night. If you have a heated greenhouse, then work can be carried out already in May, in other cases you should wait until the daytime temperature reaches approximately +23 °C, and the nighttime temperature should not be lower than +12 °C.

Planting melon seedlings in a greenhouse

But, unfortunately, no one has yet been able to control the weather. Therefore, if night frosts are expected, the seedlings need to be wrapped in covering material: it can be soft paper, pieces of old rags, or clothing. You should also take care of the soil in advance. Remove the top layer, pour hay and humus into the resulting depressions, sprinkle with nitrogen fertilizers and water with warm water. Then cover removed layer soil and cover the bed with black film, which will warm the soil.

The planting scheme is simple: just plant the seedlings in loosened soil and at a distance of about 50 cm from each other. At the same time, there is no need to deepen the plants if you do not want to damage the root system. Be sure to cover the watermelon beds thin film, which can be removed after the plants get a little stronger.

Watermelons and melons planted in a greenhouse require minimal care. However, some activities are considered mandatory. So, remember the correct temperature regime. Despite the fact that watermelons are considered heat-loving plants, temperatures above +30 °C can lead to their death. Therefore, during hot weather, always leave the windows open to provide fresh air.

Best used for watering warm water, and you need to water strictly at the root - droplets of water falling on the foliage can lead to rotting. You need to water the plant in doses, trying not to be too zealous, since excess moisture in the soil can lead to serious fungal diseases. Just be careful when caring for the plants - if the leaves begin to fade, then it’s time to go get a watering can. Once a week during watering it is worth adding nitrogen fertilizers along with ammonium nitrate. To make watermelons sweeter, you can add a little wood ash. At the same time, feeding, especially chemicals, can be carried out before the fruits ripen to avoid nitrates getting into them.

Watering watermelons with water and fertilizers

After the ovaries become the size of a plum, select the strongest ones on each vine and cut off the rest, even if they have flowers. As a result, there will be one fruit on each vine. Also, on the main shoots you need to cut off the growing point, and put a thick cardboard or board under each fruit so that the watermelon does not touch the ground and does not rot.

You also need to remember the importance of pollination. So, try to leave the windows open so that bees can fly into the greenhouse. If these insects for some reason do not want to visit your site, you will have to pollinate the plants yourself. Find the largest male flowers. Pluck them, remove the leaves and apply them to the stigmas of the female flowers. Do this at least 2 times. In this case, it is advisable to carry out the work in the morning. And remember that after a fall, male flowers only live for a few hours, and without pollination there will be no fruit. To attract bees, you can simply spray the plants with water and honey. Now all that’s left is to water the plants and wait for the fruits to ripen.

It’s easy to check the ripeness of a melon: small cracks, the fruit itself will smell sweet. But with watermelons it’s a little more complicated. Pay attention to the brightness of the pattern; ripe fruits also make a dull sound when tapped. After that you can collect them. To extend the shelf life of fruits, they should be thoroughly wiped. A harvested need to be placed in cardboard boxes, lined with paper or cloth. If necessary, watermelon or.

The main pest of seedlings is, which is very similar to ordinary ladybug. This pest feeds on the leaves of seedlings. To protect plants from this pest, be sure to dig up the beds in the spring, removing the remains of other plants and weeds. A radical option is to spray the seedlings with insecticides. True, work must be carried out no later than a month before harvesting the fruits.

Pest melon aphid

Another dangerous pest- a wireworm or nutcracker beetle that lives in the ground and damages the root system of plants. Most favorable conditions for the appearance of this pest – moist, dense soil. So if you don't provide the plant proper care, the risk of pests will increase several times. To get rid of wireworms, loosen the soil more often and remove weeds. It is also useful to water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or add ammonium sulfate before planting seedlings.

A terrible disease for seedlings - powdery mildew, which, when it appears, begins to quickly spread throughout the plants, characterized by the formation of a white coating on the stems, leaves or fruits. To avoid this disease, treat the seedlings with Bordeaux mixture or copper chloride, and the affected areas of melons should be removed and burned so that other crops, such as grapes, do not suffer from this disease.