How to grow melons in the open field?

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 thermophilic and grow in warm climates, therefore, to grow and plant watermelons in the open field, you need to have special knowledge.

It is imperative to find out in advance whether it is possible to plant melons if a cucumber, pepper, pumpkin or zucchini grows nearby.

Can watermelons and melons be planted nearby?

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

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

Melons are prone to infection with various similar diseases. Therefore, if you plant next to it, you need to understand the risks of spreading diseases from one culture to another.

And melons and watermelons tend to sprout

Correct sowing of seeds for seedlings at home

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

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

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

Preparing for planting and soaking

1. Soak. Each individual type of seed must be wrapped and soaked in cloth rags and keep 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.

Home-grown seeds are planted in separate small pots with a diameter of 10 cm, preferably peat. The soil should be a mixture of: humus, sod land 3: 1, add peat, sawdust, humus 3: 1: 0.5.

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

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

It will take about 40 days to grow watermelon seedlings.

Growing recommendations

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

Landing in open ground

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

Soil selection

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

Melons love nutritious soil and sunny plots of land

Melons and watermelons need rich soilsas 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, superphosphate 40 g., Potassium salt 30 g. and ammonium sulfate.

Preparing watermelon seedlings

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

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

Seedlings are ready for transplanting after 5-7 leaves appear

Open Ground Landing Pattern - Depth and Distance

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

1. In the garden, holes should be made at a distance 0.5-0.7 meters apart according to the checkerboard pattern. Leave a gap of 70cm between the rows.
2. Seedlings are placed in the holes so that the surface remains only a few top leaves... The soil should be crushed, and sprinkled with sand around to protect the plant from rot.
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 close the sprouts with moistened plastic or paper caps for 2-3 days.

10-14 days after planting, you need to feed the crop with a solution of ammonium nitrate 20g per bucket of 2 liters for each bush. During the period of the appearance of buds, 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... With the development of side loops, spud the culture. In order for the plant not to spend all its energy on gaining mass during the growth period, you need to pinch the main stem. For the full development of melons, three shoots are enough.

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

When the melons begin to sing, it is recommended to reduce watering to the very minimum. Thus, you can increase the concentration of sugars in ripening fruits. You need to harvest the fruits when they are already well ripe.

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

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

Benefits of planting in open ground:

• in warm weather, you can achieve maximum ripeness fruits;
• daily watering of the crop is not required;
• yields can be increased by observing the basic rules for soil selection and planting seeds for seedlings.

It is quite possible to grow watermelons and melons in a 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, sugar fruits. The main advantage of growing melons in your garden is the absence of chemicals.

(OKVED 2) 01.13.2 Cultivation of melons and gourds

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

As part of this article, we'll take a look at a seasonal watermelon growing business. The high popularity of watermelon is due to its valuable dietary, taste and nutritional properties. Watermelon contains a large amount of sucrose and fructose, which give it sweetness, while the pulp and rind of watermelon 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 thermophilic 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 the more northern regions, watermelons are grown, as a rule, not in the fields (in open ground), where they simply do not have time to ripen in a season, but in greenhouses (under the film). Watermelon has a strong root system, which provides the plant with enough moisture and nutrients to ripen large juicy fruits. The main root of watermelon plants can penetrate into the soil to a depth of 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 the emergence of seedlings, the plants begin to grow actively, forming side shoots. Their growth can reach two meters in just one day. The flowering time of a watermelon depends on its early maturity. As a rule, flowers can be observed within a month and a half after germination, and flowering continues until the end of the plant's growing season.

Flowers in a watermelon, 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 formed more often, and in some species - female, male and bisexual. You can distinguish between female and male flowers by size: the former, as a rule, are larger, have a wide five-lobed stigma on a short column. Bisexual flowers are outwardly similar to female ones. They differ only in that they form both stamens and a pistil at once. Flowers open in the morning at dawn and fade in 15-16 hours. Female and bisexual flowers open earlier than male flowers and, if fertilization has not occurred, remain open for the next day. Male flowers fade after a few hours.

Depending on the duration of the growing season (that is, from the moment of emergence to the onset of 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 melon varieties tend to be less sugar-rich and more watery than mid- to late-season 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 bark of a watermelon is usually smooth, but there are also segmented fruits, and the thickness of the bark depends on the variety, growing method and soil quality. In most fruits, the bark is between one and one and a half centimeters thick. In some varieties, the thickness of the bark does not exceed half a centimeter, and in thick-baked watermelons it can reach 4 cm. The most popular are still watermelons with an average feed thickness of 1-1.5 cm.Although thick-baked watermelons are more convenient to transport and are stored longer, buyers, as a rule, they do not want to overpay for the "extra" weight of the inedible bark of the fetus. Small-baked watermelons have a very short shelf life and require careful transportation.

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

Of all the types of these melons and gourds, the common watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is the most widespread. It is a herbaceous annual with fruits of a 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 pulp is usually pink, red or crimson, but there are also varieties with white or yellow pulp. 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 not earlier than August-September.

Growing watermelons outdoors

To begin with, you will need to choose suitable varieties for growing watermelons on melons. Approach this issue with great care. Ignore 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 it will take for a given variety to ripen.

The best varieties of melon watermelons are Astrakhan, or Bykovsky (white), monastery (green with white stripes and with red or gray seeds), Kamyshinsky (of the same color), Crimson Sweet (early ripening) and a number of others. The seeds are usually sold in packs of five for 35-45 rubles per pack. At the same time, some suppliers set the minimum purchase lot - from 500-700 rubles.

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Melons are planted only when hot weather finally sets in. As a rule, this is mid to late May (in the southern regions) or early June. Watermelon belongs to heat-loving plants, it does not withstand freezing 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). The humidity of the air (it should ideally be 60%) and soil is also of great importance. On the one hand, thanks to its powerful root system, the 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 harvest) are not particularly fertile. As a last resort, you can plant annual seeds, but in this case it is recommended to warm them up to 60 ° C for a couple of hours. To obtain uniform shoots, the seeds of melons and gourds are pre-germinated. To do this, they are wrapped in cheesecloth, dipped in warm water for four hours, and then laid out on a damp burlap, wrapped in a cloth and kept in it for two days. After that, they can be planted in the ground.

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, since melons do not tolerate transplanting well. When planting watermelon seeds early, they must be pre-hardened to increase their resistance to cold. To do this, they are first soaked, and then within 1-2 days they are quenched at temperatures from 0 to 20 ° C.

Watermelon prefers mechanically light or sandy loam 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 in the field before the melons. Experts recommend returning the crops of watermelon to the previous place of cultivation of the same or other crops of the pumpkin family no earlier than after 5-8 years. However, this rule is often not followed.

Experienced people advise placing 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 in a nesting way. Consider the fact that there should be a fairly large space per plant. This requirement is due, firstly, to the length of the lashes, and secondly, to the size of the fruits, for which the plants need a very large amount of nutrients to ripen. Watermelon seeds are sown by hand into shallow holes 4-6 cm deep. 2-3 seeds are placed in one hole, then it is filled with water and covered with earth.

Seedlings 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. Care for melons and gourds is standard - weeding and loosening the soil, removing weeds and regular watering. For the entire season, it is necessary to weed and loosen melons at least four times, but to water - 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 lacking moisture. Watermelon should be watered with warm water (temperature from 15 ° C) to the very root. Watering should be relatively abundant so that moisture penetrates deep into the entire arable layer. Water consumption ranges from 50 to 100 cubic meters per hectare. In not very dry weather, the next, more abundant watering is carried out 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 rates of watering, depending on the region and weather conditions, and strictly adhere to them. Too little or too much moisture can cut the resulting crop by more than half.With excessive watering, there is a high risk of developing various fungal diseases of plants, and excess moisture during the ripening of fruits can negatively affect their quality: watermelons will turn out unsweetened and watery.

At the beginning of growth, melons and gourds are recommended to be fertilized with infusion of cowshed (rotted manure). After harvesting, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied for digging melons (half dose of phosphorus and nitrogen and half 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 palatability of fruits, which, although they grow larger, do not have a characteristic sweet taste. Moreover, high nitrate levels can be harmful to human health.

With proper care (with regular weed removal), suitable climate, favorable weather conditions, fertile soil and watering per hectare of sown area, when grown on the ground, you can harvest 20-40 tons of crops, and when grown on film - 40-70 tons. As we mentioned above, the ripening process in early ripening fruits takes 60-85 days, in mid-ripening and late-ripening - on average 100 days. You can determine the maturity of the fetus by its appearance - the elasticity and shine of the bark, its color, the brightness of the pattern. If you hit the ripe fruit with your palm, the sound will be muffled. When squeezing such a watermelon, a crackle of pulp is heard inside. In cold weather, ripe watermelons can remain on the melon 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 in advance of a room for storing ripe fruits and timely harvesting.

Growing watermelons in greenhouses

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If you want to get an early and / or more abundant harvest, if you plan to start growing watermelons in regions whose climate is not suitable for melons, then you cannot 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 Rosy Champagne", "Sibiryak", "F1 Krimstar ".

It is recommended to sow seedlings for the greenhouse in the second half of April. For distilling 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 are not using mineral fertilizers, you can add a glass of wood ash and one teaspoon of potassium sulfate per bucket of potting soil.

As when sowing seeds in open ground, when planting seedlings, they are laid at a shallow depth - up to 2-3 cm. Before germination, the soil with seeds must 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, with 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 seedlings with black film from 18 to 8 hours (from evening to morning). On the tenth day after the emergence of shoots, the plants are fed with mineral fertilizers (10-15 grams of potassium chloride, ammonium 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 such, a layer of earth 15-20 cm thick is removed from the soil a week before planting.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 a 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 southern regions this occurs in the first or second decade of April, in the central regions - in the second - third decade of April, in the forest-steppe - in the third decade of April - the first decade of May. When lashes appear and as they grow, they are tied to trellises, and the fruits themselves, due to the 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 to avoid drafts. It is desirable that insects enter the greenhouse that pollinate the female flowers. 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 the female flowers several times. Experts advise doing this in the morning at an air temperature of about 20 ° C, but only on the condition that the air temperature did not drop below 12 ° C on the night before.

Remember to leave enough seed for the next planting after harvest. The watermelons that grow from these seeds are better able to resist various diseases and grow faster.

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

Sysoeva Lilia

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

Watermelon Sugar Baby

Here you can find expert advice on this topic.
Melons and gourds are thermophilic plants. Seed germination begins at a temperature of 13-15 ° C for a melon, 16-17 - for a watermelon, 12 - for a pumpkin. The most favorable for the growth and development of plants is the average daily temperature above 15 ° C, optimal for pumpkin - 20 ° C, for watermelon and melon - 22-30 ° C. Melons and gourds light-loving, and when darkening, the yield, sugar and taste of the fruit decrease. Melons and gourds are relatively resistant to air drought in the presence of moisture in the soil. Plants are especially demanding for moisture during the period of seed germination and emergence of seedlings. Pumpkins need moisture and consume more moisture than melons and watermelons.

Pumpkin

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

Melons grow and develop better on light soils with a sufficient content of organic matter, pumpkins grow well on heavy loamy soils when organic fertilizers are applied. Good results are obtained by local application of 300-500 g of humus, 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium salt to the wells. Melons and watermelons are best grown on light, well-warmed soils, located on gentle southern and southwestern slopes, sheltered from the winds.

Melon

Before sowing, the seeds of watermelons and melons are heated for 5 hours at a temperature of 50 ° C and at 60-70 ° C for 2 hours, then disinfection is carried out in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 25-30 minutes, followed by rinsing with running water ... It can be disinfected with a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate within 24 hours (against bacteriosis). Pumpkin tolerates early sowing periods better than other melons, therefore sowing in open ground in the southern regions of Siberia, in particular in Altai, is carried out on May 10-20, watermelons and melons - on May 18-25. Sowing scheme for pumpkin: 200 × 100 cm and 200x20 cm, 2-3 plants in holes to a depth of 5-8 cm, watermelon and melons according to the scheme 100 × 100 cm, 150 × 60-70 cm and 150 × 100 cm, 1-2 plants per hole or 1 plant per 1m2. The seeding depth of seeds is 3-b cm, depending on the size. For watermelons and melons, it is better to make ridges 10-15 cm high and 30-40 cm wide or ridges. Pre-add humus or compost to the soil at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 running meter and the same amount of sod land, 15-20 g of nitrogen and potash fertilizers and 30-40 g of phosphorus fertilizers. Dig up everything thoroughly. When growing melon and watermelon through seedlings, sowing is carried out in humus-earthy cubes or pots measuring 7x7x8 cm, filled with a mixture of turf, humus, peat or sawdust in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. It is better to take root seedlings 15-20 days old (from seedlings), which are planted in the ground on June 10-15, when the threat of frost has passed. To get ripe fruits of melon and watermelon 10-15 days earlier, seedlings are planted under temporary shelters in the phase of 2-3 true leaves on May 20-25.

Watermelon in the open field

When growing melons and gourds in the open field, it is better to irrigate in the phase of 2-3 true leaves or when planting seedlings, at the beginning of flowering and in the first period of fruit growth. Water abundantly and no more than 1 time per week. After watering and rain, loosening is necessary, especially on heavy soils. When ripe, watering is stopped.

Melon plants form crops mainly on shoots of the first and second orders and, to accelerate maturation, do pinching the main shoot over 5-6 m real sheet. Then, when the ovary reaches a size of 5 cm, the lateral shoot is pinched over the 2-3rd leaf after the ovary. In watermelons and pumpkins, the first female flowers are formed on the main stem, so pinching them at an early age delays ripening. For all melons and gourds, to accelerate ripening, a month before the first frost, it is necessary to pinch the tops of all lashes. The main diseases common in the region on melons and gourds are bacteriosis, anthracnose, fusarium wilting, ascochitosis. Disease control measures on pumpkin (melon) crops. 1. Disinfection of seeds and selection of disease-resistant varieties. Disinfection of seeds against bacteriosis is carried out: a) in a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate for 24 hours; b) soaking the seeds for a day in a 0.02% solution of zinc sulfate, followed by airing until flowable. To increase plant immunity against anthracnose, seeds are soaked in 0.2% solution of microelements (manganese, copper, boron) before sowing. 2. Since the source of diseases, in addition to seeds, are plant residues, it is necessary to remove them from the site, and place the pumpkin seeds in their old place after 3-4 years. 3. During the growing season of plants against the listed diseases, plants are treated with a 0.1% solution of Bordeaux liquid. Against bacteriosis and anthracnose - spraying with a 0.15% solution of copper sulfate. With ascochitis, especially on the stems, the affected areas are powdered or coated with a mixture of copper sulfate and chalk or crushed coal. With fusarium wilting, the soil is also a source of infection. Therefore, before sowing and planting seedlings, water the soil with a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate; introduction of trichodermin into the soil, both during planting and during the growing season.

Everyone knows that today buying vegetables on the market from unknown people is quite risky for many reasons.

But there is a way out: grow vegetables in your area. However, in the middle lane, where the summer is short for the ripening of watermelons and melons, this is quite difficult to do. But probably!

Do you want an early harvest? Plant seedlings on the window!

Not everyone knows that melons, which are generally accepted in central Russia to be planted with seeds in the soil at the beginning of June, may well begin to grow in the month of March at your window.

Why do people use this method so little? Yes, it is very difficult to transplant seedlings of cucumbers, melons, watermelons - their roots are tender and rather sensitive to various kinds of injuries.
For this, melon seedlings are prepared in special peat pots, which are then planted directly in them.

And if there are none, then you can make a container ... from plain paper!
On a bottle, for example, of a deodorant with a diameter of 3-4 cm, a strip of sheet 9-10 cm wide is wound so that about 4 cm remains free from the edge. This will be the bottom of the container. It needs to be crumpled in such a way as to make a glass. Then the container is carefully removed from the template and filled with earth. The seed is planted there.

Seedling care is usual: sunlight, regular watering. It is only important not to fill the glass with water, so that it does not get soaked right on the window.

In late May - early June, seedlings can be planted in the ground just as directly in a glass. During watering, it will get wet in the ground, and the roots will freely penetrate deep into the depths. This is all the more useful because paper (or a peat cup) protects the roots from the cold for some time. And the need to penetrate through the walls of the tank is a kind of "charge" for them. So they will become stronger and stronger.

The sprout will be covered with a greenhouse matryoshka - let him not be afraid of frost at all!

You can plant seeds directly into the ground. This is also done at the end of May. And so that our seedlings do not freeze, they are covered with plastic bottles. And there is one trick here.
Cut off the bottom with a liter eggplant, cover the seed or seedlings, slightly sinking its edge into the ground. You can sprinkle its edge with sand. It is best to remove the lid - it will interfere with watering.

Above, the second shelter will be a larger plastic container of 3 or 5 liters. It is also cut from the bottom and placed on top of the small one. The lid is left twisted. And watering can be done through the neck of the bottles. Of course, the cover is removed during this procedure.
When the seedlings no longer fit under the lower bottle, it is removed, leaving only the upper one. It can be kept over seedlings until mid-June.

Here's a little tip: watermelons need the sun's light!

Melons and gourds are very sensitive to heat and light - this is no secret. Therefore, they should be planted only in an open space, where there is no shading.

Although there are some difficulties here: in extreme heat, plants can burn out. Therefore, on such days it is better to cover the melons from the rays with burdock leaves and newspapers. If possible, you can even pull an awning over them to create a shade.

Curls, curls my watermelon - it will taste sweet!

So that the bushes of melons and gourds do not flood the land around, do not interfere with weeding and watering, it is best for them to make a support - let them crawl upward, clinging to their antennae! This is both aesthetically pleasing and convenient, and protects the shoots from decay.

Watering, water, but do not rot the entire crop!

Another problem for gardeners in central Russia is that sometimes the fruits lying on the ground rot, it's just a disaster! Especially when cool and rainy days come.
And in order to prevent this incident, experienced melon growers pour a pile of sand at the root collar of the plant - such a hill is 2-3 cm. You can use hay or straw.

And many more put planks under the fruits. Others even put nets on them and hang them from supports - and it is not difficult for the bushes to hold them, and they do not touch the ground, and worms and slugs will not get to the fruit.

And there are those who care about the convenience of storing melons and gourds. After all, round fruits have the ability to ride, which creates some inconvenience. And if the ovary is immediately placed in a transparent container with a flat bottom, for example, in a five-liter plastic eggplant, then the fruit will gradually fill it and take the shape of a rectangle. This is how you can kill two hares at once with one shot: protect the vegetable from rot, and give it its original shape.

Watering melon on the sidelines - with a bountiful harvest!

In the northern regions, groundwater often occurs quite close to the surface. And the roots of melons grow vigorously in depth. But, reaching the aquifer, they begin to rot.
Sly gardeners have figured out how to deceive nature. If you water the plant not at the roots, but a little to the side, then this trouble can be avoided. In this case, the roots will grow in breadth, feeling moisture.

We just make a groove along the bed - there and pour water during irrigation. But do not forget to loosen and mulch the groove the next day in order to avoid the formation of an earthen crust. And watering after the formation of ovaries should be reduced. It is needed only in the heat.

We cut off the extra whips - we do not interfere with the harvest!

To get the most delicious fruits in August, you need to take care of this in advance. To do this, you should trim the excess lashes - the plant spends its energy on them, and absolutely all the fruits that have set will not be able to ripen in the conditions of the middle lane, this is a proven fact.

Therefore, in watermelons, you need to cut out all the side lashes, leaving only the main one - female flowers are formed on it. Leave no more than 6 ovaries on one bush.
For melons, you should remove the main whip above the 6th sheet. Also, do not allow the plant to "feed" more than 5-6 fruits.

Using the helpful tips shared by experienced experts, even a novice gardener will be able to pamper his family with melons grown with his own hands.

Video about growing watermelons 20-35 kg.