Growing watermelons in the suburbs in the open field

Region differences

In the first calendar summer month, although the air warms up to an average of +19 ° C during the day, a return of cold weather is often observed with the onset of a sharp cooling and the arrival of prolonged rains. Therefore, according to meteorological observations, the average daily temperature this month for the Moscow region is slightly above +15 °C.

But in July, the richest in heat, the average daily temperature in the west of the region is +16.9 °C, and in the southeast its value rises to +18 °C. At the same time, during the day the air can warm up to +35 ° C, or even almost up to +40 ° C. But such a heat phenomenon is rather transient. Precipitation during this period falls in the form of heavy rains with frequent thunderstorms.

In August, the days are still warm, but the nights are already cool and the average daily air temperature is only +15.5 °C. At this time, the number of cloudy days and precipitation increases, but the duration of daylight hours is noticeably reduced.

Obviously, such climatic conditions are by no means optimal for growing watermelons, which are very demanding on heat, in open ground. However, this did not stop the breeders, and today there are varieties that can be quite successfully grown in the Moscow region.

What varieties are suitable

Despite all the achievements of enthusiasts, watermelons for vegetable gardens in the Moscow region are still exotic. Quite a few people are skeptical about the possibility of growing this heat-loving gourd in a temperate continental climate with not very hot summers. It begins in this region at the end of May and lasts until September. Precipitation during this period is about 75 mm.

You can count on a good harvest by purchasing seeds of the early ripening variety “Skorik”. These spherical watermelons are characterized by their small size and small seeds, but they have excellent tasting tender flesh. The thick rind of the fruit is dark green in color and pierced with broken dark lines. Ripe watermelons can be stored for quite a long time.

Crimson Sweet watermelons have a round shape, and their flesh is distinguished by a high level of sugar content. No wonder its name is translated as “raspberry sugar”. The fruits ripen in 70-80 days, and their weight can reach 10 kilograms. Many gardeners consider them the best watermelons for the Moscow region.

Open ground in this region is quite acceptable for the early ripe variety “Spark”. The first harvest of its spherical very dark green fruits can be started in mid-August. Watermelons grow only about 2 kilograms, but at the same time they have tender red flesh and a thin peel.

Fans of experimentation can try the open ground of the Moscow region for growing the ultra-early Coral variety. Its dark green thin-skinned fruits without any stripes ripen 70-75 days after planting and have a pronounced sweet taste.

The seeds of the “Honey Giant” will allow you to collect an excellent harvest of oblong fruits with an unusual marbled pattern. Also, elongated fruits are also found in the Peasant variety. With their juiciness and sweet taste, they have a rather thick peel, which is convenient for long-term transportation.

Also, hybrid species grow well in the open ground of the Moscow region. The most popular among gardeners are Delicatessen F1 and Farmer F1. They produce traditional striped round fruits with juicy tasty pulp. In addition, Sprinter F1, Cinderella F1 and Gift to the North F1 will help to get a good harvest of watermelons for the Moscow region.

In this region, open ground is quite acceptable for a tasty sweet early “royal” Prince series, which includes hybrids: Prince Hamlet F1, Prince Arthur F1, Prince Charles F1, Prince Harry F1 and Prince Albert F1. Moreover, the latter has a yellow peel and is practically indistinguishable from a melon. Successful and a series of early and juicy watermelons Beijing joy F1. It gives a consistently good harvest of fruits weighing 4-6 kilograms.

Video “Growing watermelons in the suburbs”

Peculiarities of growing

Watermelons in the Moscow region are grown in seedlings. It is desirable to plant seeds in the period from the beginning to the second decade of May. It is necessary to calculate in such a way that at the time of planting in open ground the plants were already about a month old, then the seedlings take root well in a new place and begin to grow actively.

Seedlings are planted in peat pots with a capacity of 0.5 liters in a mixture of peat, soddy soil and humus, taken in equal proportions. Plant care at this time is regular evening watering. If you water the sprouts of watermelons during the day, when the sun falls on them, they will fall, but in the evening they will rise again.

Planting seedlings in the ground after the appearance of the third leaf on it is carried out in holes located at a distance of one and a half meters from each other. This should be done only when the morning frosts stop and the daytime temperature does not fall below +15 ° C, but it is better that the air warms up to +20 ° C.

Cold air is carried by watermelons much more easily than cold soil, so the garden bed must be warmed up before planting. To do this, in March, for faster snowmelt, ash is scattered on them, and in April, the soil is shed with warm water and covered with a film.

Before planting, the remains of the pots are removed, the hole is moistened with water and a spoonful of complex fertilizer is added. After planting, the plant is sprinkled to the root collar and watered again. From above, it is better to cover the planting for two weeks with a non-woven covering material to protect against birds.

Care of planted plants consists in regular watering twice a week with settled and sun-warmed water and feeding twice a month with soluble complex fertilizers. If necessary, watermelons growing in the ground are pollinated using a brush for this. There is no need to pinch them. 

To protect against the occurrence of negative weather conditions, which is often in the spring in the Moscow region, many gardeners prefer to install a film cover over the planted seedlings. The film is fixed on arcs or a frame made from improvised materials. Remove such protection after stabilization of the temperature regime.

After planting in the beds, watermelons grow slowly, because for several weeks the plant puts out a long taproot in the ground. Plant care also includes molding into a single stalk, from which one excellent ripe fruit is obtained. For this purpose, all stems are removed, except for the main one.

gardening tips

Experienced gardeners say that in order to grow a good crop of watermelons in the Moscow region, the main thing is to choose the right variety. It should be super-early, that is, beginning to bear fruit 60-70 days after germination. Varieties should be used only those that are intended for cultivation in Central Our Country.

Also, before sowing, the seeds are advised to undergo the following procedure. Collect them in gauze bags and put them in cold water for two seconds, and then place them in a container of hot water for a second. Then repeat everything. Three such cycles will increase the resistance of plants and grow an excellent crop.

Experienced gardeners recommend planting two seeds in one peat pot, as there is always a risk that one of them will be different. In the event that both sprout, only one sprout is left, and the second is cut off, since it cannot be pulled out so as not to damage the root system of the plant being left.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place requires taking into account which plants grew there before. The best option would be the previous cultivation of cabbage or legumes. In general, the cultivation of watermelons every year should be carried out in a new place.

Caring for watermelon melons requires avoiding the situation so that the fruits lie on the ground. To do this, you can use boards or tie up watermelons using a mesh pre-cut into pieces of the required size, in which packaged onions, carrots or potatoes are sold.

Some of the gardeners recommend that when growing watermelons in the open field, use such a technique as grafting on an early ripening pumpkin. This allows plants to be made much less susceptible to the adverse climate of the region, which will speed up their growth and increase yields. The main problem of watermelons for the Moscow region is associated with cold soil. Because already at its temperature of +18 ° C, their roots cease to function properly. It is for this that watermelons are grafted onto a bottle gourd, the roots of which develop perfectly even in soil heated to only +8 ° C.

Video “How to grow watermelons for the Moscow region”

To grow this crop in the region of the Moscow region, you should arm yourself with hefty knowledge in this area. To do this, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following video.