Watermelon: planting and care in the open field for beginners

Soil preparation

Do you plan to plant watermelons in the Moscow region, in the Urals, in Siberia, you should prepare the land. Watermelon is a thermophilic crop. For its normal cultivation, you need to choose the appropriate place on the plot. It should grow where the sun shines the most. Sandy loamy neutrally alkaline soils are called ideal for this crop.

They should be light, since the berry gets its juiciness from the root system, which should be located deep in the ground. Watermelon does not like weeds, you will have to carry out a merciless fight against them. It is not recommended to plant these berries on lands that are distinguished by the proximity of groundwater. Soil with a lot of moisture is not suitable either. Experts and experienced gardeners advise changing the planting site annually. This will enable the soil to be enriched with the necessary elements. The best predecessors for juicy berries are winter wheat and alfalfa.

The bad ones are gourds and nightshade crops. In autumn, the soil must be fertilized with rotted manure at the rate of 5 kg per 1 square meter. Fresh can not be used – it makes the culture vulnerable to various fungal infections. The soil must still be fertilized with organic matter. The introduction of phosphorus-potassium supplements into the soil will help speed up the ripening process of your favorite red berry.

Choosing a grade

Everyone is used to the fact that watermelon is a southern guest. The birthplace of this beautiful berry is South Africa, from where the fruit was brought during the time of the Crusades to the territory of Western Europe. It appeared on the territory of Our Country in the 16th century. If you choose the right variety, then you can successfully grow watermelon in the Moscow region, and in the Urals, and in Siberia. Varieties and hybrids of Honey Giant, Shuga Baby, Skorik, Sugar Baby, Gift of the Sun, Prince Albert F1, Prince Arthur F1, Rafinad, Rosario F1, Williams F1 are well suited for different regions of Our Country. The term of their full maturation is from 75 to 80 days.

The most famous early variety of a favorite berry is the Spark watermelon. It has small fruits – up to 5 kg, with a thin peel, painted in a characteristic dark green color. The middle of the berry has a granular structure and a sweet pleasant taste. The variety can be grown in open ground and greenhouse. Normally resists a decrease in temperature indicators.

Varieties Astrakhansky, Volzhanin, Melitopolsky 142, Bykovsky, Ataman F1, Muravlevsky, Yubileiny have an average ripening time. Variety Volzhanin is a smooth and pleasant to the touch fruit, which has an elongated rounded shape. Its average weight is 5 – 6 kg. The pulp of the berry has a beautiful red-raspberry color and excellent taste characteristics. The middle has a small degree of graininess. The variety has increased drought resistance, responds well to weather vagaries.

Of the late and mid-late varieties, one can name Rapture, Spring Bush 334, Anniversary, Kholodov’s Gift, Chill, Black Prince.

Such crops will take about 100 days to fully mature. Variety Kholodok is the most popular medium-late species. It matures in 85 to 95 days. The fruits are not large in size, have a weight of up to 5 kg. The Kholodok variety is characterized by the presence of a strong peel, juicy and sweet pulp. It has a good level of transportability and a long shelf life – under optimal conditions, the keeping quality is up to 3 months.

Video “We grow watermelons in the country”

Landing

If you plan to grow watermelons in the open ground of the Moscow region, then you must take into account the peculiarities of the climate of the region. This area cannot boast of a particularly warm climate. But if you correctly approach the selection of varieties and take into account some features of planting and caring for the crop, you can get a rich harvest of your favorite berries in various parts of the Moscow region. In the region in the summer there are strong and frequent night frosts, so the cultivation of berries here must begin with planting seedlings. Watermelon seeds have a thick skin, they are advised to germinate. Place to warm in a thermos for several hours at a temperature of about 45 degrees.

Wrap in a wet piece of material. Place in a solution of potassium permanganate. Transfer the fabric with seeds into a plastic bag and place next to the battery. Open a couple of times a day so that the sprouts receive oxygen. Sprouts that appear a week later are placed in peat pots or containers with special soil. Water and leave in a warm dark place. After two weeks, your seedlings will be ready for planting in open ground. We plant them in the regions of the Moscow region after the appearance of the third leaf. This period usually falls on the second half of May. Seedlings are placed under the film. They are placed on special arcs.

Planting seedlings is done in loosened soil. It is not necessary to deepen the root system of seedlings so as not to provoke their decay. Shelter is removed when the seedlings have produced viable lashes and the temperature outside has stabilized. Seedlings are placed where there is no wind. The distance between seedlings should be 50 – 70 cm. Do not forget to install a garden scarecrow, as the crows of the Moscow Region can harm your developing crops.

Residents of the Urals have been successfully growing watermelons in open ground for many years. It is not easy, but real, to get a good harvest of your favorite berry in the conditions of the Urals. It is necessary to purchase seeds in proven places and carefully select them. Seed elements that have even the slightest defect are not subject to planting. A dense layer of earth must be loosened. Seeds are pre-germinated – placed in water with a temperature of 50 – 60 degrees, drained, soaked again and waiting for sprouts. In the Urals, good harvests of your favorite berry can be harvested in a successful summer. Seeds are stored in a warm place where they are placed in the last summer month. It is advised to treat them with potassium permanganate for about 15 minutes and rinse in water.

At night, a solution of ash is used. The degree of productivity of watermelons in open ground is several times lower than those that develop in a greenhouse. Seeds are germinated in separate cups with fertile soil, covered and left in a warm place. Before disembarking, they are hardened – they are taken out into the street. Make warm high beds. When the snow melts, rotted manure is placed on them with a layer of 0 m. The width of the beds is more than 5 cm, the length is at least 80 meters. The soil mixture for each seedling bush is prepared from sand, peat, fertile soil or leaf humus, taken in equal parts. Places for holes are formed at a distance of 4 cm between them. Planting seedlings in open ground in the regions of the Urals is carried out in early June by the felling method. The root neck sits at the same level at which it was in the cup. At night, at first, the seedlings are covered with a protective film.

It is realistic to grow watermelons in Siberia, despite the fact that the summer is short here, frosts at night occur until the beginning of June, and in August it is not so hot. Watermelon is a wayward berry. He will need a lot of light and moisture, and the beds will have to be heated.

Seeds are soaked in hot water before planting, planted on seedlings when it cools down. Swollen seeds are recommended to be placed in plastic cups on the growing moon. Seedlings in Siberia are considered ready after a month. To heat the holes, sand, ash, humus or compost are placed in the hole, then covered with a film or glass. Shallowly grown seedlings are transplanted into a heated hole.

About 2 liters of hot water should first be poured into the hole. So the soil in any of the regions of Siberia will be able to warm up to a temperature of 40 degrees. In those regions of Siberia, where the soil will be warmed up by 6 – 8 cm deep to 10 – 12 degrees, it is possible to plant without growing seedlings. Do this in late April – early May. Seeds can be planted a couple of centimeters deeper if the soil is dry or the spring is not rainy. Seedlings are moved to open ground under the film. Sprouts can be covered with cut bottles. Holes when planting crops in the regions of Siberia are watered with warm water. Subject to simple rules, a watermelon can grow and develop normally in any corner of Siberia.

Our compatriots, who prefer to grow watermelons on their own backyard, are inspired by the experience of neighboring countries. For example, in Belarus, good harvests of this sweet and juicy berry have been successfully obtained for a long time. This is achieved by adhering to technologies, landing schemes and the use of covering materials. Since the climate of Belarus is not conducive to the growth of such a heat-loving culture. But Belarusian gardeners manage to get ripe watermelons not only in the southern and central, but also in the northern regions of the country. The key point for the normal development of this crop in Belarus is the preparation of the soil in the fall.

Peeling is carried out, after 2 weeks – plowing. In early spring, Belarusian gardeners loosen the soil. In autumn, the soil is fertilized with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Early ripe hybrids Romanza F1, Evrika F1 and other varieties are popular in Belarus. 30-day-old seedlings are planted in open ground in late May – early June. A nutritious earth mixture is used, like ours. Seeds are germinated, seedlings are hardened. On their plot, Belarusian gardeners plant crops on the plot at intervals of 140 by 60 – 70 cm. Gardeners from Ukraine and many other countries have been able to grow watermelons for many years. Since in many regions of Ukraine the climate is well suited for the normal growth of this crop.

Watering and care

Watering watermelons that grow and develop in your garden should be stopped only with the beginning of fruit set. Further, crop care involves breaking through fragile shoots, loosening the soil, weeding it, destroying unwanted weeds, and applying recommended top dressing. Melons grow normally in the presence of a sufficient amount of light. To obtain a large and juicy fruit in open ground conditions, it is important not to thicken the plantings, ideally there should be one plant in the hole.

No more than 3 landings should fit on a square meter. To accelerate the growth of your favorite berry, it is advised to use shelters with proper care. These include the usual individual and group film. Even protecting the beds with ordinary film can increase the temperature and bring the ripening time closer by 2 to 3 weeks. The film will also become a reliable protection against harmful beetles, which can cause a lot of trouble to melon crops. Specialists and experienced gardeners, while caring for plants, suggest equipping tunnel shelters with frames made of vines or wire rod on the beds.

So that the plants do not suffer from the sun, shelters are removed in early June on a cloudy day. If you open the beds under the scorching sun, the development of infection is not excluded. To attract bees near watermelons, it is recommended to plant plants that are honey plants. They have proven themselves in the care of crops by spraying them with solutions of sugar or honey.

Video “All about growing watermelons”

From the video you will learn how to grow watermelons in the open field, and at the same time get the maximum yield.