When do watermelons of different varieties ripen and how to choose a ripe one?

Cultivation

For the first planting, it is better to take watermelons of early varieties, with a ripening period of about sixty days. Late varieties can ripen ninety or even one hundred days after germination. It is important not to plant watermelons of different varieties next to each other in order to avoid cross-pollination.

It is better to select beds for this crop in the fall. It is not recommended to plant watermelons twice in a row in the same place or on beds where other pumpkins were previously grown. But this culture grows well and bears fruit after cabbage, onions, potatoes or beans. Since the autumn, when the crop has been harvested and the site has been identified for planting watermelons, it is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers, ash and sand to it – this will make the soil lighter.

Soils with groundwater suitable for the surface are not suitable for watermelons, and also too acidic. The beds should be oriented to the south or southeast, with a slight slope for better water flow. Watermelons need soil with good aeration, and it is not recommended to walk around the beds once again. Therefore, for the convenience of caring for plants, the beds should immediately be made narrow. It is also necessary to provide for the possibility of covering the beds in cool weather.

Optionally, you can sow seeds in open ground or grow seedlings. However, it is important to remember that due to the structural features of the root system (many thin roots of the second and third order), watermelons are not recommended to be transplanted. If seeds are sown, they must be sown in holes with a diameter of fifty centimeters to 1 meter, with a distance between holes from seventy centimeters to one and a half meters. Up to twenty seeds can be sown in one hole, after germination – select the strongest plants, remove the rest.

Seedlings are grown in individual pots and transplanted into the ground when the fourth leaf appears. Seedlings are transferred to holes, with a minimum distance between plants of one meter. In early June, watermelons (even from seeds, even from seedlings) should already be growing in the beds. Plants need abundant watering, sheltering at night if frost occurs, careful loosening of the soil (so as not to damage the roots), top dressing once or twice during the growing season.

When the fruits are tied, the ovaries will need to be thinned out, on the basis that each plant will produce five to seven berries, but no more than two per lash – only in this case the watermelons will ripen. Usually watermelons ripen within a month or a little longer after the appearance of the berries.

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When to Harvest

Watermelons begin to ripen in August. Depending on the variety that was sown, in the second half of August you can already enjoy fragrant fruits. It should be noted that early ripe varieties are not intended for long-term storage – they will have to be eaten quickly, on their own or with the help of neighbors, friends and relatives.

Harvesting should be done as the fruit ripens. Usually, fruits from one plant are harvested in two or three doses (if we are not talking about the berry from which the seeds will be obtained). The fruits must be collected with a sharp knife or garden shears, since if you tear off the stalk with your hand, the fruit may rot in this place due to a violation of the integumentary tissues. Store the collected fruits of early varieties should be no more than ten days.

How to distinguish a ripe berry

When the watermelon is ripe, its stalk, antennae and leaves near the fruit begin to dry out – in fact, this is a universal sign of ripeness for all pumpkins. There is an even simpler way – the larger the fruit, the greater the chance that it is fully ripe.

Also, in a mature berry, the peel acquires a uniform glossy sheen, and its part lying on the ground turns yellow (before ripeness, this area is white), and when you try to scratch a ripe watermelon with a fingernail, a crack will remain, and the unripe nail will simply slip off. You can also focus on a dull low sound from tapping (as is customary to do when buying). Or, when pressed with a finger, a crack will be heard.

You need to harvest in dry sunny weather. The shelf life of late-ripening varieties is up to two months, subject to the conditions. Watermelons can be stored in dark, cold rooms with high humidity, but spoiling fruit should be checked regularly and removed as necessary. The last harvest is carried out before frost. In this case, all fruits are removed, even unripe ones. Unripe watermelons are usually salted.

Video “How to determine the ripeness of a watermelon”

Both gardeners and ordinary consumers want to know for sure how to choose the right variety of watermelons so that the latter is not only sweet, but also ripe enough. We’ll talk about this in the video.