When to plant melon seedlings in 2022 according to the lunar calendar

Melons are very thermophilic. They work great in the southern regions of Our Country, but in the Central, in the Urals, in Siberia, and even more so in the more northern regions, it is sorely lacking in heat – summer in most parts of Our Country is short and cool.

In the middle lane, many summer residents manage to grow melons in the open field, sowing seeds immediately on the beds. But it is still more reliable to grow them with seedlings.

How to determine landing dates in your area

Melons do not tolerate frost at all. Moreover, they are so thermophilic that they begin to act up at temperatures below 10 ° C. Therefore, they should be sent to open ground no earlier than May 25, but if under cover with non-woven or film, then from May 15 to 20 (1). And the timing of sowing will depend on how and where it is planned to grow melons:

• seedlings in the greenhouse – March 25 – April 5;
• seedlings in open ground – April 25 – May 5;
• sowing seeds immediately on the beds – after May 25.

For open ground, these are the classic sowing dates. But they can be shifted depending on the spring. If it is early, warm, there are no frosts in the forecast for the second half of May, then you can sow melons even earlier – after May 15. And if it is cold and lingering, then it is better to wait a little – the seeds can be sown throughout the first decade of June.

– But in this case, you need to choose early varieties of melons – they ripen for 65 days, that is, even if they are sown on June 10, plus a week before germination, the crop will ripen at the end of August, that is, it will be in time before the first autumn frosts, which occur after 5 September, explains agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.

How to prepare seeds for sowing

Melons usually sprout without problems; no specific preparation is required for the seeds.

Before sowing seedlings, they can be soaked in warm water for 12 hours (2) so that they swell and germinate faster. And you can germinate in a damp tissue – then they will sprout even faster.

“Soaking and germinating seeds makes sense when sowing seedlings,” says agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. They need constantly moist soil to thrive. There are no problems with this at home – seedlings can be watered at any time. But if you sow swollen or germinated seeds in open ground, water and leave for a week (most summer residents come to their hundred square meters only for the weekend), the seeds may not germinate if there is hot, dry weather – the top layer of soil in such cases dries up very quickly . They simply do not have enough moisture to put roots in the deeper layers. But at the same time, the seeds are already awakened, and without water they will simply die.

It is better to sow melons on the beds with dry seeds – they will decide for themselves: if they have enough water that you poured into the hole, it will be enough for the root to germinate and go deep into the soil, then they will germinate. If it is not enough, they will wait for precipitation or more abundant watering. In any case, they will be alive.

Care tips for melon seedlings

Melon comes from Central Asia, and there, as you know, the soil is not rich, and the temperatures are high. These are the conditions that melons love.

The soil. For growing seedlings, you can use a special soil for seedlings from the store, but not in its pure form, but mixed with sand – 1: 2. Too fertile mixtures will provoke violent growth of shoots to the detriment of the future harvest.

Shine. Melons are very photophilous, so seedlings should be kept on the brightest window – this is the southern one. Otherwise, young melons need to be backlit.

Watering. After the seeds are sown, the soil should be watered so that it is slightly moist at all times. But as soon as shoots appear, watering should be reduced – the soil between them should dry out completely.

“Melons are highly susceptible to decay at all stages of development, abundant watering is contraindicated for them,” warns Svetlana Mikhailova. – There is a rule: it is better to underfill than overfill.

Feeding. In nature, melons grow on poor soils; seedlings do not need fertilizing.

Preparing for landing. Before planting seedlings in the garden, it is useful to accustom it to outdoor conditions, that is, harden it. A couple of weeks before the move, young plants should be gradually taken out to the balcony – at first for a couple of hours, then the “walking” time should be gradually increased, and left for the night a couple of weeks before moving to the beds.

Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse

Melons, like watermelons, quickly build up long lashes and in this form it is inconvenient to plant them on the beds and they take root worse. Therefore, there is no need to hurry. The optimal age of melon seedlings is 30 days, it should have 3-4 true leaves (3).

Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse: sowing seeds – March 11 – 17, April 1, 8 – 9, planting seedlings in a greenhouse – April 25 – 26, May 1 – 15, 31, June 1 – 12.

Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground

Melons are very thermophilic, they do not tolerate frost, so they can be planted no earlier than May 25, but better later – from June 1 to June 10.

Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground: May 31, June 1 – 12.

Popular questions and answers

To grow a good harvest of melons, knowledge and skills are needed. She told us about some secrets of growing this crop. agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.

Sources of

1. Yakubovskaya L.D., Yakubovsky V.N., Rozhkova L.N. ABC of a summer resident // Minsk, OOO “Orakul”, OOO Lazurak, IPKA “Publicity”, 1994 – 415 p.
2. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.
3. Shuin K.A., Zakraevskaya N.K., Ippolitova N.Ya. Garden from spring to autumn // Minsk, Uradzhay, 1990 – 256 p.