Cultivation of an early crop of gourds. Rules for planting and growing watermelons and melons Planting and growing watermelons and melons in open ground

Gourds are true champions among vegetables in terms of fruit size. The mass of a ripe watermelon or pumpkin is at least 5-6 kilograms of juicy pulp, and often 10-15 kg. Moreover, melons and gourds are famous not only for their size, but also for their excellent taste. This is especially true of melon and watermelon. The bulk of melons and gourds are grown in large farms in the south of the country, but if desired, they can also be grown in their own garden.

melon family

Gourds, or simply melons, are a group of large-fruited vegetables, mainly from the botanical family of Cucurbitaceae, which have similar external features.

In a broad sense, it is customary to include watermelons, melons, zucchini, cucumbers, squash and pumpkins in the melon family. But more often the term "gourds" is used in relation to a narrower group, including only two species - watermelon and melon. Further in the article, we will talk about gourds only in this narrow sense, leaving zucchini, pumpkins and cucumbers out of the brackets.

Common watermelon is an annual herbaceous plant, one of two cultivated species of the botanical genus Watermelon, which is part of the Cucurbitaceae family.

Watermelon gourds have thin, flexible stems that creep ("crawl") along the ground. The length of the stems can reach several meters. Leaves planted on long petioles, depending on the variety, may have a different configuration, but always triangular in shape and consist of three pinnatipartite lobes.

Flowers (usually pale yellow) appear in the first year. Subsequently, fruits are formed from them - pumpkins or watermelons proper, filled with juicy red pulp and many flat black seeds. There are many varieties of watermelon, so the fruits can vary significantly in shape, size and color. The classic watermelon fruit is a green ball weighing from 3 to 15 kg or more. Since the structure of the fruit has much in common with berries, formally watermelons are also considered berries.

The birthplace of watermelon is South Africa, but this fruit came to the Mediterranean region back in the days of Ancient Egypt or even earlier. It is known that the ancient Greeks knew about it, but the real watermelon was discovered by Europeans only in the Middle Ages, when the crusaders brought it from the Middle East. The Tatars brought watermelons to our country during their conquests of Kievan Rus and their subsequent stay here.

Melon

As for the melon, it belongs to a slightly different botanical genus - to cucumbers. Like other gourds, melon is an annual herbaceous plant with a liana-like stem creeping along the ground, which can reach a length of 3 meters. The leaves of a melon are larger than those of a watermelon and have a solid (not indented) heart-shaped shape. Flowers yellow, bisexual.

The fruit of a melon weighing from 1 to 15 kg or more has the shape of a ball or oval. Outside, the fruit (pumpkin or berry) is covered with a thin peel, which, when fully ripe, often becomes yellow (less often brown, or remains green). Inside the fruit is a pale yellow juicy pulp. Seeds cream or pale brown, oblong-oval. Unlike watermelon, melon seeds are collected in the center of the fruit, rather than distributed throughout the pulp.

Like any melon plant, melon comes from a hot region. Its homeland is considered to be Central Asia, namely, northern India. Probably, it was there that the cultivation of wild melon took place, and later it spread both to the west and to the east. It is known that the ancient Egyptians were definitely familiar with this vegetable crop. The melon, like the watermelon, was first brought to Europe by the crusaders, and since that time it has been cultivated in the south of the continent. Melon came to Russia directly from Central Asia about 500 years ago.

Like all natural products, watermelons and melons are very beneficial for the human body.

Thus, watermelon has a very positive effect on the kidneys, helping to remove stones and sand from them. Also, this vegetable is useful for men, as it improves sexual potency. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of watermelon for those who suffer from heart disease, as its pulp contains a lot of potassium and magnesium, which are important for maintaining the cardiovascular system in a normal state.

A ripe watermelon is a few kilograms of juicy sweet pulp that will appeal to both a child and an adult. The taste of watermelon is so outstanding that as a dessert, it easily replaces any confectionery.

The main way to consume watermelon is in its raw natural form. The fruit is simply cut into slices with a knife and its juicy red flesh is eaten. No other flavor additives are required.

And although, like zucchini, melons of this type are not customary to be heat-treated, this is by no means the only option for how watermelon can be used.

First, it is great for making fruit salads. Moreover, you can even use a hard green crust, which, with proper skill, can easily be turned into an original salad bowl filled with watermelon salad with other vegetables or fruits.

Secondly, due to the fact that watermelon pulp contains a huge amount of sweet juice, you can easily prepare a natural refreshing drink from watermelon, or make homemade wine.

Thirdly, sweet watermelon makes wonderful jam. Moreover, you can use not only the pulp, but also the hard skin, which, after heat treatment, easily turns into jelly.

Special mention deserves watermelon honey, or nardek, which is boiled without the use of sugar.

Finally, watermelons can be salted for the winter, after which they will make an excellent side dish for meat or fish. They can also be used to prepare absolutely unique sauces for meat dishes.

Sweet types of gourds are primarily healthy desserts. So, ripe melon fruits are rich in sugar, carotene, provitamin A, vitamins P, C and B9, as well as iron, folic acid, salts, pectins and fiber.

It is recommended to eat melon for diseases of the blood, cardiovascular system, nervous disorders, problems with urination and intestines. In addition, melon is good for those who are on a diet, useful during pregnancy, and is a good tool in the fight against dehydration. In cosmetology, melon is also in great demand. Tonic and healing masks from melon have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin.

Ripe melons and watermelons are an excellent dessert vegetable that can replace any confectionery sweetness. It is worth noting that the taste and level of sweetness of melon is highly dependent on the variety.

Traditionally, melon is eaten in its natural form as a completely independent product. Like the watermelon, the melon is simply cut into slices and the sweet flesh is eaten away while the tough skin is discarded.

Although melon also contains a lot of water, unlike watermelon, it lends itself well to drying. In Central Asia, dried melon is often used as a dessert for tea drinking. In addition, wonderful jams and preserves are obtained from melon. Like watermelon, it goes well with salads and various soft and alcoholic drinks.

Interestingly, in some Mediterranean countries, melon is a side dish for other dishes. For example, in Spain it is served with jamon and shrimp, and in Italy it is eaten with mozzarella and other cheeses.

Varieties of watermelon and melon

Since watermelons are grown all over the world, wherever agro-climatic conditions allow, the abundance of existing varieties is simply enormous. In addition to purely geographical varieties, it should be mentioned separately that there are watermelons with unusual yellow flesh and pitted watermelons.

In Russia, melon fields are planted with the most famous Astrakhan variety in our country, which is famous for its very sweet pulp, although it ripens already in the last ten days of August. Another very sweet, but earlier variety is Crimson Swift.

Melon is a little less popular than watermelon, so it has fewer varieties. But even those that are are quite enough to meet the needs of gourmets and gardeners. In the melon farms of Russia, melons of the Kolkhoznitsa variety are most widely used. They are cultivated in the Volga region. The variety is easily recognizable by its bright yellow skin, small size and spherical shape of the fruit.

In Europe and America, the Cantaloupe variety is most widely used. They are not as sweet and less juicy, but much more fragrant.

The best Uzbek variety is "Torpedo". These melons have an elongated, cigar-shaped shape and large sizes. Uzbek melons are famous for almost the best taste characteristics.

In the Mediterranean, where Uzbek melons are not available, their counterpart is the Moroccan Honey Melon variety. These fruits do not have characteristic grooves on the skin, and the color varies between ocher and greenish. The taste is actually almost honey.

Watermelons and melons are heat-loving crops. Moreover, they love heat so much that a really good harvest can only be obtained in the southernmost regions of our country. Already at the level of the 50th parallel (Belgorod, Voronezh, Tambov) and to the north, the cultivation of melons loses its meaning, because here watermelons simply cannot ripen and the fruits are small (maximum 2-3 kg) with fresh pulp. Melons are less fastidious and in hot summers they can produce quite decent-sized and sweet fruits even north of Volgograd.

However, in general, these crops prefer hot, dry weather. Drought is more preferable for them than rains and high humidity. In order for melons and watermelons to gain the desired mass and sweetness, they need a lot of heat and light. In the post-Soviet space, the optimal conditions for these crops are in the Lower Volga region, in the North Caucasus, in the Black Sea regions of Ukraine, in Moldova, and especially in the countries of Central Asia. In other regions, it is commercially unprofitable to grow gourds.

Technology of growing watermelon

Watermelon prefers sandy loamy soils warmed by the sun and protected from the wind. Waterlogged and heavy soils with a high level of groundwater are categorically not suitable.

Before planting, prepare the seeds by soaking them in warm water (50 ° C) and soaking in it until they peck. After that, the seeds are ready for sowing. The timing of planting in open ground depends on the region. It is optimal when the soil temperature reaches from 12 to 14 ° C, which in the south of our country usually occurs in late April - early May.

The first shoots should appear in the second week: the norm is 8-10 days. If a cold snap occurs after sowing, the timing of seedling emergence can shift significantly, and the seeds themselves may well die or become infected with pathogenic flora. For this reason, in the central regions of the country, where spring frosts and cold snaps are commonplace, it is better to postpone the sowing of watermelons until the end of May or even the beginning of June.

You need to sow gourd seeds in individual holes 5-8 cm deep. Since watermelons are plants creeping along the ground, the distance between the bushes should be significant - at least half a meter in a row and at least 1.5 meters between rows. To increase the chances of successful seedlings, it is advisable to add a tablespoon of ash and a little humus to each well.

To increase the growth rate of watermelons on melons, mulch is often used. Film shelters and agrofibre are best suited for this role. This simple trick can speed up the ripening of watermelons by 15-20 days.

Although watermelons are a drought-tolerant crop that does not like excessive moisture, it is impossible to do without watering at all. It should be carried out at the initial stage of the growing season until the moment when the fruits begin to set. Watering should be no more than once a week.

Until the melon crops cover the entire garden bed, you also need to take care of loosening the soil and weeding.

In this matter, melon has a lot in common with watermelon. She also needs a well-warmed and wind-protected area of ​​sandy loamy soil. In autumn, 4-6 kg of humus per square meter should be added to a previously dug-up bed. If the soil is loamy, then half a bucket of river sand should be added here. In spring, the soil needs to be fed with superphosphate, nitrogen and potassium salt.

The peculiarity of the melon is that mainly male plants grow from last year's fresh seeds, and evenly male and female plants grow from old ones, but the fruits are much smaller. For this reason, it is better to combine last year's seeds and seeds 2-3 years ago in one sowing.

The timing of planting gourd melon seeds generally coincides with the timing of watermelon. True, it is still better to wait for slightly warmer days: when the soil warms up to 16 ° C. Seeds are buried in the ground to a depth of about 3-5 cm. Planting density is higher than that of watermelon: 10 seeds per square meter. This is done in such a way that not all seeds will sprout.

A bed with freshly sown melons must be moistened with warm water. Seedlings should be expected in the second week. As soon as five full-fledged leaves are formed on the shoots, the plants need to be spudded and the soil around should be gently loosened.

As in the case of watermelons, you need to water melons only until the ovaries appear, and even then not very often. After the appearance of fruits, watering should be stopped. But even this is not enough. Since melons do not like moisture, it is advisable to cover the bed with growing fruits with a film whenever it rains to increase productivity.

Last season, my husband Boris Petrovich implemented two of his new projects on our site. I want to talk about their results. The first project was a dream he had for a long time: to use watermelon and melon plants as a design element.

We have been getting a stable harvest of these gourds on the site for the fifth year already, but this is not enough. My husband has long wanted to use watermelons and melons in such a way as to show all their beauty. In the last season, which was difficult due to weather conditions, his dream came true. It all started with the fact that in 2008 my husband added a veranda to our small house. The need for it has matured for a long time: guests often come to us, but there was nowhere to receive them. The veranda turned out to be 4x4 meters in size. Boris Petrovich covered it with a 150 micron thick polyethylene film to protect it from rain. For ventilation of the veranda and comfort inside it, a large window was made in the roof, and for better air movement and coolness in two places, the film on the walls could also be rolled up.

The veranda was built in the fall of 2008, so we could only feel the beauty of the sun rays passing through the film only in the coming summer season of 2009. And all winter my husband thought about how to protect himself from the scorching sun in summer and create an unusual green background on the veranda. He wanted our veranda inside to resemble the tropics with rapidly growing vines. That is why his choice fell on watermelons and melons. When he realized which plants would give the desired effect, the whole picture of the project immediately emerged - from the manufacture of warm ridges to the arrangement of plant lashes and their hearths on the veranda.

To insure the project, he connected the veranda with the house with an open opening. Additional heat through it came to the veranda on cold May days and in early June, and then in the second half of August, when the bulk of melons and gourds began to ripen.

This veranda was very useful to us at the beginning of May for keeping the grown seedlings of vegetables and flowers there. Since May 15, almost all containers with young plants have been there.

In May, I still do not live permanently in the country. And therefore, on my next visit there, a surprise awaited me, which at first upset me. The fact is that on the south side of the veranda, to the right and left of the entrance, the husband made two warm ridges with an area of ​​1.5 m? and a height of 50 cm. I did not like these structures, as they seemed uninteresting and out of place here. In addition, one of these ridges covered from the south and west from the sun the seedlings of flowers I recently planted near the house. At that time I did not really understand what would come of his idea? But an experiment is an experiment. And I gave him two cups of seedlings of watermelons and two cups of melons for this. The case was new, so we decided to use new varieties. To decorate the veranda, we used seedlings of Zemlyanin and Sorrento watermelons, which we purchased for the first time, as well as a new hybrid of Roxalana melon. There was no second melon novelty; I had to use the already tested Gerda melon hybrid. We sown the seeds of these melons and watermelons for seedlings on April 8th.

By May 10, having filled the warm ridges with organic matter, Boris Petrovich covered them with plastic wrap for quick heating. After a dozen days, the ridges breathed warmth. The husband built over them wall-mounted mini-greenhouses made of polyethylene film, which could be opened for planting seedlings, airing the plants and watering them. On May 20, seedlings were planted in mini-greenhouses.

Ten days later, Boris Petrovich decided to complicate his experiment: he planted one glass of cucumber seedlings - the Ecole hybrid - to two melon plants, and a glass of curly bean cowpea vegetable variety Countess to two watermelons. And it was convenient to plant all the plants and take care of them outside the veranda, for this it was enough to roll up a film on mini-greenhouses only a third.

Plants of watermelons and melons were formed into three stems: the main and two strong first lateral shoots. The cucumber was formed into one stem, the husband pinched all the side shoots - two ovaries and a leaf.

After planting, all seedlings quickly took root and began to grow. Already after June 10, all the lashes of melons and watermelons were introduced into the upper part of the veranda from its south side. A week later, the bean shoots caught up with their neighbors and went inside the veranda.

The husband watered the beds twice a week with warm, slightly podzolized water. He constantly monitored the landings so that they would not overgrow. Inside the veranda, under the film ceiling, I pulled the cords in order to guide the whips of developing plants along them. Boris Petrovich built a variety of shelves and swings for the fruit-setting, so that they would lie securely and comfortably on these coasters. I had to work hard, but the veranda turned out to be unusually interesting and beautiful - plants flourished at the top, and below there were comfortable benches and a table for family and guests.

The first melon started on June 10, and the first watermelon was pollinated on June 11. As a result, four watermelons grew on the veranda last season: from the whip of the Sorrento variety - one watermelon weighing 18 kg, the other - 3 kg; from a whip of the Zemlyanin variety - one watermelon in 11 kg, the other - 6 kg. We took 18 melons, their average weight was from 1.5 to 2 kg. Three melons, which we picked last, were already 2.5 kg each. And a lot of cucumbers formed on one lash. Their fruits looked very impressive under the ceiling of the veranda. Beans occupied the western wall of the veranda with their lashes, its pods were up to 70 cm long.

Scourges of watermelons and melons evenly covered the entire south side and top of the greenhouse, creating a beautiful openwork shadow inside. The melons and gourds were constantly cleaned: the growth of the main shoots was not limited, and the side shoots were all pinched after the second leaf. If we didn’t do this, we would get thickets of plant tops and a solid shadow inside. In addition, over the years of growing melons, we realized that we get a large harvest of these crops and large fruits due to the powerful, peeled tops of watermelons and melons. We usually pinch the main lash of these plants only at the last moment - during the period of mass ripening of fruits.

Our veranda in the last rainy summer was a favorite place for grandson to play. We, adults, also often gathered to have tea in it. The sight of ripening fruits, the aroma of ripening melons, the interesting design of the veranda - all this cheered up and inspired for further work. All the fruits we picked there are fully ripe. We think that all the guests who visited our site last summer were also impressed by what they saw on the veranda, they now know that in the conditions of the North-West they can grow, ripen watermelons and melons, that they can also be beautifully inscribed into the site landscape.

I will dwell separately on the feeding of plants that developed on our veranda. After all, it was necessary from two beds with an area of ​​\u200b\u200b1.5 m? get not only the maximum surface of the leaf mass of melons to decorate the veranda, but also a good harvest of fruits. Without top dressing, such a result cannot be obtained. A year ago, Boris Petrovich developed a method of dry top dressing - with a thick layer of mulch. He used this method for fast-growing cucurbits, now he used it for the veranda.

Its essence is that in mid-July, at the time of maximum fruit set and growth, a nutritious mulch was placed under the plants, consisting of burnt sawdust and hay, soaked in the remains of horse manure and urine. This litter with a layer of 5-8 cm, when watered with warm podzolized water, gave fast-growing plants a balanced nutrition. And melons and gourds successfully grew under it last summer. In addition, their root system under the mulch was protected from hypothermia during cold nights. It was she who helped us grow a good crop of watermelons and melons without the use of other fertilizers. Another plus of it is that after watering the surface of the ridges quickly dried out.

This was my husband's first project, which, in my opinion, he managed to successfully implement. I will report on the results of the second project in the next issue of the magazine.

Galina Romanova, gardener, multiple winner of the competition of the Union of Gardeners, Kolpino

1. General value

2. Botanical and biological characteristics

3. Cultivation technology

1. Gourds - watermelon, melon and pumpkin - are cultivated for the sake of obtaining juicy fruits that are distinguished by high taste. They are of great food and fodder importance.

Watermelon and melon are mainly eaten fresh. In addition, honey is boiled from watermelon and candied fruits and pickles are prepared, melon is used in the canning and confectionery industries. Late-ripening melon varieties have become world famous for their unsurpassed taste, transportability and ability to be stored almost until the next harvest. Pumpkin is used in boiled and baked form, it is used for the preparation of candied fruits and honey (from juice). Edible oil is obtained from the seeds of gourds.

For livestock feed, fresh fruits of fodder varieties of watermelon and pumpkin are usually used. 100 kg of fodder pumpkin equates to an average of 10.2 fodder units, 100 kg of fodder watermelon - 9.3 and 100 kg of squash - 7.2 fodder units.

Melon growing as a branch of crop production originated in our country in the middle of the last century. Currently, the sown area under melons and gourds is more than 1 million hectares. In terms of sown areas of melons and gourds, the CIS ranks first in the world.

Cultivation areas. Productivity. Watermelon is cultivated mainly in the Middle and Lower Volga regions, in the North Caucasus, Ukraine and Moldova, melon in Central Asia and Transcaucasia, and pumpkin in the central regions of the Non-Chernozem zone, in the Central Black Earth zone, the Trans-Urals, Siberia and the Far East. Together with pumpkin, early-ripening varieties of watermelon are also cultivated in these areas. In recent years, the border of melon growing has moved significantly to the north and east.

Outside of our country, gourds are cultivated in many countries of Asia (India, China, Japan), Africa and America. From European countries melons are sown in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Italy.

The average yield of watermelon on non-irrigated lands is 200-250 centners, and on irrigated lands - 400-500 centners per 1 ha, the yield of melon ranges from 160 to 500 centners per 1 ha, pumpkin - from 350 to 700 centners and more per 1 ha. The highest yields of gourds are obtained in Ukraine, Moldova, the North Caucasus, as well as in the irrigated conditions of Transcaucasia and Central Asia.

2. Botanical characteristics. biological features.

Melon crops belong to the Cucurbita-ceae family, which includes the three most important genera in the culture - watermelon (Citrullus), melon (Melo) and pumpkin (Cucurbita). Plants belonging to these genera are annuals, very similar to each other in the structure of vegetative and generative organs.

Watermelon. Watermelons cultivated in our country belong to two species: table watermelon - Citrullus edulis Pang, and candied watermelon - Citrullus colocynthoides Pang.

The root of the table watermelon is taproot, strongly branched, reaching a depth of 2.5-3 m and extending to the sides up to 5-7 m.

Stem creeping, long-braided (2-5 m), creeping, with 5-10 branches covered with stiff hairs.

The leaves are strongly dissected into pinnatifid lobes, stiffly pubescent.

Flower - yellow, dioecious; female flowers are larger than male ones. Cross-pollination by insects.

The fruit is a multi-seeded false berry (pumpkin) on a long stem, spherical, oval or oblong, painted white-greenish, greenish or dark green, often with a marbled pattern (Fig. 1). The bark of the fruit is leathery, fragile, with a thickness of 0.5 to 2 cm. The pulp is of various textures, carmine-red, pink, less often white or yellow, tastes sweet or slightly sweet. The pulp contains from 5.7 to 13% sugar. Fruit weight from 2 to 20 kg.

The seeds are flat, ovoid (0.5-2 cm long) with a scar along the edge and with a hard skin of white, yellow, gray, red and black color, often with a spotted pattern. Weight of 1000 seeds 60-150 g.

Watermelon fodder in its structure is somewhat different from the table.

Its root system is more powerful.

Leaves with larger shortened segments.

The flowers are large, with a pale yellow corolla. Male flowers are located on long stems, female - on shortened ones.

Fruits of various shapes - spherical or oval-oblong, green or light green in color with dark stripes of a marbled pattern. The flesh of the fruit is greenish-pale, contains sugar 1.2-2.6%. Fruit weight from 10-15 to 25-30 kg or more.

Feed watermelon seeds do not have a rib. Weight of 1000 seeds 100-200 g.

The main varieties of table watermelon: Favorite of the farm of Pyatigorsk 286, Stokes 647/649, Melitopol 142, Marble, Rose of the South-East.

The most common varieties of fodder watermelon are: Diskhim, Brodsky 37-42, Bogarny 112.

Table watermelon is one of the heat-loving, heat-tolerant and very drought-resistant plants. In moist soil, its seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 10 - 17 0 C. Seedlings appear on the 8-10th day. Frosts in the GS are detrimental to them. The most favorable temperature for the growth of stems and leaves is 20-22 °, and for the development of fruits - 25-30 0 C. Table watermelon is a light-loving plant of a short day. The best soils for it are sandy loamy chernozems clean of weeds.

Feed watermelon, in comparison with table watermelon, is less demanding on growing conditions.

Melon represented by many botanical species. In the CIS, types of melon with soft pulp are common: handalak - Melo chanda-lak Pang., adana, or Cilician - M. adana Pang., cassaba - M. cassaba Pang .; and with dense pulp: charjouskaya - M. zard Pang., ameri-M. ameri Parig., cantaloupe - M, cantalupa Pang.

The stem of the melon is creeping, cylindrical, hollow, strongly branching, coarse-haired.

Leaves are kidney-shaped or heart-shaped, on long petioles.

Flowers are orange-yellow.

The fruits are large, of various shapes and colors. The pulp is loose or dense, contains 12% sugar (Fig. 2).

Seeds are ovoid, flat, white-yellow, 0.5 to 1.5 cm long, contain 25-30% oil. Weight of 1000 seeds 35-50 g.

Varieties of melon with soft pulp include Khandalyak Kokcha 14, Dessertnaya 5. Varieties of melon with hard pulp: Ameri 696, Kolkhoznitsa 749/753.

According to its biological characteristics, the melon approaches the watermelon, but it is more thermophilic and easier to put up with loamy soils.

Pumpkin in culture has three types: table or ordinary pumpkin - Cucurbita pepo L., large-fruited fodder pumpkin - С.maxima Duch. And Muscat pumpkin - C. Moschata Duch ..

The stem of the common pumpkin is highly developed creeping. For some varieties of pumpkin, a bushy form (zucchini) is characteristic.

Leaves are five-lobed, with coarse styloid pubescence.

The male flowers are collected in several pieces in the axils of the leaves, the female flowers are single, located on the side branches.

The fruit is obovate (Fig. 3), with fibrous sweet pulp containing 4-8% sugar.

Seeds of medium size and small, oval, with a clear rim, white, cream or darker in color, contain 36-52% oils. Weight of 1000 seeds 200-230 g.

Large-fruited fodder pumpkin has a cylindrical hollow creeping stem. The leaves are reniform, weakly emarginate, pubescent with coarse hairs. The flowers are very large, orange-yellow. The fruits are spherical, flattened or elongated, reaching 50-70 cm in diameter, of various colors. The pulp of the fruit is loose, juicy, orange, less often white, contains 4-8% sugar. The seeds are large (length 2-3 cm), smooth, with an indistinct rim. The seeds contain 36-50% oils. Weight of 1000 seeds 240-300 g.

Muscat pumpkin has a creeping, branched, rounded-faceted stem. Leaves are reniform, cordate-notched or lobed, pubescent with fine hairs. The flowers are green or reddish-orange, the fruit is elongated, with interception. The pulp of the fruit is dense, contains 8-11% sugar. Seeds of medium size, dirty gray with a clear rim, contain 30-46% oil. Weight of 1000 seeds 190-220 g.

The most common varieties of table pumpkin: Almond 35, Mozoleevskaya 49, Spanish 73, Gribovskaya 37 (zucchini). Varieties of fodder pumpkin: One hundred pounds, Large-fruited 1, Hybrid 72, Muscat pumpkin has local varieties.

Pumpkin is less thermophilic and less drought-resistant than watermelon and melon. Its seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 12-13°C. Seedlings are less affected by frost. Pumpkin works best on loamy soils.

3. All gourds are demanding on soil fertility and cleanliness of fields from weeds. They work well on virgin and fallow lands, on a layer of perennial grasses and on floodplains.

Place in crop rotation. In field crop rotations, fertilized winter crops and grain legumes are considered the best predecessors of gourds. The gourds themselves are good predecessors of spring, especially spring wheat, and in the southern regions, subject to early harvesting of gourds, and for winter crops.

Fertilizer. Gourds are responsive to the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. The most effective joint application of these fertilizers. It is especially important to fertilize light sandy soils. As the main fertilizer, manure is applied under deep autumn plowing in the amount of 15-20 tons for watermelon and melon and 30-40 tons per 1 ha for pumpkin. Higher doses of manure for these crops should not be applied, as this can cause a delay in fruit ripening and deterioration in their quality. Simultaneously with manure, mineral fertilizers are applied (N 6 oP 45 K 5 o). Of great importance is the application of mineral fertilizers when sowing in rows (N 10 P 15 Kio). In addition to the main and sowing fertilizer, fertilizing is also desirable during irrigation before flowering plants (N 30 P 45 K 45).

Soil cultivation. Under gourds, deep autumn plowing is carried out in autumn, and in spring - harrowing and at least two pre-sowing cultivations with simultaneous harrowing. On heavily compacted soils in the northern areas of melon growing, the first cultivation is often replaced by plowing.

Sowing. Seed preparation. For sowing, seeds are taken from fully ripened healthy fruits. Their germination should be at least 90%. To increase germination, the seeds are subjected to air-thermal heating for 3-5 days. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated with 80% TMTD (5 g per 1 kg of seeds) or fentiuram (4 g per 1 kg of seeds).

Sowing dates. Sowing of gourds should be started when the soil at a depth of 10 cm warms up to 14-16°C. When sown in unheated soil, as well as when cold weather returns, the sown seeds do not germinate for a long time and can rot in the soil.

Seeding methods. Seeds are sown in square-nested, rectangular-nested and row methods with corn, cotton and special seeders. The distance between nests or rows for watermelon and pumpkin is 2.1-3 m, for melon - 1.4-2.1 m and zucchini - 0.7 m. scheme 2.1x2.1, 1-2 plants per nest (2.3-4.6 thousand plants per 1 ha), melons -2.1x1.4 or 1.4x X 1.4 m, two plants per nest (7.5-10.2 thousand plants per 1 ha) and squash-70x70 cm, ІхІ m (10.2-20.4 thousand plants per 1 ha).

Seeding rates for watermelon seeds are 2-3 kg, pumpkins - 3-5 kg, melons and zucchini - 2-4 kg per 1 ha. The sowing depth of watermelon and pumpkin seeds is 6-8 cm, melon and zucchini - 3-5 cm.

Crop care. Before germination, harrowing and loosening are carried out with rotary hoes to destroy the crust and destroy weed seedlings. In the future, inter-row processing is carried out to a depth of 12-15 cm during the first and 8-10 cm during subsequent treatments. When processing row spacings, overgrown lashes of plants must be removed to the side so as not to damage them with tractor wheels and tillage implements. To prevent swelling of the lashes by the wind, they are sprinkled with damp soil. This causes the formation of additional roots, which improves plant nutrition. Good results are obtained by pinching (chasing) the ends of the lashes during the flowering of male flowers. In the experiments of the Voronezh Agricultural Institute, chasing fodder watermelon increased the yield by 66.7 centners per 1 ha. Irrigation of gourds begins long before. flowering and spend 3-5 waterings at intervals of 10-15 days. During flowering, watering is temporarily stopped, and they are resumed when the fruit is set. Irrigation rate is 600-800 m 3 of water per 1 ha. After each watering, the row spacing is loosened.

Harvest. The ripening of gourds with a long flowering period does not occur simultaneously. Therefore, table varieties of watermelon, melon and zucchini are harvested as they ripen in several steps, and pumpkin and fodder watermelon - in one step, before the onset of frost.

Signs of ripening watermelon fruits are the drying of the stalk, the coarsening of the bark and the appearance of a clear pattern on it. Ripe melon fruits acquire the color and pattern characteristic of the variety. The ripeness of a pumpkin can also be determined by the color of the fruit and the density of the skin. Zucchini is harvested until the bark is coarsened. In plucked fruits, to improve keeping quality, the stalks should be left.

Ripened and undamaged fruits of pumpkin and fodder watermelon can be stored in a dry and insulated room at a temperature of 2-5 ° C almost throughout the winter. Table watermelon and melon, with the exception of Central Asian and Transcaucasian, are not stored for long.

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 to cleanse the body. Melons are thermophilic and grow in a warm climate, so for their cultivation and planting watermelons in the open field, you need to have special knowledge.

Be sure to find out in advance whether it is possible to plant gourds if a cucumber, pepper, pumpkin or zucchini grows nearby.

Is it possible to plant watermelons and melons side by side?

Melons belong to the gourd family. Cultures are very useful 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 too close together..

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

And melons and watermelons tend to run wild

Proper sowing of seeds for seedlings at home

Seeds for seedlings are planted approximately 60 days before planting in open ground. So, already in mid-March, the seeds should be bought. You can buy them at any specialized store or ask those who have already managed to grow a quality crop 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 - 5 years ago. It is important to understand that only any early-ripening 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, you need to make sure that they are not empty. To do this, seeds are immersed in a container with water, Anything that comes up 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.

Preparation for planting and soaking

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

Seeds germinated at home 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.

planted in each pot 2 seeds to the depth 5 cm. Moisten the soil with a sprayer. Cover the container with cling film on top 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.

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

Landing in open ground

When planting in open ground, you need to focus on climatic conditions, the selected crop variety, and the readiness of 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 nutrient soil and sunny plots of land

Melons and watermelons need rich soils, as well as those that can withstand moisture well. The ideal option is sandy and sandy loamy soil with a pH of 6-7 units.

Site preparation is carried out in the fall. When digging, they add 4-5 kg ​​of manure per square meter, 40 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium salt. and ammonium sulfate.

Preparing seedlings of watermelons

When the seedlings appear 5-7 leaves, it is ready for transplanting into open ground. The best time - the end of May. However, you need to focus on weather conditions so that at night the air temperature remains +15 degrees.

A week before planting in open ground, seedlings must be taken out for hardening at a daily temperature of + 16 + 20 degrees.

Seedlings are ready for transplanting after the appearance of 5-7 leaves

Outdoor Landing Pattern - Depth and Distance

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

1. Holes should be made in the garden at a distance 0.5-0.7 meters apart in a checkerboard pattern. Leave 70cm spacing between rows.
2. Seedlings are placed in 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. Harvest after planting should be watered with summer or slightly warmed water.
4. To protect a young plant from the scorching sun, it is necessary to close the sprouts for 2-3 days with moistened caps made of plastic or paper.

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 when the buds appear, you need to feed melons with infusion of mullein.

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 lateral loops, spud the culture. In order for the plant not to spend all its strength 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 whip, it is recommended to tie the fruits into nets and hang on a support. The fruits are placed on foil linings to prevent rotting.

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

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

Advantages of planting in open ground:

• in warm weather, you can achieve maximum ripeness fruits;
• daily watering of the culture is not necessary;
• it is possible to increase the yield if the basic rules for selecting soil and planting seeds for seedlings are observed.

Growing watermelons and melons in a summer cottage is quite realistic. Some even grow them in bags or greenhouses. If you follow all the recommendations, then by the end of summer you can enjoy sweet, sugary fruits. The main advantage of growing melons in your garden is the absence of chemicals.

(OKVED 2) 01.13.2 Cultivation of gourds

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

As part of this article, we will look at a seasonal watermelon growing business. Watermelon owes its high popularity to its valuable dietary, taste and nutritional properties. Watermelon contains high amounts of sucrose and fructose, which give it sweetness, and watermelon pulp and skin 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 heat-loving 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 more northern regions, watermelons are usually grown not in the fields (in open ground), where they simply do not have time to ripen in a season, but in greenhouses (under a film). Watermelon has a powerful root system, which provides the plant with enough moisture and nutrients for the ripening of large juicy fruits. The main root of watermelon plants can penetrate 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 germination, the plants begin to grow actively, forming side shoots. Their growth can reach two meters in just one day. The timing of the flowering of watermelon depends on its precocity. As a rule, flowers can be observed already a month and a half after the emergence of seedlings, and flowering continues until the end of the plant's growing season.

Watermelon flowers, 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 more often formed, and in some species, female, male, and bisexual flowers. It is possible to distinguish female and male flowers by size: the former, as a rule, are larger, have a wide five-lobed stigma on a short style. Bisexual flowers are similar in appearance to female ones. They differ only in that they form both stamens and pistil at once. The flowers open in the morning at dawn and fade in 15-16 hours. Female and bisexual flowers open earlier than male ones and, if fertilization does not occur, remain open during the next day. Male flowers fade after a few hours.

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

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

Of all the species of these gourds, the common watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is the most widespread. It is a herbaceous annual plant with spherical, oval, cylindrical or flattened fruits with bark of various shades from white and yellow to dark green with a pattern of stripes or spots. Its flesh is usually pink, red or crimson, but there are also varieties with white or yellow flesh. 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 no earlier than August-September.

Growing watermelons in open ground

To begin with, you will need to choose suitable varieties for growing watermelons on melons. Approach this issue with great care. Do not pay attention to 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 this variety will need to ripen.

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

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Melon crops are planted only when hot weather finally sets in. As a rule, this is the middle-end of May (in the southern regions) or the beginning of June. Watermelon belongs to heat-loving plants, it does not withstand frost 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). Of great importance is the humidity of the air (it should ideally be 60%) and soil. On the one hand, thanks to a powerful root system, 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 crop) are not particularly prolific. In extreme cases, annual seeds can also be planted, but in this case it is recommended to warm them up to 60 ° C for a couple of hours. To obtain uniform seedlings, melon seeds are pre-sprouted. To do this, they are wrapped in gauze, dipped in warm water for four hours, and then laid out on wet burlap, wrapped in 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, as gourds do not tolerate transplanting. When planting watermelon seeds early, they must first be hardened off to increase their resistance to cold. To do this, they are first soaked, and then hardened for 1-2 days at a temperature of 0 to 20 °C.

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

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

Shoots 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. Caring for gourds is standard - weeding and loosening the soil, removing weeds and regular watering. For the whole season, you need to weed and loosen the melon at least four times, but water it - 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 not getting enough moisture. Watermelons need to be watered with warm water (temperature from 15 ° C) to the very root. Watering should be relatively plentiful so that moisture penetrates deep into the entire arable layer. Water consumption is from 50 to 100 cubic meters per hectare. In not very dry weather, the next, more abundant watering is done 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 watering rates, depending on the region and weather conditions, and strictly adhere to them. A lack or excess of moisture can cut the resulting yield by more than half. With excessive watering, there is a high risk of developing various fungal diseases of plants, and excess moisture during fruit ripening can adversely affect their quality: watermelons will turn out unsweetened and watery.

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

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

Growing watermelons in greenhouses

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If you want to get an early and / or more abundant harvest, if you plan to grow watermelons in regions whose climate is not suitable for gourds, then you can not 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 Pink Champagne, Siberian, F1 Krimstar ".

Seedlings for the greenhouse are recommended to be sown in the second half of April. For forcing 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 do not use mineral fertilizers, you can add a glass of wood ash and one teaspoon of potassium sulfate per bucket of soil mixture.

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

Do not forget to leave enough seeds after harvesting for the next crops. Watermelons that grow from these seeds resist various diseases better and grow faster.

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

Sysoeva Lilia

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

Here are some expert advice on the subject.
Melons and gourds are heat-loving plants. Seed germination begins at a temperature of 13-15 ° C for melon, 16-17 - for watermelon, 12 - for 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. Plants of gourds light-loving, and when darkened, the yield, sugar and taste of the fruit are reduced. Melon plants are relatively resistant to air drought in the presence of moisture in the soil. Plants are especially demanding of moisture during the period of seed germination and emergence of seedlings. Pumpkins need moisture and consume it in greater quantities than melons and watermelons.

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

Gourds 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, protected from the winds.

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 washing with running water . It can be disinfected with a 0.5% solution of copper sulphate for 24 hours (against bacteriosis). Pumpkin tolerates early sowing better than other gourds, so 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. Pumpkin seeding scheme: 200×100 cm and 200×20 cm 2-3 plants per hole to a depth of 5-8 cm, watermelon and melon 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. Seeding depth 3-6 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. In the soil, first add humus or compost at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 linear meter and the same amount of sod land, 15-20 g of nitrogen fertilizers and potash and 30-40 g of phosphorus. Dig everything carefully. When growing melon and watermelon through seedlings, sowing is carried out in humus-earthen cubes or pots 7x7x8 cm in size, filled with a mixture of soddy soil, humus, peat or sawdust in a ratio of 1:1:1. Seedlings 15-20 days old (from seedlings) take root better, which are planted in the ground on June 10-15, when the threat of frost has passed. In order 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.

When growing gourds in open ground, 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 the crop mainly on shoots of the first and second orders and, to speed up maturation, do pinching the main shoot over 5-6 m real leaf. Then, when the ovary reaches a size of 5 cm, pinch the lateral shoot 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 gourds, to accelerate ripening, a month before the first frost, it is necessary to pinch the tops of all lashes. Bacteriosis, anthracnose, fusarium wilt, ascochitosis are the main diseases spread in the region on melons and gourds. 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 sulphate for 24 hours; b) soaking the seeds for a day in a 0.02% solution of zinc sulfate, followed by airing to flowability. Against anthracnose, to increase plant immunity, seeds are soaked in a 0.2% solution of trace elements (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 in the old place in 3-4 years. 3. During the growing season of plants against the listed diseases, the plants are treated with a 0.1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. Against bacteriosis and anthracnose - spraying with a 0.15% solution of copper sulfate. With ascochitosis, especially on the stems, the affected areas are powdered or coated with a mixture of copper sulfate and chalk or crushed coal. With Fusarium wilt, the soil is also the 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 in 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 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 planted in central Russia with seeds in the soil in early June, it is quite possible to start growing them already in March on your window.

Why do people rarely use this method? Yes, it is very difficult to simply transplant seedlings of cucumbers, melons, watermelons - their roots are tender and quite sensitive to various kinds of injuries.
It is for this that 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, a deodorant with a diameter of 3-4 cm, a strip of a sheet 9-10 cm wide is wound so that about 4 cm remains free on the edge. This will be the bottom of the container. It must be crushed in such a way that a glass is obtained. Then the container is carefully removed from the template and filled with earth. This is where the seed is planted.

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

In late May - early June, seedlings can be planted in the ground just as directly in a cup. During watering, it will get wet in the ground, and the roots will freely penetrate deep into. 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 the walls of the container is some “charging” for them. So they will become stronger and stronger.

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

You can plant seeds directly into the ground. They also do this 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.
A liter eggplant cut from below is covered with a seed or seedlings, slightly sinking its edge into the ground. You can cover its edge with sand. It is best to remove the cover - it will interfere with watering.

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

Melons are very susceptible to heat and light - this is not a secret. Therefore, they should be planted only in open space, where there are no shading.

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

Curls, my watermelon curls - it will taste sweet!

So that melon bushes do not fill the ground around, do not interfere with weeding and watering, it is best for them to make a support - let them crawl up, clinging with 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, just a disaster! Especially on cold and rainy days.
And in order to prevent this incident, experienced melon growers pour a pile of sand at the root neck of the plant - a hill of 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 come into contact with the ground, and worms and slugs will not get to the fruits.

And there are those who care about the convenience of storing melons. 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 birds with one stone at once: protect the vegetable from rot and give it its original shape.

We water the melon on the sidelines - we will have a bountiful harvest!

In the northern regions, groundwater often lies quite close to the surface. And the roots of gourds grow intensively in depth. But, reaching the aquifer, they begin to rot.
Cunning gardeners figured out how to deceive nature. If you water the plant not at the roots, but somewhat on the sidelines, then this trouble can be avoided. In this case, the roots will grow in breadth, feeling the moisture.

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

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

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

Therefore, watermelons need to cut out all the side lashes, leaving only the main one - female flowers form on it. Leave no more than 6 ovaries on one bush.
For melons, the main lash above the 6th leaf should be removed. Also, do not allow the plant to "feed" more than 5-6 fruits.

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

Video about growing watermelons 20-35 kg.

And open ground is not fraught with great difficulties. Some summer residents refuse to plant gourds, considering it inappropriate to occupy a large area of ​​​​the site. Meanwhile, these crops get along well together and give an excellent harvest, subject to certain rules. In a compact garden plot, it is not necessary to allocate a separate place for melons and watermelons, they can be planted side by side and enjoy juicy sweet fruits.

Seed treatment before planting

Seed material is planted in peat forms at the end of April. Before sowing, it is advisable to warm the seeds well indoors or near a heating device. It is also recommended to soak them in warm water and disinfect in one of the solutions:

• hydrogen peroxide solution is prepared at the rate of 10 tablets per liter of water;
• a weak solution of manganese or boron 0.05% concentration;
• "Epin extra", the stimulant is diluted as follows: 6 drops of bioadditives per 100 ml of water;
• "Zircon", the solution is prepared at the rate of 2-4 drops of liquid per liter of water.

Treatment with biostimulants will not only destroy pathogens, but also allow plants to adapt to temperature disasters, and also increase crop yields. Soaking is carried out in a cotton bag, which is dipped in heated (about 60 °) water, the liquid is allowed to drain and left for a day. During this time, the seeds should swell and crack a little. If this did not happen, planting them in the ground does not make sense: the culture will turn out to be weak. When planting, 2 seeds are placed in each mold, in the future this will allow you to remove a weaker branch.

Simultaneous soaking and warming the seeds is the best preparation for seedlings. Melons are watered only with water at room temperature, while making sure that it does not irrigate the leaves. Seedlings of gourds are quite capricious and require good lighting, warmth and careful watering.

Special soil is sold in stores, but you can cook it yourself. To do this, mineral fertilizer "Kemira universal" is added to suitable soil. For each pot, 1 teaspoon is enough, then the earth is well mixed. Seeds are buried to a depth of 2-3 cm and watered. Under favorable conditions, the first shoots appear on the 5-6th day, and after a week you can see the first leaf.

Planting gourds in covered ground is carried out at the end of May. By this time, the soil will already warm up enough, and frosts will not damage the root system. Previously, young plants are recommended to be hardened, for this they are taken out into the street at a temperature of 13-15 degrees or the air in the room is cooled to these figures. The best age of seedlings for planting is approximately 25-30 days.

Before planting, the soil is covered with plastic wrap, in which holes for peat containers are cut. This allows not only to protect heat-loving crops from low temperatures, but also increases productivity. Fertilizers are additionally added to the wells: humus, ash or mineral additives. From above, the nutrients are covered with a layer of earth.

The greenhouse should maintain optimal temperature and light conditions. The temperature during the day should be 20-25°, and at night - 15-18°. Water moderately and infrequently with warm water. To prevent condensation, the greenhouse must be periodically ventilated. Watermelons and melons are quite sensitive to excess moisture, their seedlings can rot, and the fruits themselves grow watery and tasteless. If it gets colder outside, you should cover the soil and young shoots with a film, cotton cloth or paper.

At the time of planting gourds in the greenhouse, you can have time to harvest young cabbage, early radishes and greens. This will not only additionally warm the soil, but also save space.

Boarding order

The scheme of planting in open ground is as follows. The distance between plants should be 40-50 cm for watermelons and 50-60 cm for melons. When grown together in a greenhouse, watermelons and melons are planted in a checkerboard pattern. Peat containers are buried shallowly in the ground, there should be a gap of about 3 cm between the leaves and the ground. This trick will further protect the plant from diseases and decay.

When planting, the scheme and the distance between the rows are taken into account. It is usually recommended to plant in 2 rows, between which a piece of land 50 cm wide is left. The next planting of melons in the ground is carried out at a distance of 80 cm from the first rows.

Care for melons in the greenhouse

Caring for watermelons and melons is not particularly difficult and not too laborious. Young shoots can be covered with cut plastic bottles, this protective frame allows you to increase the yield. As the plant grows, the bottle is removed or replaced with a higher shelter. When the stem has grown sufficiently in length, it is attached to a special support - a trellis, you can tie the top with a thread to the ceiling of the greenhouse. Heavy fruits are placed in nets, cardboard boxes. The main thing is that they do not come into contact with the ground.

7-10 days after planting, you can feed with nitrogen fertilizer - urea or nitrate, for this, 20 grams of the substance is diluted in 10 liters of water.

Caring for gourds consists in loosening the soil, watering and top dressing. It is necessary to ensure that after planting, weeds do not appear between the sprouts. Young plants are watered once a week, then it is allowed to do this twice a month.

Watermelons and melons are drought-resistant crops, they germinate in the southern regions, where the absence of rain for a long time is considered normal. When the first fruits appear, watering is stopped. Irrigate melons should be carefully, making sure that water does not get on the root part of the stem. Otherwise, the culture may be damaged by rot.

Every 2-3 weeks, the soil should be fertilized with mullein infusion and minerals. During feeding, a small handful of ash can be added to each well.

Artificial pollination in a greenhouse is carried out by a male flower, it is determined by its impressive size. The flower is plucked and applied to female flowers. Before pollination, the crop should not be watered so that excess moisture does not affect the quality of the pollen. Many gardeners attract bees to pollination: they open the doors of the greenhouse, put saucers with sugar syrup.

plant formation

As they grow, the stems are bred in different directions. In the future, they are tied to wooden or metal trellises.

To teach a good harvest, you must follow the rules.

• On melons stop the apical part of the stem. This procedure will be sufficient for early ripening varieties. Late-ripening varieties of melon are docked differently. In addition to removing the top, the side parts are also examined, their thickness and power are estimated. Young lashes are removed, leaving 3-4 strong branches.
• With watermelons will have to tinker. The cultivation of this culture is carried out in one stem, it is chosen according to the presence of shoots in the leaf axils. The stems on which there is no ovary are removed, the rest are pinched. When the culture grows above the size of the trellis, the apical lash is re-pinched at the level of the 4-5th leaf.

Features of growing in open ground

Before planting plants in open ground, you should decide on a place. Watermelons and melons prefer to grow in somewhat elevated flat areas that are well warmed up and illuminated by the sun's rays. Here they grow better, fruit abundantly and ripen early.

Care is carried out by loosening the soil, removing weeds and excess lashes. In the process of growth, several inter-row tillage is carried out. The first - when young leaves appear, to a depth of 6-8 cm, the second - when 5-6 true leaves appear, loosening can be combined with top dressing.

Harvest watermelons and melons as they ripen. The ripeness of watermelons is determined by the drying of the tendrils in the axils of the leaves, the disappearance of haze and the appearance of shine, and the lightening of the skin of the fruit. If you knock on a watermelon, there is a dull sound, but to distinguish it, you need to have practical skills.

The ripeness of a melon is determined by the dried stalk.

Are melons compatible?

Is it possible to plant watermelons and melons side by side? These crops consume similar chemicals from the soil and need roughly the same processing methods. If you plant them side by side, this will greatly simplify the care procedures: watering, garter, bait. However, melons and gourds greatly impoverish the soil, and they can be planted in the same place only after a few years. To prevent this, watermelons and melons should be regularly fed with mineral fertilizers.

It is not recommended to collect seeds from watermelons and melons when they are planted together, since mutual pollination occurs. The result of such a hybrid may not be entirely palatable.

If you are the owner of a large plot of land, it is better to plant these crops in open ground in different places in the garden. If the plot is small, then they can be planted nearby, nothing bad will happen. The proximity of melons to each other will not affect the yield.