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What are watermelons grown from? How to plant watermelons - tips for a good harvest. Plant care: fertilizing and watering

Thanks to modern technologies Growing berries and vegetables is no longer a fantasy. To understand how to grow watermelon at home, you need to familiarize yourself in advance with some nuances that will allow you to harvest an ecological and tasty harvest after some time.

Not every variety of watermelon can be grown at home. Seeds delicious watermelon from the market or store are not suitable for this purpose, because this variety is grown in open areas in spring and summer. For the same reasons, varieties that are grown in dachas will not yet be suitable.

But there are hybrids that are resistant to lack of light, early ripening, they do not need special care. The following varieties are considered excellent: Ogonyok, Kaho, Sibiryak, Volgar, Gift of the Sun. They germinate very well, are tenacious, and the fruits have a sweet taste.

After purchase planting material must be selected before growing watermelon at home. Small and damaged seeds are immediately excluded. Large seeds are dipped into a glass container containing a solution table salt. It is done like this: 5 g of salt per 0.1 liter of water. Seeds that have sunk to the bottom must be removed, washed in water, and dried. It is these seeds that are needed for planting.

Then they are soaked in a humate solution (0.5 g per 1 liter of water). This is done as follows: gauze is moistened, in which the seeds are left for a day. This will increase germination and reduce stress. You can also leave the seeds in gauze moistened with plain water until they begin to hatch.
Then the seeds need to be planted in small plastic cups, 4-5 seeds each, the earth should be slightly compacted in them.

Watering should be done in such a way that the soil is always moist. For seedlings to appear, the temperature must be about 25°C. Then shoots will begin to appear after 1 week. If the temperature is below 13°C, then seedlings may not be expected.

Cups should be in a well-lit and warm place. There is no need to allow drafts. After 2-3 weeks, you need to leave 1 seedling in each glass.

Caring for watermelons

As soon as the 3rd leaf appears, the plants are moved into containers with a volume of 5 to 15 liters. They should contain a mixture of soil for seedlings and perlite in a 2:1 ratio. The plant should be watered frequently, but not abundantly, so that the water does not stagnate. The soil must be fertilized every 2 weeks. Liquid fertilizers for vegetables are suitable here. You need to add 1 tsp to 1 liter of water. fertilizers This solution can only be used for 1 watering.

When the 6th leaf grows, the plant is pinched above the 4th leaf. The plant needs enough light. If the lighting is insufficient, then the use of additional LED or energy-saving lamps will be required.

Plant pollination and fruit appearance

In most cases, watermelons begin to bloom 30-50 days after germination.

Flowers require pollination to produce an ovary.

To do this, you first need to find male flowers that have a thin stalk. Such flowers will need to be carefully picked; they will need to be used to pollinate female flowers by touching the stamens to the pistils.

After a certain period of time, the petals will noticeably wither and the stalk will enlarge, which over time will become a fruit. As the vines grow, they will need to be pinched to stop their growth.

A few weeks before the fruits are fully ripened, watering should be minimized, stimulating the appearance of sugar in the berries. When the grown fruits are ripe, you can harvest.

How to grow watermelons in the country (video)

About the beneficial properties of watermelon

This berry contains a lot of sugar (about 12%). It is quite easily absorbed by the body and, unlike refined sugar, is beneficial.

Watermelon juice has a diuretic effect, so it can thoroughly flush the kidneys and ureters. Thanks to it, salts dissolve and are washed out of the body. Watermelon juice is considered beneficial for people suffering from kidney disease. Watermelon juice is also useful for people with diabetes, cystitis, and atherosclerosis.

Now you know about growing watermelon at home. We wish good harvest!

Planting watermelon seedlings in open ground (video)

Gallery: watermelon at home (15 photos)

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A long vine, with carved leaves and hanging, huge fruits by home standards - this is what a watermelon might look like at home . It is usually grown in summer, when there is plenty of light and warmth. And today, growing a watermelon at home on a windowsill is not at all a fantasy, because when proper care you can get a decent harvest. How to grow watermelon at home - read the article.

Conditions for growing watermelon

How the watermelon will grow and whether it will produce edible fruits depends on the choice of soil, fertilizing, watering, temperature and light conditions and the choice of location.

Place

It is preferable to grow watermelon on the south side. The more sun the better. Direct Sun rays only benefit him.

The ideal place at home would be a warm, sunny loggia or balcony. You can plant plants on southern, western and eastern windows; northern windows are absolutely not suitable for them.

In fact, growing a watermelon on the balcony is not so difficult, you just need to comply with the necessary conditions.

Light

Daylight hours for successful cultivation watermelon is 12–14 hours. In the evenings, LED, fluorescent lighting or phytolamps are turned on. On cloudy days, the lamps are left on all day.

Temperature

Watermelons are grown at high temperatures 25-30 °C during the day and not lower than 18 °C at night. It is especially necessary to monitor the thermometer during the formation of the ovary.

Watering

Regarding watering, the opinions of plant growers differ greatly. Some prefer regular and even abundant watering, others speak of severely limiting it and stopping it completely during ripening, citing the fact that water is not needed to increase sugar content. In any case, the seedlings are watered in the usual way, and watering a plant in the second stage of its life depends on a number of conditions, including experience.

Plant soil and fertilizers

The soil is prepared loose and fertile with a neutral reaction: 1 part each turf land, sand, humus, plus one tenth of ground wood ash. To disinfect the soil, steam it in a water bath for 1.5–2 hours, keep it in microwave oven 10-20 minutes, pour boiling water over it.

Fertilizing begins when the plant has 3 true leaves. Plants are watered with water and then with complex mineral fertilizers(Kemira and others), diluted according to instructions. The ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in them at this stage may well be shifted towards nitrogen, but it is better that they are equal. At the stage of ovary formation, they are fed again - there should be more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. After 2-3 weeks - the third time.

Planting watermelon seeds

Not all watermelons growing in the area are suitable for growing at home. open ground. There are varieties that bear fruit indoors, such as Ogonyok, Crimson Sweet, Ultra Early, Sugar Baby, Sibiryak, Gift of the Sun, Kai F1, Cinderella, Gift to the North F1. They have good taste, do not need a lot of light, are early ripening, and disease resistant.

The seeds of these varieties have good germination and if they are purchased from trusted suppliers and trademark is reliable, then almost everything will germinate. Before planting, they are kept for 10–15 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate at a temperature of 50–55 °C. Then they are placed in a damp cloth (sand, etc.) until they hatch, after which they are planted 2 in seedling cups, burying them 2 cm into the soil. You can plant them directly in the cups.

An interesting, but optional, technique is stratification when germinating seeds in a humid environment, stimulating processes in the seed: they are kept for 12 hours on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of +6°C, then another 12 hours at room temperature. Repeat the process 2-3 times.

Growing watermelon seedlings

2 weeks after the sprouts appear, weak shoots are discarded and one of the strongest ones is left in each glass.

It is undesirable to plant watermelon seeds immediately in large containers: a large mass of undeveloped soil easily turns sour, and the seedlings may die. They are replanted after a month, the plants are moved to a permanent place along with a lump of earth, so as not to injure the roots.

Seedlings can be planted in open ground and get a good harvest in the garden. Pre-hardening: for a week, take the seedlings out into the open air for a short time every day.

Watermelon growing process

After transplanting the seedlings into pots, rapid root growth begins. It grows long, with well-developed lateral roots, so choose large containers - 5–15 liters.

Pinching is done over 3-4 leaves, the side branches are directed vertically or sent horizontally. They can also be grown with one vine; in this case, flowers and fruits will appear faster.

Flowering (after 30–50 days) and fruiting of watermelon depends on the variety, which can be early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. It is interesting that, depending on the timing of flowering, flowers appear in different leaf axils: in early ripening ones - in 4-11 leaf axils, with an average period - in 15-18, late ones - in 20-25. You can grow any variety at home, but given the heat-loving and light-loving nature, preference is given to early varieties.

Flowers are pollinated to produce fruit. artificially. Watermelon has 2 types of flowers - male and female, which appear on both the main and side shoots. Male flowers (developed stamens, thin stalk) pollinate female flowers (developed pistil, thick stalk) and wait for the fruit to set. The enlargement of the female flower stalk means that the small watermelon has begun to grow. When the lashes are arranged vertically, it becomes necessary to attach it to prevent breakage.

You should not leave more than 2 watermelons on the branches in the house if you want to enjoy the delicious pulp. The shoots are pinched after the formation of the fruit so that the forces are spent on its ripening, and not on growth.

From planting to the end of the growing season, an average of 3 months passes. It is difficult to grow a fruit larger than 1 kg at home. Wait until the watermelon is ripe and it may taste qualities will be superior to purchased ones. Let us remember that a ripe fruit has a glossy bark, a dried stalk, and no hairs. When knocking, a ringing sound is heard.

But even if you follow all the care rules, there is no guarantee that you can get a large watermelon on your windowsill or balcony. And yet, growing such exotic plant will bring a lot of pleasure and new growing skills unique plants at home.

It has become common practice for gardeners to grow watermelon. The process is simple, but it has certain difficulties that need to be taken into account when growing (the plant may die before flowering begins, the fruits do not always grow tasty, and so on). Read more about how to grow a watermelon with your own hands, and we'll talk in this article.

The issue of choosing a variety should be approached with special responsibility. For middle zone RF it is advisable to choose only early ripening varieties, and there is no need to chase huge fruits in this matter - such watermelons realize their potential 100% only when grown in the south of the country. Be sure to read the description of the variety on the packaging - information about the duration of ripening is indicated there (plant ovaries should ripen as quickly as possible).

On a note! You can neglect some qualities when choosing a variety. First of all, it is large-fruited and transportable. Also, do not pay attention to the color and shape of the fruit - this is only necessary in cases where you grow watermelons not for yourself, but for sale.

The most common varieties of watermelon:

• "Kai"
• "Sugar Baby";
• "Ataman F1";
• "Ultra-early";
• "Stokes";
• "Spark";
• "Moscow Charleston F1";
• "Yarilo";
• "Crimstar F1";
• "Leader";
• "Pink champagne F1";
• "Gift to the North F1".

This is only a small part of the varieties that can be grown not only in the south of the country, but most often people choose them. Having decided on the variety of watermelon, you can start growing it.

How to grow watermelon in open ground

Not everyone knows, but watermelons can be grown without seedlings, but with seeds, already at permanent place. Often, seedlings are used only for further replanting in greenhouses so that the watermelon can ripen. But if you are growing watermelon in your garden plot, then you can safely skip the stage with seedlings and sow the seeds.

The planting process is divided into several preparatory stages to get a good harvest. Let's consider each of them separately.

Preparation of seed material

By selecting suitable variety, wrap the seeds in a cloth bandage and place on a shallow plate, pouring a pre-prepared solution of potassium permanganate. The solution should be light pink and warm. After this, the saucer with the seeds must be placed in plastic bag and tie it, taking in some air. Transfer the plate with the seed to a warm room (at least +20°C). Change the solution daily and ventilate the bag. After 2-3 days, the seeds should hatch, after which they will be ready for planting in the ground.

Soil preparation

It is very important to prepare land plot before planting a watermelon. This is an integral part of growing, without which you are unlikely to be able to get a good harvest. The prepared soil should provide plants nutrients throughout the entire growth period, it should be protected from strong winds and also well lit.

Watermelon, as well as other melons, requires loose, fertile and light soil. Great if on yours suburban area sandy loam or sandy soil, which you enriched with rotted humus back in autumn period. If we talk about suitable predecessors of watermelons, then these are, of course, cruciferous vegetables, as well as legumes.

For best results, it is advisable to prepare the beds in advance and fertilize the soil. To do this, for 1 sq. m of plot you need to add 20 g of potassium fertilizers, 40 g and 30 g of ammonium sulfate. This combination of mineral fertilizers will significantly accelerate the growth of watermelon, as a result of which you will be able to enjoy juicy and sweet fruits a little earlier.

Sowing watermelon seeds

The process of planting watermelon seeds is simple and practically no different from planting any other crop.

Table. Step-by-step instruction for sowing watermelon seeds.

Steps, photo	Description of actions
	Start sowing watermelon seeds in early May as it is very heat-loving plant. Otherwise, if you do this earlier, the plant will greatly slow down in development. Take out pre-prepared seed material that has already sprouted.
	You should also have a planting mixture ready, consisting of rotted humus, ash, mineral fertilizers and peat (the composition may vary, since there are many different recipes for preparing the mixture).
	Dig a large hole for the watermelon and fill it with big amount water.
	Pour the prepared mixture of fertilizers and humus into the hole. Gently level with a hoe and water.
	Place at least 5 seeds in the hole (5 cm deep) and cover it all with soil. The layer of soil should be approximately 4 cm thick. Carefully compact the soil so that the seeds are not blown away by the wind or are injured. Repeat the procedure for each well.

Important! At first, you need to sow 5-6 seeds in each hole, but over time, when they begin to develop, leave one plant in the hole.

Aftercare

Without providing proper care, including fertilizing and watering, it is impossible to grow a watermelon in the garden. The juiciness of the fruit directly depends on the level of humidity, but you shouldn’t overdo it, because you won’t be able to enjoy the sugar pulp of sweet berries, which everyone loves so much. Conventionally, subsequent care can be divided into 4 stages: watering, fertilizing, pruning vines and exterminating pests. Let's consider each of them separately.

Watering

When growing watermelons on summer cottage it is advisable to use . This will allow for regular fertilizing of crops.

The best option is drip irrigation

Watermelons need abundant but infrequent watering, especially during hot periods when there is a lack of natural moisture - remember this! For comfortable growth of watermelons, the soil moisture level should be at least 80%. If the site is located on sandy soil, then the beds need to be watered more often due to poor moisture retention. Clay soil and water the black soil less often. Once the berries begin to ripen and become plump, reduce the amount of watering, and after a few weeks, stop them altogether.

Top dressing

Feeding watermelons grown in a summer cottage consists of three procedures, each of which must be performed subject to certain conditions: at least 2 liters liquid fertilizers should be per plant. After 7 days from the moment of planting the seeds, it is necessary to regularly water the plants with a special solution prepared with your own hands (all ingredients and their proportions were described above).

After the vines on the plants actively begin to grow, you need to fertilize the watermelons a second time, but this time the amount of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers should be half as much. When the formation of the ovaries begins, you need to carry out another feeding, only with a different composition. Mix 10 liters of water, 35 g of potassium salts, 10 g of superphosphate and 20 g of ammonium sulfate.

Apply the prepared nutrient mixture into previously prepared furrows, which should be at a distance of 15 cm from the plant bushes. Quantity nitrogen fertilizers should be reduced due to the likelihood of their accumulation in the pulp of watermelons. In addition, such measures can provoke the ripening of the plant, and not the accumulation of green mass.

Trimming lashes

During the short and insufficiently warm summer, some watermelon fruits do not have time to ripen, although the bush still spends energy on them, which could be distributed to other berries that actually ripen. Therefore, there should be no more than 5 watermelons on each plant. Remove everything unnecessary.

Important! When growing watermelons, you need to remember that female flowers form on the main vine of the plant - you cannot touch them, but remove the side vines. Compliance with all recommendations will allow you to get a harvest in the second half of August.

Pest Control

The melon aphid, which appears in June, can cause many problems for watermelons. Living on the underside of the leaves, it sucks all the vital juices from the plant, causing the leaves to wrinkle and dry. During the summer, aphids can produce 2-3 generations. At first, the pests live only on weeds, but with the onset of June, the females move to watermelons, remaining there until the beginning of autumn. The melon aphid lays its eggs on weeds, which overwinter there.

To protect watermelons from aphids, it is advisable to regularly weed the beds from various weeds, as well as mow the areas located next to the watermelons being grown. If you notice pests, immediately treat the plants with a special decoction or infusion made from celandine, garlic or onion peels. If these remedies do not help and the foliage system of the plants is severely damaged, then strong chemicals- for example, INTA-VIR, Karbofos, Iskra.

In addition to aphids, watermelons can be susceptible to various diseases, such as sclerotinia, bacteriosis, copperhead, different kinds rot and so on. For treatment, you need to prepare a decoction of horsetail. To do this, pour 1 liter of water into 1 tbsp. l. plants and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. As an alternative, you can use another remedy - milk mixed with iodine. If the plants have been severely affected, use Kuprosat or Oxychloride. The development of Fusarium wilt can cause the plant to die within a few days. The spread of infection occurs through plant debris, seeds or soil.

To prevent watermelon from developing diseases, it is advisable to treat the seeds with a Baktofit solution for 3 hours before planting. If some plants are nevertheless damaged by the disease, then they need to be destroyed in order to protect healthy ones from infection, which, in turn, need to be fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Harvesting

Fruit harvesting is the final stage in the process of growing watermelons. It is not recommended to rush into this matter, because many of the fruits that have reached large sizes, are still immature. Ripe tomatoes can be determined by the change in color of the fruit; when growing zucchini and cucumbers, it is important not to be late in harvesting, otherwise the vegetables may lose their beneficial features. But when should you pick watermelons? When planting early ripening varieties, you can get a harvest no earlier than mid-August. Mass harvesting is not carried out during this period; the ripeness of the berries must be determined by external signs. First of all, look at the bract and tendrils - if they are dry, then the watermelon can be harvested. Also, when you lightly tap the berry with your fingers, dull sounds should be heard. The combination of these signs indicates the ripeness of the fruit.

If you are growing watermelons for further transportation and storage, it is better to pick the berries a couple of days before ripening. They will then ripen by being kept in a warm and dry environment. At the same time, watermelons will not lose their qualities.

Video - Growing watermelons with seedlings

Watermelon loves hot climates, but watermelon lovers do not always live in warm countries, and they have to buy a large, sweet berry. However, you can try growing it in your garden. How to do it? Read on.

The place of origin of watermelons is southern Africa. The climate there is dry and hot, summer is all year round. There are no cold winters or frosts. Planting sugar berries in open ground in countries with other weather conditions is also practiced, but this will require a lot of work. Where should you start? First prepare the soil properly.

What soil is suitable for watermelons?

It is advisable to prepare a place for planting exotic berries in the autumn. The area where the minke whales will be planted should be well lit by the sun and protected from the winds. It is best if, before the striped berries, corn, beans, and peas were planted on the selected soil, as well as if cabbage heads, onions, alfalfa, and winter varieties of wheat were grown. It’s bad if tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, different types zucchini and melons or watermelon.

For the future, it should be taken into account: re-planting watermelons in the same soil will be possible only after six years.

The soil for future seedlings must be dug up along with fertilizers applied in advance. Soil will do sandy, loose, non-acidic, low moisture content, well permeable to air. For fertilizer, you can use rotted fertilizer, as well as fertilizer based on phosphorus and potassium.

You can grow exotic berries directly from seeds or seedlings. The seedless method is used in hot countries. In cold climates with short and not very hot summers, only the seedling method is suitable.

Before planting young seedlings, you will need to properly prepare the soil. Its composition must contain the following components in equal proportions: sand layer, turf layer, peat layer. To the soil (in the amount of 5 kg) it is necessary to add ammonium nitrate, dolomite flour, potassium sulfate (take 50 g of all elements); double superphosphate (approximately 100 g).

Planting seeds for seedlings

A prerequisite is that the seeds must be planted already germinated. In order to germinate, they are first placed in hot water(at least 50 degrees) for 30 minutes. Then the seeds are placed in damp sand. In this case, the room temperature should be about 25 degrees. In a few days the first shoots will appear. Now the sprouted seeds are ready to be planted. The landing date is the end of April.

Watermelon seeds should be planted in separate containers with two or three seeds in each, buried 1 cm into the hole. It is worth sprinkling the future seedlings with sand and placing them under glass or film. Place the pots with seedlings in a warm place, maintaining the air temperature at about 30 degrees.

The first shoots should appear in 6-7 days. When this happens, remove the shelter and lower the thermometer readings to 15-17 degrees for a period of 4 to 8 days.

The sprouts need to be watered well, but in moderation. Pour water under the roots in several passes.

It is correct to apply fertilizer when three good leaves appear. A special mineral composition or liquid fertilizer (mullein) is suitable.

It is advisable to seedlings before planting in open ground. To do this, you can take it outside for several hours, gradually increasing the amount of time spent outdoors time. A week after the hardening procedures, you can plant it in a permanent place.

Plant young seedlings in open land it is necessary a month after planting the seeds. This timing coincides with the last week of May or occurs in the first ten days of June. The first half of the day - best moment in order to transplant young plants when there is a lot of light and sun.

The ground needs to be dug up and loosened. It should be well heated (at least 15 degrees).

What do we have to do?

1. Dig holes, the diameter and depth of each is half a meter. The gap between the holes in the ground should be approximately a meter. For planting, it is better to choose a staggered arrangement of holes.
2. Fertilizers are added to each hole: humus (5-7 liters), sand in a small amount (about three liters), superphosphate (a quarter cup).
3. Sprinkle loose soil on top to make small mounds.
4. In the mounds you need to dig holes 10 cm down and water them with water (one and a half liters for each).
5. Carefully remove the seedlings from the cups without damaging the roots. Now you can plant them in a hole, then fill them up and compact them with earth. Sprinkle a layer of sand on top.
6. At the end of planting, the seedlings need to be watered. The water should be warm. For some time, the seedlings need to be protected from the bright sun so that the leaves rise faster.

Caring for planted seedlings

Care includes:

• watering;
• thinning;
• weeding;
• loosening;
• topping;
• feeding

Let's take a closer look at these stages of care.

Thinning

When 3-4 young leaves appear on the seedlings, the watermelons must be thinned out, leaving up to two sprouts in the hole. All remaining ones must be cut off near the surface layer of soil.

Weeding

Watermelons do not like weeds, so you will have to weed them frequently and thoroughly. Especially on initial stage striped berry growth. When the seedlings grow and become bushes, weeding can be done less frequently or stopped altogether. At this stage, the weed is no longer dangerous.

Topping

It is necessary to pinch the emerging lashes so that they grow faster. This should be done so that there are 2-4 leaves on top of the ripening fruit. In addition, it is necessary to remove weakened shoots. Each bush should have 3-5 ovaries, it is advisable to remove all unnecessary ones.

Loosening

It is necessary to loosen the soil constantly, especially when young seedlings are planted in open ground. Watermelons love light, airy soil. Water also penetrates into loose soil more easily.

When the berries begin to increase in size, you can stop loosening, as well as weeding. At this time, the roots grow very much throughout the entire area, there is a danger of damaging them with this kind of manipulation. Also try to walk less in the surrounding area so as not to damage the roots near the surface layer of soil.

Watering

This is very important element caring for large striped berries. They should be watered every seven days with plenty of water. Three large buckets are taken to water one square meter. In hot, dry weather, you can increase watering to twice a week.

Both the ground near the bush and the spaces between the bushes (in a word, the entire area allocated for planting) must be moistened.

Watering should be reduced as soon as the fruits begin to appear. Before harvesting the ripened striped berries You shouldn’t water them at all (at least 14 days before harvest).

Top dressing

The first fertilizing is applied at least 14-15 days after planting the seedlings. What composition should I fertilize with? Berries planted in open ground are fertilized ammonium nitrate(20 g), which is mixed with water. Each bush is watered with two liters of solution. A replacement can be mullein with water (in a ratio of 1:10), as well as (diluted with water 1:20). Superphosphate (20-30 g) and calcium chloride (10-15 g) are added to the solution.

The plants should be fed a second time at the stage of bud emergence. Fertilizer composition: 5 g of calcium chloride and ammonium nitrate, plus superphosphate - 6 g. All this will be needed for one bush.

Fertilizers are sometimes added in dry form, then the soil where watermelons grow must be watered before and after fertilizing.

Harvest

Watermelons should be harvested around the end of August. On average, it takes about one hundred days for the fruit to fully ripen. It all depends on the type of berry you choose.

Varieties are early ripening, late ripening and medium ripening. In cold climates with short summers, it is better to grow early and mid-ripening fruits. For example, “Ogonyok”, “Melania”, “Ataman”. Among the late varieties, there are well-known varieties that can also have time to ripen in temperate climate, – “Chill”, “Spring”.

You can eat watermelons immediately or store them. Fresh berries are used to make jam; they can be pickled and pickled.

Storage tips

• Usually late fruits are stored, medium in size and with thick skin. This cover should be without damage and softness.
• During storage, the berries should not come into contact with each other. The storage place for these fruits is cold, dark and well ventilated.

Proper harvesting and storage will allow you to enjoy sugar berry long time. With enough hard work and perseverance, you can achieve excellent results.

Do you have a lot of free land in your garden? Try to plant the most big berry- watermelons. They are unpretentious and do not require much trouble.

Choosing seeds

First you need to decide on the seeds. It is better to select varieties of watermelons that do not ripen for long, but it is also better not to purchase varieties that ripen very quickly. For the garden the best option there will be varieties such as Sugar Baby or Ogonyok. When purchasing, also check where the seeds came from. If from the south, then it is not a fact that they will be adapted to natural conditions your lane. You can start growing watermelons in spring. The first step is to grow seedlings. After all, planting watermelons in the garden is dangerous due to the risk of sudden frosts. They can destroy the plantings. Pots for watermelon seedlings should be of medium diameter. Do not make any cuts on the seeds, supposedly for earlier germination! Before planting the seeds in a pot, they need to be kept in warm water for 10 minutes. Then deepen it into the ground 3-4 centimeters. It is necessary to monitor the temperature in the room where the pots with seeds are located. It should be between 18 and 23 degrees. And when the shoots appear, try to maintain a temperature of 18 degrees.

Watermelon seedlings: care

At the end of May - beginning of June, seedlings can begin to be planted in the ground. It would be better to cover the watermelons with some material after planting. A few days before planting watermelons in the ground, you should begin to harden the seedlings. Over the course of a week, you need to gradually extend the time the plant stays without shelter. If the temperature does not drop below 8 degrees at night, then you can try leaving the seedlings open overnight.

How to plant watermelons: choosing a location

The place must be sunny and warm. Most best option so that it is accessible to the sun from the south and closed from the cold winds from the north and west. It is better to make the holes from north to south in one row. The distance between them should be at least 60 centimeters. Holes are made approximately 50 cm deep; you need to add 2-3 buckets of compost or humus, one-third of a bucket of sand and a little superphosphate, preferably double, into them. Mix all contents thoroughly. You can mulch the soil, as a result there will be no need to constantly weed, and thanks to mulching, almost ideal conditions will be created for the root system. Holes are cut into the covering material into which the seedlings should be planted. You can also water over the material; it allows water to pass through well.

Top dressing

The watermelon seedlings have taken root and begun to grow, which means you need to start feeding them. Chicken droppings or mullein are good for the first feeding. Then, after 12 days, feed again, but with mineral fertilizers; watermelons must be watered strictly with warm water, especially if the weather is hot. Watering should be frequent, but from the beginning of August watering can be stopped.

Time to harvest

So, we figured out how to plant watermelons. Now let's see when you can harvest. If summer pleases with warm days, then the first watermelon can be ready for consumption as early as the twentieth of July. But the main harvest is usually harvested from mid-August. If the weather is still hot at this time, then do not rush to harvest, watermelons can still grow until September. So grow and enjoy the sweet results of your efforts. Now you know what you can plant in your garden. Every person can do this, since planting watermelons, much less growing and caring for them, is not at all difficult.