It is not always possible to get a good crop of watermelons in the middle lane in the open ground. Watermelon belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family of melons. This plant requires a lot of light and heat for normal growth, especially at the initial stage of development. If the summer is cold and cloudy, then no care will help you get a really ripe, ripened watermelon.
Grow something fruits will grow, but the flesh may not reach a rich red color — and the taste will not be the same. But even in this case, the real gardener does not despair, but uses unripe fruits for salting. If these watermelons are properly prepared, it turns out to be a real delicacy. But if the summer turns out to be hot, then you can enjoy the magnificent ripe watermelons with an amazingly beautiful bright red flesh.
And the taste of a ripe, just plucked from its melon melon-and words can not convey! Eat these watermelons at least every day, from morning to evening — and do not get bored.
The secrets of growing
In autumn, you need to choose a place in the garden for mini-melons so that the predecessors were onions, cabbage or potatoes. Watermelons are convenient to grow in holes. In the designated places for them, we bring 1 bucket of sand, long-term humus of chicken droppings, humus from compost. If the ground is heavy, then you can add sand and 2 buckets per hole. Mix everything right on the surface of the soil — and leave it without digging until spring.
Varieties of watermelons should be selected hardy and precocious, suitable for a short summer. To avoid over-pollination, different varieties should not be placed next to each other, and 1-2 holes should be set aside for especially large-fruited varieties. In the hot season, they ripen perfectly and give quite large watermelons.
Seeding and planting
In the spring, when it is already warm enough (may 15-20), we dig up the planned and prepared areas. It is desirable to walk as little as possible on the melon, so as not to compact the soil. We form holes with a diameter of 1 m, leaving a free space between them of 1.5-2 m (between the edges). Immediately sow dry seeds: in each hole-at least 10 PCs. to a depth of 3-4 cm. Water it with warm, sun-warmed water and mulch it with peat.
In some wells at this time, you can plant seedlings of watermelons that already have 2-3 real leaves, and between the ready — made plants, you can still sow seeds. After a week, sowing seeds should be repeated in all holes. Even if the seedlings or first seedlings die or start to get sick from the cold, the second echelon of seedlings will survive. Often it happens that the germination of the later planting is distilled in the development of even the seedlings, and they give very good results.
Sow so thickly is necessary in order to then be able to leave the strongest plants, formed in the conditions of fierce competition. The consumption of seeds is very large, but if you prepare them yourself and always with a reserve, it will not be a problem.
When watermelon seedlings appear and begin to gain strength, then gradually they need to be thinned — and by the time 3-4 real leaves grow back, leave one plant in each hole, a maximum of two. At this time, some of the young watermelons can be transplanted to another place. Despite the prevailing opinion that this culture should not be disturbed, such migrants do not get sick at all and give excellent harvests if done correctly.
In the first decade of June, there are still dangerous night frosts. In such cases, melons have to be covered at night. Suitable for this non-woven fabric, cut into strips.
Care
Growing watermelons should be watered regularly, in hot weather it should be done 2-3 times a week. Watering should be plentiful, and it is necessary to moisten not only the wells themselves, but also the entire area of melons. The holes must be carefully weeded and loosened, but only at the very beginning of the growing season. In General, it is better not to go between watermelons — or only as a last resort: the roots of these plants are widely diverging, and it is very easy to damage them. When the plantings grow, the weeds will not be able to do any harm to them, and they will simply not need to pay attention.
In June, when the watermelons will appear 2-3 real leaves, plants are well fed with a solution of fresh chicken droppings (1: 15) at the rate of 1 bucket per hole. The second such feeding is done in a month, but only if the plants do not build up the green mass. Pinching the lashes should be carried out only 1 time, again – to less trample on the melon.
When the ovaries of watermelons reach the size of a large Apple (about 10 cm in diameter), you need to leave 2-3 lashes on each plant and no more than 2 fruits on each shoot. After the ovary, leave 3-5 leaves, and remove the end of the lash. The yield is no more than 3-6 fruits per plant. This is quite enough, but watermelons grow large and ripen perfectly.
In August, when watermelons begin to sing, then periodically (once every 7-10 days) they must be carefully turned over with the lower side of the fruit to the sun. This is done so that they keep up evenly. And to avoid rotting, in wet weather, you should put small boards under them.
Watering, especially in hot weather, should never be stopped until the end of the season. This can only be done 3-5 days before harvest. If someone thinks that the fruit will turn out unsweetened, then they are very mistaken! Just the opposite: if there is not enough moisture, then the watermelon will be tasteless. In order for it to grow sugar, it needs a lot of sun and water in abundance.
In the last year of the watermelon harvest, about 40 fruits were collected from a mini melon of 6 holes (10 plants in total). Of them, 20 pieces were 5-6 kg, the rest-2-3 kg; well, the 2 most-the most-8 and 9 kg! Almost all the watermelons were fully ripe, and several of them were allowed to be salted. There were none that were green or unripe. And we ate watermelons-to the full and plenty, still remember! And how can you forget: fresh, ripe, delicious watermelon on the table — it’s a real miracle, just melts in your mouth!
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