Proper cultivation of watermelons in the open field

Watermelon is a unique culture of the melon family with a pleasant sweet taste. It contains a large amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Cultivation of watermelons is not difficult - you need moisture and heat, or rather a lot of moisture and a lot of heat. Another essential component is sunlight. As a rule, there is an opinion that it is impossible to grow them in the northern regions. But, everything is possible if you follow certain rules.

In what latitudes can you grow

Contrary to stereotypes, watermelons grow not only in southern latitudes. In Siberia, you can also grow any melons and gourds, the main thing is to be guided by certain rules. Correct seed germination and soil preparation is the key to a successful harvest.
But, it is worth saying that it will not work to grow fruits weighing up to 10 or even 15 kilograms due to the too short summer. The plant does not have time to ripen. Most of the time is spent on the formation of lush leaves and the formation of peduncles.

For such regions, varieties are perfect for which the fruits are not large. They have a short ripening period, therefore, such a small summer will be enough for them.

How to choose the right variety for growing watermelons in cold climates

In order for you to grow a melon crop, you need to very scrupulously select seeds for planting. It should be understood that it is the choice of the variety that is responsible for the result in the end.

A watermelon must have certain qualities:
It must be frost-resistant. Especially important is its resistance to temperature drops, so characteristic of the area.
The mass of the fruit should not be more than five kg, because the larger fruit simply does not have time to ripen in such a short summer.
Fruits should be ultra or early ripening. This increases our chance of harvesting a good harvest. The ripening time should be approximately equal to 60-80 days.
And it is imperative that the varieties must be adapted to the place of their cultivation.
And be sure to buy watermelon seeds in the store, and not pick it yourself.

Basic rules for growing watermelons in the open field

Correct sowing for seedlings is a very long and laborious process that requires a lot of attention from us. It is very important for the correct formation of fruits, for the harmonious growth and development of culture in the North. Planting seeds directly into the ground will not give a positive result, because the formation of the first leaves requires a high soil temperature, which is not in our zone.

For planting in the ground, seedlings that are already 30 days old are suitable. The preparation of seeds for planting "seedlings" can be started at the 20th.

A certain algorithm should be followed in order to get good material for landing in the ground:

At the beginning of work, seeds are placed next to warm appliances, possibly heating elements. They lie there for a week. A comfortable temperature for them is more than 25 degrees. The seeds begin to prepare for germination, they will sprout faster in the future.

Next, we soak our seeds. We put them in warm water, leave them there for 3 days, all these days we regularly turn them over. It is important to constantly maintain the temperature at 25 degrees. If the seeds are empty and not suitable for germination, they will float to the surface of the water.If you leave such seeds, then they will not give normal shoots, and even more so good fruits.

We need to protect our seeds from possible diseases and pests. To do this, the seeds are soaked for 20-30 minutes in a solution of potassium manganese.

Sowing seedlings for growing watermelons in the open field

The root system of melon seedlings is very delicate and does not tolerate even the slightest damage, therefore, the seeds should be planted in cups that can be cut without pity and special difficulty.

Further, it is very important to correctly make a fertile mixture for planting. It must meet nutritional and safety requirements. The following composition is most often suitable for growing watermelons:

Sod land - 2 parts
Humus - 2 parts
River sand - part 1
Ammonium nitrate and dolomite flour 50 grams each
As a fertilizer, superphosphate - 100 grams

The seedling glass should not be small, at least 7-8 cm in diameter. Compliance with the temperature at 25 degrees is mandatory. The initial bores should appear within a few days if you've done everything right.

The first good leaf appears in 3-4 days. To support the first shoots, it is necessary to feed them with a solution prepared from bird droppings with water in a ratio of 1:20.

Water the sprouts very carefully so as not to damage. If daylight is not enough, you need to think about some kind of additional lighting.

Hardening can be considered another important component of seedling development. It is carried out gradually, immediately the seedlings are taken out into the fresh air in the shade for 15 minutes, then changed to the sunny side. The residence time both there and there is gradually increased.

Landing in open ground

It is necessary to deal with the soil for planting watermelons already at the beginning of the autumn period, so that all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and elements can accumulate in the soil.

The choice of the landing site is of great importance. For this, sites located on an elevation with groundwater occurrence are best suited. It will be good if, before watermelons, potatoes, carrots, and onions were grown on these soils. They dig up the earth, apply fertilizer, make a row a meter and a half long. For warm areas, you can plant watermelons in prepared holes. But, for our climate, it is better to plant them on specially formed hills, at a distance of 1 m - 1.5 m from each other.

After the formation of the ridges, they are covered with a black film. This is necessary to better warm the soil and create a greenhouse effect. Planting seedlings usually occurs at the end of June, when the soil is ready.

The disembarkation process is as follows:
Cut the black film, make a small depression.
Seedlings are taken out of the cups, the earth is abundantly moistened.
The seedlings are placed in dimples.
At the end of planting, the seedlings are poured abundantly, but carefully.

Growing watermelons: caring for young seedlings, pinching

In order to achieve a good harvest, proper care of young seedlings is necessary. First of all, you need to remove weeds and do not forget to aerate the soil.

The plant is watered about 4 times during the whole season, spending about 60 liters of water per 1 microvolt. It is very important not to overdo it with watering. the plant may die. But, do not neglect watering, especially during the period of flowering and the formation of the fruits themselves.
Watermelon is fed during cultivation no more than 2 times. At the beginning of summer, when planting is done, and at the end of summer, during intensive growth. Top dressing is done along with watering watermelons.

To make the fruits of the watermelon more juicy and sweet, you can use a trick such as pinching. Its rules are as follows:

The height of the leaves at the level of the fifth leaf, the top of the plant. This allows you to give an impetus to the growth of shoots located on the sides of the plant.
Further, they are taken for the shoots on which they began to bear fruit. There should be no more than three of them for one bush.
As soon as the size of the fruit becomes more than 5 cm, the stem is fixed at the top of the fruit. This will allow the fruit to grow evenly.

Fruit picking time

The cultivation of watermelons can be delayed. Unlike many fruits and vegetables, watermelons cannot mature on their own without being on the bush. Therefore, you need to harvest only when you are sure that your fruits are ripe.

If the stalk of the watermelon has already dried up and when you knock on it, you hear a dull crack, we can say that your watermelon is already ripe. If all the planting rules and growth periods were observed, then the harvest falls at the end of August.

Now it is clear that the cultivation of watermelons in the northern regions is possible, but, most importantly, it is imperative to be guided by simple rules and follow all the rules and criteria for planting.