How to plant a melon outdoors

Variety selection

When choosing a variety for planting, it is important to take into account the climatic features of the area, what kind of soil is on the site, what will grow nearby. If you do not live in the southern regions, where there is real expanse for melons, then carefully read the description of the variety. Most thermophilic varieties are quite difficult to grow even in a greenhouse, let alone planting in open ground. Therefore, you should select regionalized hybrids that are resistant to low temperatures if late frosts occur in your region, with high immunity to diseases caused by the fungus. These are mainly early maturing and medium early species, with a short growing season.

In the middle lane, you can plant early and mid-early varieties that are grown through seedlings:

• Don's novelty is a high-yielding variety with medium-sized fruits. The color of the peel is yellow-green, with a visible mesh of fibers. The pulp is sweet and juicy.
• Early 133 - ripens in 65 days, oval fruits weighing up to 2 kg, yellow rind, white and very sweet flesh.
• Bykovskaya 735 is an early ripe variety, oval fruits with a thick skin and sweet pulp. The pumpkins are large, weighing up to 2.5 kg.
• Assol F1 is a mid-season variety with small fruits, weighing up to 1 kg. The flesh of this melon is juicy, sweet with a strong aroma.
• The collective farmer is one of the most popular varieties in the middle lane. Despite the mid-maturity and low weight of the fruit (only 1 kg), this variety has a very sweet pulp, which becomes sweeter over time.

But for the northern regions, where the climate is harsh and merciless to thermophilic plants, you should choose the most resistant varieties that can be planted without fear in open ground:

• Amber is a variety with oval fruits, the sweetness of which directly depends on the amount of solar heat that falls on them. The pulp is white and very juicy. However, this is a late-ripening variety - the harvest can only be harvested in mid-September.
• Dessert is a variety that should be grown under a film cover in order to get a large number of small fruits weighing up to 1 kg. Ripening, the peel acquires a deep green color, becomes thick, which allows the pumpkin to be stored for a long time.
• Golden is another late-ripening variety, with medium-sized fruits weighing up to 2 kg. The pulp is juicy, dense.
• Siberian honey is a variety that is resistant to temperature extremes, as well as low air temperatures. The pumpkins are round, weighing up to 2 kg. The pulp is thick and juicy with a strong fragrant aroma.

But the list of varieties that are easy to grow and plant, of course, does not end there. You can also pay attention to the varieties "Alushta" and "Yuzhanka", which are loved by many gardeners for the sweetness of the fruits and their large number.

It is often not recommended to plant different varieties of melons next to each other, as this can negatively affect the quality and condition of the fruit. However, hybrids of the same line can be planted side by side.

Site selection and preparation

They begin to prepare the soil for planting in the fall.During the digging of the site, the soil is abundantly fertilized with humus. In the spring, fertilizer will need to be reapplied, but with the addition of minerals - calcium, phosphorus, potassium.

In the spring, shortly before planting seedlings or seeds, you can arrange a "steam" ridge: lay a thick layer of horse or sheep manure to a depth of 30-40 cm, and pour a layer of earth on top. First of all, such a system gives a constant flow of heat to the plant, which has a positive effect on the growing season, especially if it is rarely hot in your region. Secondly, it is constant fertilization and nourishment of the melon, which will help to grow more fruits.

For cultivation, loamy or suspended soil, that is, with good aeration, is best suited. Immediately before planting seedlings, the site must be dug up and loosened again. Among the predecessors for melons, it is better to choose cereals, herbs, cabbage, cucumbers, onions. Often it is planted next to the pumpkin, carrying out grafting.

Seed preparation

It is important to properly prepare the seeds in order to fully prepare them for planting in open ground or seedlings. The first step is to reject the seed. To do this, the seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in a solution of sodium chloride. Those that float - throw away, those that settle to the bottom - rinse under running water and dry a little. It is best to plant seeds that are 2 or 3 years old, since they give the most female flowers. But the seeds of the same year bring mainly male flowers.

After the selection of seeds, it is necessary to disinfect them in a solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, dissolve 10 g of potassium permanganate crystals in 1 liter of water and soak the seeds for 25 minutes. Once you're done soaking, place the seeds side by side on a damp cloth.

If you plan on planting melons in cold regions, it is best to harden them as well. To do this, take ice from the freezer, put the seeds on it and leave it there for 10 hours at a temperature of + 2-3 ° C.

Transplanting

It is most convenient to grow seedlings at home in peat pots or cardboard cups. So you can safely transplant them later into the soil in the garden without damaging the root system. Use a mixture of peat, humus and turf as the soil. At the time of planting, the soil in the cups should be moist. Dip into each and place next to 2-3 seeds, deepening by 3 cm. After the shoots appear, you can thin them out, removing weaker shoots.

Before the first shoots appear, the temperature in the room where the melon seedlings grow should not fall below + 18-20 ° C. After the appearance of the third true leaf, the shoots are pinched to stimulate the development of lateral lashes.

Video "Sowing melon seeds for seedlings"

This video will show you how to sow seedlings correctly.

Planting seeds

On a dug and fertilized bed, you need to outline holes so that at least 75 cm of free space remains between them. The beds should also not be crowded together - leave at least 80 cm of free space between them. Each hole must be filled with humus and watered before planting seeds. The ground must warm up to no less than +12 ° C so that it can be planted. Otherwise, you simply will not have sprouts. You need to plant 3-4 seeds in each hole. The planted seeds are watered again and mulched with dry earth on top.

If a cold snap is expected, and in most regions at the end of April this turn of affairs is not the most unexpected, cover the beds with foil. It can be removed during the day, but at night it is better to cover the soil before germination to keep warm.

Care features

Melon requires careful maintenance as it grows. As soon as the sprouts appear, it is necessary to thin them out, leaving only one, the strongest. After the appearance of 4 true leaves, the plant is pinched, because of which the active growth of lateral shoots begins.

It is imperative to loosen the soil between the rows.Near the melon sprouts, the soil also needs to be loosened, but very carefully, as you risk touching the roots. Watering is also necessary next to the plant, but not on itself. Remove weeds carefully so that they do not drain the soil and interfere with the development of the melon by growing nearby.

For fruitful growth and a good harvest, the melon can be fed with saltpeter, infusion of chicken manure or mullein. The first feeding, which must be carried out two weeks after planting, must contain potassium and nitrogen. Subsequent feeding should be done every 2-3 weeks.

It will be useful to carry out preventive treatment against fungal diseases and insects. For this, drugs "Ridomil Gold" and "Quadris 250" are used.

If you are not tying the stalks of the melon, then make sure that the fruits are located on stands so that you can protect them from rotting in wet ground.

Melon Growing Video

This video will introduce you to melon farming from sowing and transplanting to harvesting.