How to plant and grow melon

When to plant melon

Melon is a heat-loving crop, so most often it is sown first on seedlings, and later they are transferred to the beds. If you plant the seeds directly into the ground, the fruits may not have time to grow and ripen before the end of the season.

In the south, melon seeds for seedlings are sown from late March to mid-April, in the regions of the middle lane - at the end of April, in the north - at the beginning of May.

Shoots are planted in gardenwhen the daytime air temperature is kept within 20 °C, and the night temperature does not fall below 6 °C. You also need to wait until the threat of return frosts has passed. In the southern regions, suitable conditions are formed already at the end of April, in the middle lane - at the end of May - beginning of June, in the north - in the first half of June.

How to choose a melon

Decide which melons you need and go to garden centers for seeds or seedlings.

Decide on a variety

Melon fruits can be of different colors, sizes and shapes. But these characteristics are more a matter of taste. When choosing seeds, first of all, be guided by the ripening time. Early-ripening melons can be harvested after about 55-70 days from the moment of germination, mid-ripening - after 70-80 days, late - after 80-100 days. In the southern regions, you can safely grow any varieties of melons, and in the middle lane and in the north it is better to choose early ripe ones in order to be guaranteed to get sweet fruits.

Find quality seeds or seedlings

Pay attention to the date of manufacture of the seeds indicated on the package. They should be 2-4 years old. Younger material will not produce female flowers from which fruits are set. If there is an F1 label next to the name of the melon, then you have a hybrid in front of you. They are more resistant to diseases, pests and the vagaries of the weather than pure varieties.

The optimal age of finished seedlings for planting in the ground is 25-30 days. True, this parameter is not always possible to find out from the seller. Therefore, be guided by the appearance of plants - they must have at least three true leaves. Also make sure there are no spots on the seedlings, pests, rotten or dry areas.

How to plant a melon for seedlings

1. Prepare containers for seedlings

Melon does not tolerate a pick, so don't take shared containers. Prepare separate cups or pots with a volume of at least 400 ml. Make sure the bottom has several drainage holes for excess moisture to escape.

Fill the containers with universal soil for growing vegetable seedlings, about 1 cm short to the top. Lightly tamp the ground with your fingers. Then make three holes about 1.5 cm deep with a distance of 2 cm between them. For convenience, you can use a pencil or a stick for sushi.

2. Sow melon

Drop one seed into each hole. Cover them with soil.

Moisten the crops lightly with water.

Cover the pot with a transparent film or bag. Make a few holes on top to create air exchange in an impromptu greenhouse.

Place the container in a warm place with a temperature of 23-26 ° C. Lighting at this stage does not matter.

3. Wait for shoots

They will appear in about a week. As soon as you notice the sprouts, remove the shelter and move the pots to the sunniest windowsill. Or put seedlings under phytolamp or conventional fluorescent power of at least 36 W per 1 m². Turn on the device for 12 hours a day.

If all the seeds sprouted in one pot at once, pull out the weaker stems, leaving the strongest one.

4. Take care of your sprouts

As mentioned above, from the emergence of seedlings to planting seedlings in the ground takes an average of 25-30 days. During this time, the melon manages to release three to five true leaves.

Home care for plants consists only in regular watering. Make sure that the soil in the pots is always wet, do not let it dry out. And here top dressing young seedlings are not required.

How to prepare a bed for growing melons

Find the sunniest spot in your garden. 1-2 weeks before planting seedlings in the ground, add 4-5 kg ​​of compost and 250 g of wood ash per 1 m² of beds. If the soil on the site is dense and heavy, you can additionally add 5 liters of sand per 1 m². Then dig the earth onto the bayonet of a shovel and level its surface with a rake.

How to plant melon seedlings in open ground

1. Make holes

Dig holes, the depth and width of which will be 2 cm more than the volume of pots with seedlings. Provide a distance of at least 60 cm between plants.

Pour plenty of warm water over the soil and wait until it is completely absorbed.

2. plant a melon

Carefully remove the plant from the cup, being careful not to damage the roots. Lower the seedling into the hole.

Fill all voids around the stem with soil.

Pour the melon under the root with warm water. 1 liter of liquid is enough for each seedling.

How to care for a melon

Proper watering, fertilizing and pinching will help to get sweet fruits.

Water the plant

Do this early in the morning or at sunset, when the soil in the bed dries to a depth of about 5 cm. On average, the procedure is carried out once a week. Use only warm water and pour it strictly under the root, trying not to get on the leaves, stems and fruits. At first, about 10 liters of water will go to one plant. When the ovaries appear, the rate can be gradually reduced to 3 liters. At the stage of fruit ripening, watering is completely stopped.

feed the melon

Whole plant fertilize thrice. Each time, about 2 liters of nutrient mixture should be poured under the root of one melon.

1. Two weeks after transferring the seedlings to the ground, feed it with 20 g of ammonium nitrate diluted in 10 liters of water.
2. When the melon begins to actively release buds, you will need the same solution as the first time: 20 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water.
3. The third feeding - 2-3 weeks after the second. In 10 liters of water, 50 g of superphosphate, 25 g of potassium salt and 30 g of ammonium sulfate should be diluted.

Pinch the seedlings

When the melon grows strongly, begins to go beyond the space allotted to it and sets fruits about 5 cm in size, you need to shorten its stems. This will restrain the growth of the culture, due to which it will concentrate on pouring fruits.

For varietal melons, count three lateral lashes from the base of the bush, on which there are ovaries, and cut off the main stem with a sharp pruner. On each side shoot, leave no more than three fruits, count from the last three or four leaves and remove the crown.

In hybrid melons, the main stem is not shortened, because it is on it that the ovaries are formed. All side shoots need to be cut off, leaving two or three leaves on them.