In the Moscow vegetable gardens today, every summer gardener is quite capable of growing a watermelon, and not only in the greenhouse, but also in the open ground. However, in greenhouse conditions, harvesting is easier than in the open. Regardless of the chosen method of cultivation, the culture needs to be paid attention to and provided with the necessary conditions for normal growth and development.
The best varieties of watermelon for the Moscow region
Although watermelon is one of the cultures that prefer warmth, thanks to breeders it can be successfully grown even in the Moscow Region, for which varieties with a short growing season were developed - early ripe and mid-early. Therefore, it is worthwhile to dwell on them in more detail.
For open ground
If your site does not have a greenhouse structure, then when choosing a watermelon, you must give preference to varieties that can be grown in unprotected soil in your area. Since summer in the Moscow Region does not differ in its duration and hot weather, it is recommended to cultivate selected varieties by seedling.
Suga Baby
The ripening period of this variety is 65-70 days. The fruits are characterized by a round shape, a thin peel of dark green color. The pulp is sweet with a granular structure. The berry gains weight up to 6 kg. This variety is adapted to different climatic conditions, so it can be used for cultivation not only in the greenhouse, but also in open ground.
Suga Baby - an early ripening variety with a maturity of 65-70 days and a weight of berries up to 6 kg
Maristo F1
This hybrid variety is characterized by early ripening within 58-60 days. A feature is resistance to diseases such as anthracnose and fusariosis. The fruits gain weight up to 11 kg, have a dark green color of the peel with light sides. The flesh of the berry is rather dense, sugar, has a rich color and a characteristic aroma. Harvest after harvest can be stored for a long time.
A distinctive feature of the Maristo F1 variety is resistance to fusarium and anthracnose
Baraka F1
An early hybrid ripening after 72-77 days when sown in open ground and 60-64 days after transplanting. The fruits are characterized by an oval shape and a weight of 11-13 kg. The pulp is dark red in color, sweet, has no fibers. The variety is resistant to Fusarium and Anthracnose. It has a long shelf life.
The Barak hybrid matures in 72-77 days when sown in open ground and 60-64 days after transplanting
Twinkle
An early-ripening variety that ripens in 85 days and is suitable for mid-range conditions. The fruits gain weight up to 2.5 kg, have a thin dark green peel. The flesh is juicy, aromatic, sweet, has a bright red color. The variety is endowed with resistance to Fusarium, but may be affected by powdery mildew.
Spark - one of the popular early ripening varieties, which is suitable for growing in the suburbs
Erken F1
The new ultra-early hybrid with high yield, which achieves the best performance when grown through seedlings. Belongs to unpretentious varieties requiring minimal maintenance. Fruiting is stable under different weather conditions. Fruits grow weighing 8-10 kg. The peel is light green in color with dark stripes. The flesh is dark red, crispy, sweet.
Erken F1 is an early variety that is endowed with high yields with fruits weighing 8-10 kg
Anniversary
Mid-season hybrid ripening in 95 days. It can be cultivated in open ground and greenhouse conditions. The fruits are oval in shape, reach a mass of 10 kg. The color of the peel consists of dark green and light stripes. The pulp is sugary, juicy, tender, with a rich scarlet color.
Anniversary - a hybrid with a maturity of 95 days, which can be grown in open ground and a greenhouse
For the greenhouse
Growing watermelons in a greenhouse has its advantages, since it is easier for plants to provide the necessary conditions.
Honey
Ripening of this early ripening variety begins on 82-105 day after emergence of seedlings. Fruits have an elongated-rounded shape, reach a weight of 3-6 kg. The peel of medium-thick berries is green with darker stripes. The red pulp has an excellent taste, endowed with increased sugar content. The variety is medium resistant to powdery mildew and other diseases of melons.
The watermelon of the Honey variety ripens on 82-105 days after emergence, has elongated-rounded fruits with a weight of up to 6 kg
Scorik
An early-ripening domestic variety that allows you to get a crop 65 days after the emergence of seedlings. The fruits reach a weight of 3 kg, have a round-spherical shape, striped peel. The pulp of the berries is scarlet, juicy, dense, rich aroma. Fruit ripening occurs almost simultaneously. You can store watermelon in the refrigerator for several months.
Early ripe variety with large fruits up to 3 kg, which ripen 65-90 days after emergence
Crimson Suite
Mid-early variety ripening in 70-85 days. Fruits are rounded with a smooth peel of dark green color with light stripes. The peel is smooth dark green with light stripes. The average weight of berries is 8-12 kg. The pulp of the fetus has practically no veins, red, soft and honey taste. Watermelon has a long shelf life.
Variety with early ripening, bright red and juicy pulp. It is characterized by resistance to diseases and pests.
Krimstar F1
Hybrid super-early ripening variety (56-60 days), which is suitable for open and closed ground. The fruits are characterized by a round shape, a thin peel with dark stripes. The mass of berries reaches 6-8 kg. The pulp is red, juicy, tender, sweet. The variety is resistant to anthracnose, white rot, which makes it unpretentious to temperature changes.
Super early variety with a ripening period of 56-60 days. Watermelon is resistant to anthracnose and white rot
Watermelon Growing Conditions
Since the watermelon loves heat, for its cultivation in the middle lane and the northern regions, it is necessary to adhere to certain agricultural practices. The seed material begins to germinate at + 15 ° C, therefore, to obtain an earlier crop, they resort to growing seedlings. To provide plants with the necessary heat in the early stages, you can organize warm beds that fill with organic matter.
As a result of the decomposition of the components of a warm bed, heat is generated.
To smooth out the differences in day and night temperatures, use bricks, stones, as well as bottles of water, which play the role of heat accumulators: they are placed near plants. When cultivating watermelons in greenhouse conditions, they form plants in a vertical plane, and to support the fruits they use shelves, bags, etc., which are tied to a trellis. In addition, the beds at the initial stage of seedling development are additionally covered with a film. Now we will consider in more detail how to grow watermelon in the seedling method and direct sowing of seeds in the ground.
Growing watermelon seedlings
Growing watermelon seedlings is not particularly difficult. The main thing is to prepare the seeds and soil and properly perform the planting.
When to plant for seedlings
Watermelon seedlings are planted at the age of 30 days. At this time, plants should have 4 true leaflets. Given that the seed material of this culture does not germinate very quickly, sowing should be carried out in mid or late April. At earlier times, sowing seeds does not make sense.
How to sow seeds for seedlings
The cultivation of healthy seedlings includes several stages, which include preparing the soil mixture, seeds and planting containers.
Soil preparation
Properly prepared soil has a direct effect on the normal growth and development of young plants. For watermelon, it is recommended to prepare the soil mixture according to the following recipe:
- 1 part of turf land;
- 3 parts of humus.
For the cultivation of watermelon seedlings, the soil is prepared from 1 part of sod land and 3 parts of humus
The components are mixed well before filling the containers. This recipe is not the only one and each gardener can have his own. You can also prepare this option of soil:
- 0.5 parts of humus;
- 1 part of wood sawdust;
- 3 parts of lowland peat.
Tank preparation
It is advisable to use separate pots, glasses or cut plastic bottles as a landing container for watermelon. Thus, it will be possible to avoid damage to the roots when diving or transplanting plants into the ground. The optimum diameter of the container is about 10 cm.
Sowing watermelon seeds can be done in any suitable container (cups, pots, cut bottles)
Seed preparation
Preparation of seed material allows not only to select high-quality seeds, but also to accelerate their germination, to carry out disinfection. To perform calibration, the seeds are poured onto a flat surface and sorted by size. This is done in order to land in different containers. Thus, stronger seedlings will not drown out the development of weak seedlings.
Seedlings of small seeds begin fruiting later.
One of the mandatory procedures that watermelon seeds are subjected to is warming up. This method improves seed quality and has a positive effect on yield. To do this, they are heated in hot water (+ 50 ° C) for 30 minutes. After the procedure, the seeds are placed in a solution of potassium permanganate (1%) for disinfection. Then they are dried in vivo and produce sowing.
Disinfection of planting material in potassium permanganate allows you to get rid of bacteria and fungal spores on the surface of the seeds
To increase germination and reduce germination, seeds can be germinated. In this case, after processing in manganese, they are wrapped in moistened gauze and placed in heat, where the temperature is maintained at about + 35 ° C. During germination, it is necessary to ensure that the tissue does not dry out and moisten it as necessary.
Planting seeds
After all the preparatory steps, you can plant watermelon seeds. Do this in the following sequence:
- Fill the tank with soil, without adding 3 cm to the edges.
- They make a deepening of 3 cm and lower 2 sunken seeds into it, cover it with earth and spill it with warm water (+ 25 ° C).
- The containers are covered with polyethylene and placed on the windowsill from the south side.
For normal seed germination, it is required to maintain the temperature at + 25-27 ° C.
Video: sowing watermelon seeds for seedlings
Seedling Care
Shoots appear after about a week. At this time, the film must be removed and the temperature lowered to + 16-18 ° C for 10 days. Then the seedlings are examined and the weakest sprouts are harvested, after which the temperature is raised to + 20-25 ° C. At night, it is maintained at + 18-20 ° C. Such conditions must be maintained for three weeks.
Young seedlings need periodic watering, which is done with warm water. The earth should be saturated with moisture, but water should not be allowed to fall on the leaves. The soil after watering needs to be loosened. To avoid stretching the seedlings, it must be provided with a sufficient amount of light. For this, you can use sodium, LED, phytolamps or fluorescent lamps. The daylight hours should be 12-14 hours. The room with seedlings must be regularly ventilated, but at the same time avoid drafts.
Transplanting seedlings into the ground
One of the important stages before planting watermelon seedlings in the ground is hardening. Proceed to it 7 days before the transplantation of seedlings to the site. To do this, the seedlings are gradually reduced temperature (by 2-3˚) and reduced watering. A few days before planting, the plants are well watered. In addition, they perform spraying with a solution of Bordeaux liquid (1%). Seedlings are recommended to be replanted in the morning, for which the sprouts are carefully removed from the container together with a lump of earth and transferred to a prepared hole. The planting hole is made so deep that it is possible to deepen the plants to the cotyledon leaves. After planting, the plantations are watered and covered with a film.
When planting, watermelon seedlings are buried to cotyledon leaves
Planting seeds
The quality of seeds directly affects their germination. Therefore, for planting, it is necessary to use only fresh seed, because small fruits are formed from the old. Regardless of where the planting is supposed - in open ground or a greenhouse, the seeds are prepared in the same way as for growing seedlings. Then they select and prepare a site for culture and sow.
In open ground
A well-lit area, closed from cold winds, is diverted under the watermelon. Best of all, if before that crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, radish, cabbage were grown on it. Of no small importance is the soil itself. For this type of melon, sandy or sandy loamy soil, fertilized with organic matter, is necessary. It is best to prepare the place in the fall. At this time, 1-2 buckets of humus and the same amount of sand per 1 m² are added to a site with heavy clay soil, which will make the soil more loose and light. It can also be fertilized with minerals. To do this, make 20 g of potash fertilizers, 30 g of ammonium sulfate and 40 g of superphosphate per 1 m². These elements will positively affect the development of plants and somewhat accelerate the harvest.
When the site is prepared, you can start sowing, but you should pay attention to the timing. In the Moscow region, watermelon seeds are planted in open ground from late April to late June. More specific dates depend on the weather and the expected timing of the harvest.
For sowing watermelon seeds, the soil should warm up to a minimum of + 16-17˚С.
Sowing is performed in the following sequence:
- Make a hole with a depth of not more than 8 cm and spill it with water (1-2 l).
For sowing watermelon, make a hole 4-8 cm deep and spill with water
- When the water is absorbed, 3-5 seeds are placed in one hole on the flat side.
In the planting hole put several seeds of watermelon flat side
- Sprinkle the seeds with earth, lightly tamp, but do not water, so that the soil crust does not form, which makes it difficult to germinate the seeds.
After sowing watermelon, the landing pit is covered with earth and lightly tamped
Several seeds in one hole are planted in order to leave one of the most powerful seedling after germination, and remove the rest.
When planting a watermelon in open ground, a certain pattern is followed. The following is standard: the width between rows is 2 m, between the holes in a row is 1 m.
Watermelons are planted in open ground according to the following pattern: 2 m between rows, 1 m between holes
Video: sowing watermelon seeds in open ground
To the greenhouse
The greenhouse design for the cultivation of watermelon can be film, glass or polycarbonate. The main condition that it must meet is a height of about 2 m. This is due to the fact that the watermelon weaves as it develops, and in closed ground it is formed vertically, tied to a trellis. The construction should be located in an open area without any objects blocking the access of sunlight.
Attention should also be paid to the preparation of the greenhouse. First of all, the design is checked for damage and malfunctions (film breaks, cracks, lighting problems, etc.). If any, carry out repairs. In addition, it is necessary to treat the greenhouse with copper sulfate (100 g per 10 l of water).
Before the new season, the greenhouse must be prepared, namely, washed and treated with copper sulfate
Soil preparation is better to do in the autumn. To do this, mark the beds with a width of about 1 m along the length of the structure. As fertilizers, grass is laid, rotted manure with a layer of about 30 cm, tops from the garden. With the advent of spring, humus can be added to the ground with the addition of mineral fertilizers. To improve the structure of the soil, it is not out of place to add a bucket of river sand on 1 m² and dig the soil. By the time of planting, the earth should be warm enough. To do this, a week before planting, remove the soil layer equal to the length of the bayonet of the shovel, lay a mixture of humus and hay (straw), after which they are shed in large quantities with hot water. On top of such a pillow lay previously removed ground. For better warming, the beds can be covered with a black film.
It is best to do the preparation of watermelon beds in the greenhouse in the fall and make the necessary fertilizers
In the conditions of the Moscow Region, watermelons are planted, depending on when a steady temperature is established, since the soil should warm up to at least + 15 ° C. For this region, the timing of planting a crop in a greenhouse falls, as a rule, in April. If the design is equipped with heating and additional lighting, then landing can be done a month earlier. For planting, make shallow holes, in which two seedlings are placed: seedlings should be 1 cm above the soil surface. To avoid damage to the roots, the sprouts from the planting containers must be carefully removed.
Landing can be done in different ways:
- A ridge of about 20 cm high and 50 cm wide is formed on a bed with a width of 90 cm. If the plants are planted in one row, then a distance of 50 cm is made between the holes. This method of planting will be optimal for a small greenhouse.
- There is also a two-line method, in which the seedlings are staggered with a distance between the holes of 70 cm.
Video: planting a watermelon in a greenhouse
Watermelon Care
In order to get a good harvest of this melon crop, it is necessary to follow certain rules of care both in the open ground and in the greenhouse.
In the open ground
Caring for a crop comes down to such agricultural techniques as watering, cultivating, fertilizing, and forming a bush.
Loosening
One of the conditions for obtaining a good crop in the Moscow region is loose soil and the absence of weeds. To do this, the soil is periodically loosened, weeds are removed, and seedlings are spudded to cotyledon leaves.
It is especially important to loosen the soil after rainfall or watering so that there is no soil crust. Thus, the flow of air to the roots is improved.
Watering
As for irrigation, they are done once a week, spending 3 buckets of water per 1 m². In hot weather and during flowering, 2 such irrigation per week is carried out, while irrigating the soil around the plants and between the rows. After moistening the plants, it is recommended to mulch, which will retain moisture and prevent the growth of weeds. As the fruit develops, watering is gradually reduced and completely stopped 2 weeks before harvesting.
Watermelons must be watered once a week, spending 3 buckets of water per 1 m²
Top dressing
During the growing season, watermelons are fed several times. At each recharge, one liter of solution should fall on one plant. A week after planting seedlings in open ground, it is watered with the following composition, which is prepared based on 10 liters of water:
- 40-50 g of superphosphate;
- 30-35 g of ammonium sulfate;
- 15-20 g of potassium salt.
During the period of active growth of watermelon lashes, plants are fed with a similar solution, halving potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Once again fertilize the bushes at the beginning of the formation of the ovaries, for which they prepare a solution of these components:
- 20-25 g of ammonium sulfate;
- 10 g of superphosphate;
- 35 g of potassium salt.
The composition is applied to pre-arranged furrows at a distance of 15-20 cm from the plants.
The lower content of nitrogen fertilizers during the last feeding will exclude the accumulation of nitrates in the pulp of berries.
Video: watering and feeding watermelons in the open field
Formation
To get larger fruits, watermelon bushes must be properly formed. The procedure is pinching the shoots and is carried out as follows:
- Pinch the main stem after the formation of 5-6 true leaves. This will ensure the development of lateral shoots, on which the ovaries will form.
- Pinch the growth points of the shoots, on which the ovaries have formed. On one bush leave no more than three fruits.
To get large and ripened fruits of watermelon, it is necessary to correctly and timely complete the formation of a bush
In the process of forming a bush, you need to monitor and timely remove the extra stepsons. If the shoot has grown quite strong, then you do not need to pull it - it is better to cut it off.
The stepson is an escape that formed from the leaf sinus.
When forming a watermelon bush, it is necessary to remove the stepsons that develop from the sinus of leaves (in the photo, for example, a tomato bush)
Video: watermelon formation in open ground
In the greenhouse
In greenhouse conditions, caring for a watermelon is not difficult, although some nuances must be taken into account.
Watering
In early summer, watermelons need watering, especially when the weather is hot, green mass is growing, flowering is in progress and fruits are forming. Irrigation should be plentiful, but not excessive, i.e. stagnation of water should be avoided. At the beginning of fruit setting, the number of irrigations is reduced to 1 time in 2 weeks. When an apple-sized fruit has formed, irrigation is stopped completely.
Excessive watering makes the watermelon less sweet, so in July it is practically not watered.
When irrigation is stopped, it is recommended to pour a layer of sand under the plant for better warming of the root system.
Most of all, watermelons need watering in early summer, during the growth of green mass, flowering and fruit setting. The best option for these purposes is to drip water
Top dressing
In a greenhouse, watermelon is fed several times:
- when reaching a length of 25 cm;
- before flowering;
- during the formation of the ovary.
It is best to use ammonium nitrate (20 g) diluted in water (10 l) as fertilizer. In addition to mineral fertilizers, you can use organics, for example, chicken droppings. The nutrient solution is prepared in a ratio of 1:10 and introduced under a single plant of 0.5 l.
Watermelon is fed several times during the growing season, for which you can use both mineral and organic fertilizers, for example, chicken droppings
Temperature
Watermelon in closed ground feels good at daytime temperature + 30˚С and night temperature + 20˚С. In order to prevent condensation, the greenhouse must be ventilated while avoiding drafts.
Formation
In a closed ground, the gourds in question also need to be formed. The easiest option is to grow a watermelon in one stalk. To do this, the main shoot is directed upward along the rope, and all side ones are removed. Fruit setting occurs on the central stem. Pinch the main shoot, leaving 5 leaves after the upper fruit. The amount of ovary left is dependent on the variety and region of cultivation. In the suburbs, do not leave more than three ovaries, since a larger amount may simply not mature. The number of berries that can be left is determined empirically.
In the greenhouse, watermelon is mainly formed into one stem, i.e. when the fruits are formed only on the main shoot
There is a more complicated way to form a watermelon in a protected ground:
- The central shoot is fixed with a rope to the trellis.
- The bottom two stepson pinch at the beginning of development.
- Shoots on which female flowers did not form up to 6-7 leaves are removed.
- Stems with female flowers, i.e. with ovaries, pinch, retreating 2-3 leaves from them.
- No more than three fruits are left on one plant.
- Pinch the main stem, departing from the top berry of 5 leaves.
With this method of formation, the ovaries are formed on the side shoots.
Video: watermelon formation in a greenhouse
//youtube.com/watch?v=ac0RDKtyP5o
Pollination
If there are no problems with pollination in the open ground, then in the greenhouse it is recommended to perform this procedure yourself, because through the open windows and doors the insects may not fly into. To do this, they tear off a male flower, tear off its petals and lean it several times on a female flower (anthers on the stigma). It is important that the temperature does not fall below + 12˚С, otherwise there will be no result from pollination.
Male flowers bloom first early in the morning and "live" for just a few hours, and female flowers for 2-3 days.
Male and female flowers differ in appearance: the female is smaller in size and on it you can initially see a small ovary
Diseases and pests of watermelons
Watermelons, like many other garden crops, are exposed to the negative effects of diseases and pests, and in order to take appropriate control measures you need to be able to distinguish them.
Diseases
Sometimes gardeners pay most of their attention to the size and quantity of the ovary, and not to the state of the plant. As a result, the moments of infection of the stands by various diseases, such as fusarium, anthracnose, root rot, etc., are missed.
Anthracnose
This fungal disease occurs with high humidity. They are affected by the aerial part of the plant, the stems become fragile. Infected fruits do not develop, their deformation and loss of taste due to sugar reduction are observed. Brownish spots appear on the surface of the watermelon, and ulcers on the stems. In wet weather, the lesion is covered with a pink coating. As a control measure, watermelon beds weed and remove the diseased parts of the bush. For processing using Bordeaux liquid (1%).
Anthracnose appears as brown spots on leaves and other parts of the plant.
Fusarium
When infected with this disease, the watermelon suffers and fades. On damaged plants, small leaves and fruits can be observed. As the disease develops, the roots darken, the stems at the base rot, the leaves turn yellow, and then dry and fall off. The disease occurs due to high soil moisture, low temperature (less than + 17 ° C) or plant weakness. Therapeutic actions are carried out with the preparations Vitaros, Fitosporin, Trichodermin.
The disease manifests itself in the form of wilting and inhibition of plants. The affected bushes are characterized by small leaves and fruits.
Root rot
The disease is caused by fungi that live in the soil. Favorable conditions for its development are temperature changes, humidity, improper care and excessive watering. The result is a thickening and cracking of the root. The leaves on diseased plants turn yellow and gradually fade, which leads to the death of the bush. For prevention, moderate watering with warm water should be observed. Each week, the root neck is powdered with activated charcoal or powdered chalk. In addition, plantings are recommended to be sprayed with Fundazole (0.1%). If the plant is severely affected, it must be destroyed.
With root rot, yellowing of the leaves and their wilting occurs, which leads to the death of the plant
Powdery mildew
It is not difficult to identify that the bush has become infected with this type of fungal disease: spots appear in the form of a white coating on the leaves, tops of shoots and ovaries. The fungus in the area is carried by precipitation, wind and direct contact between plants. If young bushes become infected, then they simply die. The fruits are deformed, have an unpleasant taste and often rot. You need to fight the disease by removing infected parts and treating with drugs such as Bayleton, Topaz, Tiovit Jet, Planriz.
With powdery mildew, white, gray or pink coating appears on the leaves of plants, after which the foliage withers and dries.
Pests
One of the most dangerous pests of watermelons and other melons is wireworms, gourds, aphids, spider mites, sprout flies.
Gourd aphids
The insect settles on the stems of plants in whole colonies, and develops quite quickly. It harms the melon, sucking the sap from the plantings, which leads to the death of flowers and ovaries. Favorable conditions for the development of the pest are wet and warm weather. The fight comes down to the regular removal of weeds and plant debris. When invading aphids, the following insecticides are used: Commander, Mospilan, Inta-Vir.
It is impossible to miss aphid on a watermelon, because the plant is covered with these insects
Wireworm
Wireworms are the larvae of nutcracker beetles. They seriously damage the root system, as a result of which the plant dries out partially or completely. You can deal with the pest by arranging traps on the bed, which are banks filled with beets, potatoes or carrots cut into pieces. Such traps are replaced with fresh ones 2-3 times a week. An extreme control measure is the use of chemicals such as Provotox, Thunder-2, Diazonin, but it is better to avoid the use of these chemicals because of their negative effects on both the soil and the crop.
The wire damages the root system of the watermelon, which leads to partial or complete drying of the plant
Spider mite
Signs of the appearance of a pest on the crop are numerous brown dots on the back of the leaf, which gradually increase in size. On the flowers that did not have time to blossom, as well as on the ovaries and tops of the shoots, a spider web forms. A plant affected by a tick turns yellow, dries and dies. To control the pest, acaricides are used (Apollo, Neoron, Actofit, Actellik).
A spider mite can be detected by a characteristic web on the back of the leaf
Sprout fly
Larvae of the sprout fly inflict considerable harm on the melon. They penetrate the sprouted germ, as a result of which the cotyledons are damaged and the seedlings decay. In order to prevent and destroy eggs hibernating in the earth, the soil is dug up in the fall and loosened in the spring. In order to prevent seeds, it is recommended to soak the seeds before sowing in a solution of Fenturiam. In addition, a few days after transplanting, seedlings are sprayed with Spark Bio. If signs of pest occurrence have been observed, insecticides similar to aphid control should be used.
Larvae of the germ fly damage both the seeds and the root system of plants
Harvesting and storage of watermelon
In order for a watermelon to be tasty, it must ripen well, that is, be ripe. This can be determined by the drying stalk and a dull sound when tapping the fetus. For Moscow region, the optimal harvesting time is mid-end August. In addition, if it is planned to preserve the watermelon, cleaning must be done with gloves, excluding damage to the surface of the berries. It is better to store later varieties for storage. With the right choice and the whole form, as well as creating favorable conditions, the berry can be stored for 1-5 months.
The ripeness of the watermelon is determined by the drying peduncle and a dull sound when tapping the fetus
The storage location must meet the following requirements:
- constant temperature + 5-8˚С;
- humidity 60-80%;
- lack of lighting;
- air circulation.
In a private house, such a place may be a basement, attic, garage, porch. In apartment conditions, storage is possible on a glazed loggia, in the bathroom, pantry.
Thinking about how to save a watermelon, you need to familiarize yourself with the possible ways:
- Hanging berries in nets with pre-wrapping fabric.
- Coating the surface of the watermelon with paraffin or wax in a layer of 1 cm, which will prevent the formation of mold.
- Stacking fruit tail down in a box with ash or dry sand.
- Separation of fruits from each other by straw. Thus, there will be no contact with a hard surface, which will exclude damage to the skin and will contribute to the absorption of excess moisture.
Video: how to store watermelon
When choosing the right variety, following the rules and agricultural techniques of growing, it is quite possible for every gardener to get a watermelon crop in the suburbs. At first, this task may seem difficult, but with experience the process will become simple and understandable, and possible errors will be minimized.
