Gardeners have revealed the secrets of growing real watermelons in the suburbs

Berries in potato gardens reach 10 kilograms

The abundance of melons and gourds has untied our hands. Now we are much more willing to buy watermelons and melons than before August 1 – psychologically it has somehow become calmer. But there are those who are still waiting for something. Selfless and patient. And it turns out to be summer residents who decided to set up their own experiment on growing watermelons on their own plots in the Moscow region. They still have a long way to go before harvest.

Mikhail Stepanovich from Balashikha has been planting seedlings of the Ogonyok variety in a greenhouse for seven years now. He is satisfied with precocity and pleasant taste. Certainly not sugar, not honey, but quite sweet and by no means watery. By September 1, you can already taste.

– This is an old proven variety of Kharkov selection, – says the summer resident. – I collect fruits up to 2.5 kg. The light is resistant to fusarium, although it has one enemy – powdery mildew, so you have to treat seedlings with biological products. But there is no more hassle with growing. Planted at the end of May, and after 3 months you can try.

In appearance, the Light can be mistaken for a green pumpkin. Moreover, as it matures, the peel darkens more and more. The caftan of the watermelon is really velvet. And in the Moscow region, the Shuga Baby variety feels good – the berries weigh only a kilogram. Distinctive features are a thin rind and spotted brown-white seeds. Of course, in appearance, such a watermelon is very far from its Astrakhan counterparts, but as an exotic fruit in berry bushes on a garden plot, it is very appropriate. No big deal with him either. And its complete opposite in appearance is the Gift of the North variety, which can weigh up to 10 kg. It has a very thick rind and can take 4 months to mature. But cold hardy. The fruits are harvested right up to the first frost.

“Vector is becoming especially popular among the ultra-ripe varieties of the middle lane,” says agronomist Nikolai Gorsky. – The first fruits can be tasted on the 58th day after sowing. The weight of each watermelon is about 3 kg. The crust is thin. The taste is excellent. This variety was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements only in 2017. It is considered the most delicious among the precocious. Keeps up to 20 days.

There is also a Charleston near Moscow and Rosé Champagne. They are more demanding on heat, so they are usually not planted in open ground.

“What I understood for myself when I started growing watermelons in the open field is the importance of choosing a site,” says Anastasia Markina, a summer resident from the Leninsky District. – It should be open so that the sun is always there. And it is best that potatoes sit on this ridge a year before watermelons. When I plant seedlings, I try not to bury them. It is necessary that the earthen ball, which is around the roots, rises about a centimeter above the surface of the earth. Then the leg will not rot.

Experts say that the most important agricultural method for melons, in addition to top dressing, is pinching watermelon lashes. It limits the growth of green mass and directs all nutrients to the growth of berries.

On small-fruited varieties, up to six ovaries can be left, on large-fruited varieties – no more than three. Pinching begins with the removal of side shoots. The whip is cut, leaving 4-5 sheets after the last fruit. These leaves help the bush to receive proper nutrition.

– Side shoots should be left a little. But you can’t leave the plant completely without leaves – you won’t get a good harvest like that, – Markina notes. – And you should never cut off the first bud or ovary on the main lash – this particular watermelon will be the sweetest and largest.

When is it time to harvest a ripe fruit? Strictly September 1st or earlier? Look at the outward signs. In a mature fruit, the stalk and antennae near it dry up. The bark becomes shiny and elastic. A large yellow spot forms on the crust from the side of the earth. When tapped, the ripe fruit gives off a dull sound. If you observe all this, you can safely grab a knife and cut off a ripe watermelon from the stem. It is only important that you leave a tail about 5 cm long. If you break it off, the fruit will quickly rot.

The listed varieties are typical for our climate, which, as you know, is changing rapidly. Can warming allow growing Astrakhan watermelons in the Moscow region?

– In 50 years, when there will be a forest-steppe zone in the Moscow region, the cultivation of varieties adapted for the Moscow region will be one hundred percent successful – the harvest will be guaranteed, – says climatologist Valentin Lavrushnikov. – Only this does not mean that the fruits will be larger – they will be the same as their particular variety suggests. And the Astrakhan and Tashkent heat is still far away, I’m not sure that it would be advisable to grow gourds in the beds in the Moscow region. Indeed, for the ripening of Astrakhan watermelons, a semi-desert zone is needed. And even in the steppe zone, which is increasingly becoming a region near Moscow to match the Kuban, Zaporozhye, Transcarpathia,. classic watermelons are grown with varying degrees of success