One of the attributes of summer associated with a holiday, childhood is a juicy watermelon. It still causes a lot of controversy. What is it really - a vegetable, fruit or berry?
Watermelon comes from the pumpkin family, so there is every reason to say that this is a vegetable. The weight of the fetus can reach 12 or more kilograms.
Before you
grow a watermelon in the country, you should arm yourself with knowledge about this culture. Watermelon is extremely healthy. Like all pumpkin, it contains magnesium, which is very beneficial for the heart. With the help of this fruit, the kidneys are “washed”. Watermelon is especially recommended for people with kidney stones. The plant removes toxic substances from the liver, so it is recommended after prolonged absorption of drugs. Watermelon masks rejuvenate your face.
Unfortunately, eating vegetables is contraindicated for diabetics because of their sugar content. Limit the amount of watermelon eaten in the presence of edema, as well as problems with the intestines and pancreas.
There are many lovers of this unusual plant , many of them own land and dream of growing a culture at home. Let's try to explain how to grow a watermelon in the country.
Start growing with a choice of varieties. It is better to choose hybrid varieties, as they are slightly susceptible to disease, more resistant to temperature extremes and ripen faster. Then you need to decide on a place for a berry in your garden. Watermelon in the summer cottage should be planted in a place where there is most heat and sun and fewer winds, especially from the north and west.
It should be borne in mind that this plant is heat-loving, so you need to plant seeds or seedlings in the ground in warm weather, when the night temperature is at least 14-15 degrees. Since this time comes around June, it is better to start growing with seedlings, and then transfer to the greenhouse. First, we grow watermelon in glasses, planting 1-2 seeds, after soaking them for a day. To peck the seeds need a high temperature - up to 30 degrees. The emerged seedlings grow better at a temperature of 20-22C and highlighting for about 10 hours a day. The soil in the cups must be loosened.
How to grow a watermelon in the country, so that the work is not wasted? The next stage is planting seedlings in a shelter - a greenhouse or a greenhouse. This step is necessary to saturate the plant with sunlight.
The optimal time for the final transplant of a watermelon to its permanent "place of residence" is the beginning of June. After planting a plant in an open garden, it must be tempered, and this must be done gradually. Hardening is to increase the residence time of the culture in the open air. That is, even on the street, the watermelon must first be covered.
Watermelon should be planted in holes with a depth of up to half a meter and with distances between them up to a meter. At the bottom of the pit should be put humus, compost and sand. It should be noted that the favorable soil for the plant is sand and sandy loam; loam is not suitable for it. Before you grow a watermelon in the country, you should stock up on fertilizer. Vegetable loves feeding with mullein and chicken droppings.
The first crop can be expected by the end of July, the main number of fruits will ripen by mid-August. In hot weather, with the collection of vegetables, you can wait until September.