Melon, the most thermophilic of melons, is grown mainly in the southern and southeastern regions. But the Kolkhoznitsa variety is able to please with its excellent honey taste and vanilla aroma, even in regions where hot summers are very rare. I was clearly convinced of this by the fruitful results of my neighbor in the country. I will share with you everything I learned from her.
In this case, of course, you cannot wait for the harvest from planting seeds in open ground, BUT you can grow fragrant, juicy and tasty fruits through seedlings... ✍
The mid-season variety will give the first fruits after 80 - 90 days from the moment of germination. Melon seeds for seedlings should be sown in the third decade of April. A month later, the height of the sprouts reaches 15 cm and 3 - 4 true leaves appear, - it is time to move such seedlings to a permanent place. In open ground, the crucial time for transplanting seedlings comes at the end of May, in the greenhouse 2 weeks earlier.
✔ In order for the transplant to the garden bed to go smoothly, you must:
- A week before transplanting, harden the seedlings in the fresh air, gradually increasing the residence time.
- Make holes in the garden bed at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other.
- Add a mixture of humus with peat to each hole, spill with warm water.
- Make depressions into which to move the melon sprouts together with a lump of earth.
- Do not ram the earth, but slightly compact it.
- Install arches over the garden bed, stretch them with a film or other material that protects the seedlings from hypothermia.
ATTENTION! Despite the fact that Kolkhoznitsa is a fairly cold-resistant variety, the temperature below + 10 degrees is critical - the sprouts develop poorly, their growth slows down.
Further care consists in watering and feeding. For young shoots you need 1.5 - 2 liters, for adult plants 3 - 4 liters. under each bush. Watering in the morning, avoiding the ingress of water on the leaves, will exclude the appearance of rot, fungal diseases, falling flowers and ovaries.
☝ Important! Plants need nitrogen before the ovaries appear. During the ripening of the fruit, the melon needs potassium and phosphorus.
✔ Apply fertilizers in the following order:
- 2 weeks after transplanting, pour a solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tablespoon of ammonium nitrate
- After 10 - 14 days, repeat the feeding
- In mid-July, apply organic fertilizers or potassium humate according to the instructions on the package
- During the ripening period, feed with a solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium sulfate or replace with infusion of oven ash.
Stop watering the crop 2 weeks before harvesting. This is necessary for the accumulation of sugary substances.
IMPORTANT! For getting good harvest the plant needs to be formed: the main shoot should be shortened after the fifth leaf, since mainly "male" flowers are formed on it. Leave 1 - 2 ovaries on the side shoots. When the fruits reach a size of 5 - 7 cm, after 5 sheets from the last fruit, the stem must be cut off.
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