Dates for planting watermelons for seedlings and in open ground
As known, watermelons - a culture demanding heat. This giant berry is most widespread in the southern regions, because there the summer is warm and long, thanks to which the fruits have time to ripen well and give a rich harvest. However, to date, breeders have created many varieties of hybrid watermelons, characterized by a shorter growing season, which makes it possible to grow berries even in those regions that do not please with a warm climate, both in the open field and in greenhouse conditions. Some species mature as early as 2 months after germination.
Despite this, one of the important points is the correct choice of the date of planting seeds. Timely planted watermelons not only grow and develop better, but also give a bountiful harvest. When can you plant watermelons? Planting dates depend on how you plan to grow melons:
- through seedlings;
- sowing in open ground.
When to sow watermelons for seedlings?
Watermelon seeds are quite dense and do not germinate very quickly. If they are pre-warmed and germinated, the first sprouts will appear in 10 days, or even after two weeks. It will take another month for the seedlings to grow and form their own root system. But to a permanent place seedlings can be planted no earlier than the soil warms up to 18 degrees Celsius. Depending on the regional climate, this occurs at different times. So, in the central zone, constant heat comes around mid-July. Thus, sowing seeds for seedlings should be at the end of April. But in the south, seedlings can be planted in open ground already at the end of May, so they start sowing seeds earlier, in the second decade of April.
An earlier planting will lead to the fact that in cold soil the seedlings will begin to hurt, they will take root for a long time, or even die altogether. Too late sowing is fraught with consequences for the harvest itself - the fruits will not have time to ripen before the arrival of the first autumn cold snap.
When to sow watermelons outdoors?
In the southern regions, it is most often practiced to plant melons and gourds directly on the garden bed, which avoids the hassle of seedlings. Also in this way, early maturing hybrids can be grown.
Seeds can be sown into the soil no earlier than it warms up to a depth of 10 cm, and stable positive values of at least 15 degrees Celsius will be established outside. This usually happens at the end of May.
Some gardeners manage to sow seeds in the garden even earlier, in the first half of May, and in the middle lane with its short and cool summer. Such an early sowing is, in principle, possible, but on one condition: until mid-June, the seedlings should be under cover, for example, under caps made of cut plastic bottles. So you can do without the hassle of growing and transplanting seedlings, and protect the bushes from freezing.