Which varieties of watermelons are preferable for planting in Siberia

Watermelon, like any other melon crop, loves warmth and light. Watermelons are grown on spacious and loose lands in regions with long and hot summers. However, some varieties are bred specifically for cultivation in Siberia, a region that cannot boast of prolonged warmth and long daylight hours.

In the article we will look at which hybrids and varieties of watermelons are preferable to plant in Siberia and what recommendations to follow when planting.

Features of growing watermelons in Siberia

Experienced farmers recommend paying special attention to agrotechnical rules when growing watermelons in Siberia. It is important to provide the plant with balanced nutrition, proper watering, and timely loosening.

The melon crop is planted in seedlings. This strengthens the plant’s immunity and helps watermelons adapt to climatic conditions more quickly. The plant must be immune to sudden changes in weather, prolonged fog and rain.

The planting procedure and pattern play an important role. Before sowing, be sure to disinfect the seeds and beds, and maintain the distance between the bushes.

Cold-resistant varieties of watermelons

Let's consider the description of popular varieties of watermelon for Siberia, find out their distinctive features, advantages and cultivation rules.

Chill

Grow variety on private plots and spacious farm fields. It belongs to the mid-late variety, the first harvest is harvested 3 months after emergence.

Chill is suitable for growing in greenhouses and open ground. The bush is powerful, the shoots are long and strong. The shape of the fruit is round, weight 4-5 kg.

The peel is green and mesh, the flesh is sugary and dense. The taste is sweet and juicy, strong aroma.

The yield is stable; about 7 kg are harvested from 1 m².

Ultra early

The variety is unpretentious in care, characterized by compact bushes and short shoots.

Watermelon is planted as seedlings, and the harvest is harvested after 75-85 days.

The fruits are spherical and green. One weighs about 5 kg. The pulp is tender, raspberry-colored.

Ultra-early variety is resistant to tobacco mosaic and root rot; to obtain a rich harvest, it is recommended to grow it in greenhouse conditions.

From 4 to 7 kg are collected from 1 m².

Interesting! Watermelon contains vitamins A, B, C, E, trace elements, acids and dietary fiber. It has a strong diuretic effect and improves metabolism.

Photon

The Photon watermelon ripens in 85-100 days. This early-ripening variety is resistant to sudden weather changes and is suitable for planting in greenhouses or outdoors. The fruits are round, light green in color with dark stripes.

The weight of a watermelon is about 4 kg, in some cases it reaches 6-7 kg. The flesh is red with small black seeds. Watermelon tastes tender and sweet. The fruiting period is extended, the fruit set is friendly.

Charleston Gray

The French hybrid became famous due to its unusual elongated shape. Ripens after 75 days from planting on large bushes with long and powerful shoots. The fruits are heavy, weighing 12-16 kg. Color green, striped. The flesh is bright pink, sweet and juicy.

Charleston Gray has an elastic and dense rind, thanks to which the watermelon retains its marketable appearance and taste for up to 40-50 days. The variety is resistant to Fusarium wilt and mosaic, and is rarely attacked by insect pests.

Very early Dyutina

The variety got its name due to its super-early ripening period - beautiful and juicy fruits appear in the beds 60-70 days after the first shoots germinate. The plant is miniature, but the lashes are long and strong, reaching 2 m.

The shape is spherical, the surface is green, with dark and light stripes. The weight of the fetus is 4-6 kg. The taste is excellent, the flesh is grainy and sugary. Extra-early Dyutin is universal in use: jam and compotes, fruit salads and snacks are prepared from watermelon.

Siberian lights

The high-yielding and unpretentious variety ripens in 80-90 days. The fruits are small, each weighing about 2-3 kg. The peel is green with a dark stripe. The taste is sweet, the aroma is pleasant.

The Siberian Lights variety is resistant to cool climates, frequent winds and fogs. It has attractive commercial qualities and is suitable for long-term storage and long-distance transportation.

Ultra early ripening

The fruits are dark green, with subtle thin stripes on the surface. The weight of a watermelon is about 3-4 kg. Grown in open and closed ground, Ultra-early ripens in 60-70 days.

The variety is characterized by cold resistance and immunity to common pests of melons and melons. The pulp is bright red in color with a granular structure and juicy taste. 2-3 kg are collected from 1 m².

Eureka f1

The hybrid is intended for growing in film or greenhouse shelters. The plant is spreading, has a powerful and large root system.Eureka watermelon ripens in 60-70 days. The fruits are traditionally round in shape, weighing from 10 to 15 kg.

Gardeners value Eureka for its high commercial qualities, juicy and tender pulp, and ease of cultivation. The crop is used for fresh consumption and the preparation of sweet fruit dishes.

Crimson Sweet

Early ripening Crimson Sweet ripens in 75-85 days. The weight of the fruit is from 5 to 13 kg, the shape is spherical. The pulp is deep red, sugary and very sweet.

It is distinguished by its uniformity, low seed content and crispy taste. The peel is medium density, matte and smooth. Crimson Sweet is resistant to bacteriosis and root rot, and does not require special agrotechnical knowledge and skills to care for.

Productivity depends on timely watering and the application of mineral and organic fertilizers.

Kai f1

In Siberia, this popular hybrid is planted in seedlings. Kai belongs to the early ripening watermelons, ripens 65 days from the moment the first shoots appear.

The fruits are oval-elongated, weight 7-10 kg. The pulp is a classic pink shade, the seeds are small, black-brown. The surface is green, with slight ribbing and light wide stripes. On the inside the crust is thin and white.

Watermelon is good fresh and used for preservation. It is famous for its delicate and sweet rich taste.

Sugar Baby

Ripens in 75-85 days, unpretentious, suitable for growing in open ground and in greenhouses. The vines are long and powerful, the fruits ripen gradually. Productivity is high, from 1 m² - from 12 kg. The shape is oval, slightly flattened on the sides. Weight 3-6 kg, flesh bright red. The taste is sweet and honey. There are few seeds.

Interesting! Cooked from watermelon rinds jam. It is enough to prepare a syrup from water and sugar, in which the crusts simmer for 2-5 hours. The delicacy acquires a brown tint, the crusts remain benefits and vitamins.

Ogonyok

Watermelons Ogonyok They are unpretentious in cultivation; they are planted with seeds in open ground or by seedlings. The fruits are compact, up to 2 kg. They have a dense and elastic peel and can withstand long-term transportation. The shape is spherical, the color is green. The pulp is fibrous, sweet and aromatic. The Ogonyok variety is universal in application.

Astrakhan

The Astrakhan watermelon, famous throughout the country, is also grown in cool Siberia. The fruits are large, maximum weight 8 kg. The shape is round, with wide green stripes on the surface. The seeds are large, black-brown in color. The pulp is grainy, honey-like. Astrakhan watermelon has an appetizing appearance and is well transported over long distances.

Siberian

The name of the variety speaks for itself - unpretentious, resistant to cool climates and diseases. The shape is spherical, the peel is matte, dark green. The weight of one fruit is 2-3 kg. Sibiryak matures in 80-90 days from the moment the first shoots appear. Suitable for growing in greenhouses and greenhouses. Siberian watermelon is cultivated on an industrial scale for sale.

Raspberry sweet

Easy to care for Sweet raspberry ripens in 3 months. The plant is semi-spreading, medium-sized vines.

Sweet raspberries are miniature fruits weighing up to 2 kg and juicy pink flesh.

The variety does not require special care in the form of shaping or gartering; it is enough to water and loosen the beds in a timely manner.

Siberian giant

Green fruits weigh 7-8 kg, the surface is glossy with dark-light green stripes.

The Siberian giant is cold-resistant, but to obtain a rich harvest it is recommended to plant it in greenhouses.

Thanks to the dense peel, the crop is stored for a long time. The taste is sugary and universal in use. Watermelon ripens in 3-3.5 months.

Sugar baby

Ultra Early Sugar Baby ripens in 75-80 days. Grown in open ground, the plant rarely gets sick.

The shape is spherical, the peel is glossy, dark green with thin black stripes. Watermelon weighs about 1 kg, tastes classic, sweet. In some cases, the fruits grow up to 4-6 kg.

Growing conditions in Siberia

We will learn the agrotechnical secrets of experienced gardeners and find out which variety of watermelon is preferable to plant in Altai, Siberia and the Urals.

When is the best time to plant

Watermelon seedlings are planted at the end of March. Some gardeners rely on the lunar calendar or the experience of past years. For planting, seeds, seedling containers and soil are purchased in advance. The optimal time for planting watermelon seedlings is from March 25 to April 10.

Rules and schemes for planting seeds for seedlings

Before planting, the seeds are disinfected with a weak solution of succinic acid or the drug “Epin”. The container is washed with clean water and wiped dry with a towel, the soil is disinfected by heating in the oven. The container is filled with earth and grooves are made at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other. It is not recommended to sow seeds too close to each other, as dense planting leads to the development of diseases and pests.

Caring for seedlings and preparing for planting in open ground

Caring for seedlings consists of watering, fertilizing and observing the daylight hours.

Experienced summer residents advise:

• water the seedlings once every 5 days with warm water;
• direct water to the root, bypassing leaves and stems;
• provide the plant with at least 12 hours of daylight;
• if there is a lack of light, purchase a phytolamp;
• spray the seedlings with a spray bottle once a week;
• Apply the first fertilizing 15 days after planting;
• fertilize watermelons with urea, liquid chicken droppings and ammonium nitrate;
• 5 days before planting in the garden, stop watering.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

Before planting, the beds are prepared: they dig up the ground, clean it of debris, weeds and remnants of last year’s plants. Planting density depends on the variety, on average it is a 1x1 scheme. Depressions are made in the beds and filled with water.

The seedlings are carefully removed from the seedling container and placed in the ground, sprinkling the base of the stem with river sand, soil and dry sawdust. In the first week, the plants are covered with polyethylene to protect them from rain and wind.

Caring for watermelons in the open ground

Proper care is the key to a rich harvest. Care should be timely and regular:

1. Watering beds - once every 4-5 days. For watering, choose early morning or evening to avoid sunburn.
2. Fertilizer organic and mineral fertilizers. Yeast, urea, manure, compost, superphosphate are used. They improve the taste and marketability of fruits. Fertilizing is applied once every 15 days.
3. Protection from diseases and pests consists of spraying with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate solution.
4. Formation of bushes ensures the development of large fruits. During the formation process, 1-2 large stems are left, the remaining side shoots are removed, and the top is pinched.
5. Loosening the soil improves the quality of the soil, making it nutritious and light. More oxygen reaches the roots of the plant.Loosen the beds before watering.
6. Pollinate watermelons, bees, bumblebees and other insects. Height watermelon berries will begin only after pollination. If the plant is in a greenhouse, manual pollination will come to the rescue. It is carried out early in the morning using a brush or a cotton swab: pollen from male flowers is transferred to female ones.

Harvest and storage

Harvest in late August - early September. Ripeness is determined by the dull sound when tapped, the glossy shine of the peel, and the elasticity of the fruit. After harvesting, watermelons are wiped with a dry cloth.

For long-term storage, the crop is placed in a dry cellar or basement with good ventilation and air humidity of no more than 80%.

Conclusion

To grow sweet watermelon in Siberia, cold-resistant varieties with increased immunity to diseases and pests are chosen. Astrakhan, Sibiryak, Sugar Baby - these watermelons have become famous due to their high immunity and early ripening.

The seedling method of planting and preliminary disinfection of seeds and soil will help improve the yield. Suitable areas for growing melons are hilly beds away from groundwater.