What is good about Kassaba melon, how to choose and grow it

When we hear the word “melon,” we imagine a sweet, juice-filled fruit with a unique aroma. There are a great many varieties of melons, each of which has its own characteristics. Kassaba melon is famous for the fact that its fruits gain the greatest sweetness and juiciness not before harvesting, but during storage, before winter.

Those who want to harvest this Far Eastern fruit at their dacha need to know the intricacies of growing the crop and its requirements for growing conditions.

Description of the variety

Turkey is considered the birthplace of the Kassaba melon, and the golden beauty has appeared in Europe and the USA since the 1920s. It is easy to distinguish Cassaba from other types of melons by the nipple-like growth at the base of the stalk and the wrinkled, almost warty skin. The fruits reach full ripeness, juiciness and flavor development by winter, which allows you to enjoy the summer fruit for the New Year.

The photo shows a Kassaba melon.

Composition, properties, calorie content

Kassaba melon is a very nutritious and healthy fruit. Its pulp contains up to 12-18% sugars, vitamins B, C, trace elements, organic acids, aromatic substances and enzymes. Thanks to enzymes, melon pulp easy to digest body.

In addition, melon contains a large amount of folic acid, which is responsible for the growth of cells in our body, so melons have an anti-sclerotic effect and promote the resorption of tumors. With regular use fruit reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Melon seeds contain up to 23-35% fat, which makes it possible to obtain oil from them that competes with olive oil in quality.

1 kg of Kassaba contains up to 300 kcal.

For reference. In terms of the quantitative content of vitamin C, Cassaba melon is equal to spinach.

Characteristics

Kassaba melon has 2 widely known varieties:

1. Winter cassaba. These are late-ripening varieties with a growing season of 75-100 days. Their crops are harvested unripe and brought to ripeness in storage. The fruits of such melons are large and medium in size, of various shapes, slightly flattened at the ends. The surface has a golden, bright yellow or cream color with large or medium-sized dark green spots. The pulp of ripe fruits is thick, dense, white, astringent in taste. Famous varieties: Valencia, Temporano, Honey Dew, Golden beauty. The latter are the most resistant to transportation and machine assembly.
2. Summer cassaba combines melons of mid-season varieties with spherical fruits of greenish-yellow or orange color. The skin is absolutely smooth, without wrinkles. The pulp becomes sweet, tender and melting after short storage. Popular varieties: Zhukovsky, Honey dew.

Taste qualities

The taste of freshly picked winter Kassab is not similar to the taste of melon, but rather reminiscent of cucumber. After 2-3 months of storage, the fruits become sweet and juicy and acquire a barely perceptible aroma.

All summer Kassabs have thick, fibrous, melt-in-your-mouth flesh with a high sugar content. Unlike winter melon, summer varieties are not stored and are used locally in growing regions on a “pick and eat” basis.

Productivity

The average fruit weight of winter varieties is from 3 to 6 kg. The average yield when grown in greenhouses is 5-7 kg per square meter. m.In open ground - 2.5-4 kg per sq.m.

How to choose fruits when purchasing

When buying Kassaba, you need to pay attention to:

1. Skin condition. It should be free of damage, signs of rotting and mold.
2. Density. After pressing with your finger, a dent appears on the surface of the melon, which disappears over time.
3. Weight. A healthy fruit has a good weight, as it is juicy and fleshy.
4. Distinctive features of the variety – the presence of a nipple-like growth at the base of the stalk and rounded fruits.
5. Ripeness. Unlike other melons, ripe Cassaba is chosen not for its aroma, but for its sound. When struck with the palm of your hand, a ripe melon makes a dull pop.

How to grow a variety yourself

Sowing time:

1. In the south of Russia, sowing in the ground occurs in late April - early May.
2. In central Russia, only early-ripening summer varieties of Kassaba are grown, for example, Honeydew. Sowing of seedlings is carried out in early May.

Seedling method:

1. Throw away seeds with damaged shells, cracks and spots.
2. High-quality seeds are soaked in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.
3. For 1-2 days, the seeds are placed in damp gauze or sawdust and germinated until a root appears.
4. Seedlings are sown immediately in an individual container to a depth of 3-5 cm, since melon does not like transplanting.
5. The soil for planting must be breathable, moisture-absorbing, with neutral acidity within the pH range of 6.7-7.0. The ideal composition is considered to be peat, sand and humus (ratio in buckets: 2:1:0.5).
6. The seedlings are kept in a bright window at a temperature of +25°C.
7. A week before planting, young plants are hardened by taking them out into fresh air for 1-2 hours every day.
8. Seedlings are planted in the phase of 5-7 true leaves, in early June.For normal seedling survival, the night temperature should not fall below +15°C.
9. Planting pattern: 80-90 cm between plants in a row, row spacing - 50 cm.
10. Water the plantings with warm water.
11. In sunny weather, the plantings are covered with thin non-woven material for the first few days.

Direct sowing in the ground:

1. Seeds are prepared for sowing in the same way as when growing seedlings.
2. Sprouted seeds are sown in a prepared bed in advance (in the fall) after May 20.
3. If the soil does not meet the requirements of Kassaba, it is brought to the required acidity and breathability: acidic soils are limed, and loosening agents (peat, sand) are added to heavy and clay soils.
4. The sowing pattern is traditional: the distance from seed to seed is 80-90 cm, row spacing is 50 cm. Planting depth is 3-4 cm.
5. Cover the top with humus and water it abundantly.

Further care for young melon plants is as follows:

1. Mulching the top layer of soil.
2. Loosening and weeding.
3. Regular feeding. The first is carried out 2 weeks after planting with a solution of mullein infusion. The second, phosphorus-potassium, is at the stage of bud formation. For the third time, Cassaba is fed with potassium fertilizer in the fruit set phase.
4. Watering is reduced to 2-3 times a week.
5. In mid-July, unpollinated flowers are removed and the number of ovaries is reduced so that the main fruits have time to ripen.

It is no coincidence that a large distance in a row between plants is recommended - the Kassaba melon is very light-loving and prefers to grow freely.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

Regardless of the growing region, Kassaba melon requires the formation of a single stem bush. All side branches are removed. Long lashes are also not needed, since they will take away nutrition from future fruits. They are removed after 4-5 leaves.

In the northern regions, when growing fruit in a greenhouse, regular ventilation is required. High humidity in the absence of ventilation causes many fungal diseases.

Melon reacts sharply to a lack of mineral nutrition. How many times per season to feed a melon depends on the place of cultivation: on southern chernozems, 2 feedings are enough (in the active growth stage and fruiting phase), and in the northern regions - 3-4 times per season.

Diseases and pests

Kassaba melon is susceptible to fungal diseases:

1. Powdery mildew appears as white spots on leaves and petioles. During the active phase of the disease, the leaves curl, turn brown and dry out.
2. Downy mildew, or downy mildew, – the appearance of yellow-green spots on the leaves. As the disease progresses, the leaves become covered with a gray coating. Downy mildew, unlike real mildew, covers the underside of the leaf.
3. Anthracnose, or copperhead. The leaves become covered with brown, rusty spots, become brittle and dry out. Fruits are affected in the same way.
4. Fusarium. The disease is typical for late varieties. Appears in seedlings at the stage of 3 true leaves and at the time of fruit ripening. The leaves turn yellow, wither and become covered with a gray rusty coating.
5. Root rot affects weak, immature seedlings and weakened adult plants. It appears as a rusty spot at the base of the stem, which grows and turns brown. The cotyledons and leaves dry out. Plants die.

If any fungal disease is detected, it is recommended to use a broad-spectrum fungicide: Topaz, Carbendazim, Ordan. For prevention, the drug “Fitosporin” is added to the soil for sowing.Treatments with copper-containing preparations: Bordeaux mixture, Oxychome show good dynamics.

Important! 3 weeks before harvesting, treatment with any agrochemicals should not be carried out.

The main pests of melon:

• spider mite (destroyed with Fitoverm, Bi-58);
• wireworm (the insecticides “Bazudin” and “Zemlin” will get rid of it);
• melon aphid (treatment with a solution of green soap or the drug “Actellik” helps);
• melon fly (the drug “Kemifos” is effective).

Kassaba melon has to be treated repeatedly against pests. The best measure to combat any disease is prevention, which consists of maintaining crop rotation, plowing the land and destroying weeds, burning plant debris outside the site, sowing green manure and using biological control measures.

Harvesting and application

When fruits are ready for harvest, the stems dry out and are easily separated, so it is easy to determine the degree of readiness of the crop. At the same time, the opposite top of the melon remains soft.

The freshly harvested summer Kassab crop is immediately used for food and processed into jam, compotes and drying (candied fruits). Winter melons are placed in cool storage at a temperature of 8-10°C ripen until fully ripe. Term storage – 2-3 months.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Kassaba melon has many advantages:

• high content of vitamin C, folic acid and complete absence of cholesterol;
• the opportunity to eat fruit for the New Year;
• excellent shelf life and resistance to transportation;
• resistance to machine cleaning.

The disadvantages include:

• the real melon taste and juiciness are revealed only 2-3 months after assembly;
• in central Russia, cultivation is possible only through seedlings in a greenhouse.

Reviews

Reviews about Kassaba melon are contradictory. The taste and size of the fruit greatly depend on the growing region.

Vladimir, Kyiv: «I tried to grow Lada melon (a type of summer Kassaba). They grew up to 17 cm in diameter, no more. They took it off, let it sit for a month – it was very tasty.”

Irina, Lipetsk region: “I set out to grow Kassaba melon. I liked that it was stored well. I’ve been planting early-ripening melon varieties for 4 years now, but none of them are suitable for storage. I chose the Honeydew variety. I grew them with seedlings and planted them in a greenhouse along with tomatoes. I pinched off the extra vines and left one fruit on each. Of all 8 ovaries, one has matured. They stored it in the cellar until December. I’ll say one thing: it’s a lot of hassle, but the taste is inferior to store-bought.”

Vladislav, Voronezh region: “I am an experimental gardener. All new gardening items immediately appear at my dacha. Having seen the seeds of an unusual melon, I became interested and bought it. But ours is not Uzbekistan; they grew small and sour. I don't recommend it."

Conclusion

Kassaba melon is a delicious fruit rich in nutrients. But to grow it, a number of conditions must be met. A native of Asia Minor grows well on southern black soils, but for residents of central Russia and northern latitudes it is easier and more economical to purchase winter melon in a large store.